Privacy and processing power are big problems right now – both for MSPs and their clients. MSPs need to find solutions, and they need to do so while managing cost and complexity.
Is bare metal part of the answer? We spoke to Herke Platenga, founder and CEO of bare metal specialists NovoServe, for an expert perspective.
MSP GLOBAL: Let’s start with the basics… The term comes up a lot at our festival, so what exactly is” bare metal”?
Herke Platenga: Bare metal is the physical server itself. The customer gains access to a physical machine that is purely theirs. There’s no sharing, and the customer can add their own software.
MSP GLOBAL: So, who uses bare metal?
HP: The market for bare metal is everybody who needs raw compute power and knows how to add the software to it to build their own infrastructure on top of it.
It’s most important for the sectors that really need all the power they can get for the lowest price possible in the market. Especially those that need a lot of computational power and low latency.
MSP GLOBAL: How are MSPs in particular using bare metal?
HP: MSPs mainly use bare metal as a replacement for their own hardware because it gives them a more flexible way to build and scale their infrastructure. They can use it to run their own software and can also build environments specifically for their clients.
MSP GLOBAL: Why would someone choose bare metal over Public, Private, or Hybrid Cloud?
HP: Bare metal gives you the most freedom, and is also the most cost-effective compared to a cloud setup. A pure Cloud setup can cost five to 10 times as much for the same amount of power you would get from bare metal.
MSP GLOBAL: Presumably bare metal is not suitable for MSPs in all cases. What about Cloud?
HP: Cloud is specifically interesting for smaller infrastructure to start with. It’s a low entry point because the software is already taken care of. If you scale up, you can do it through Cloud, but bare metal is way more cost-efficient.
MSP GLOBAL: Are you seeing more MSPs move to bare metal?
HP: Definitely. MSPs are looking to move to bare metal due to two main concerns: cost and privacy, specifically where the data is hosted.
MSP GLOBAL: Is bare metal better suited for the larger MSPs, then?
HP: MSPs can already start at a very small size. I think it’s wise for most MSPs to stay away from Cloud because it’s really a tie-in infrastructure. It’s hard to move. If you build your own infrastructure based on bare metal, whether owned or rented servers, you have the flexibility and the knowledge to grow.
MSP GLOBAL: Are global factors changing how MSPs use bare metal?
HP: The increased need for privacy, especially with the geopolitical situation going on, makes a very good case to use bare metal. It’s possible to build your own GPT server with private company data on a bare metal GPU system, or encrypt data and host your own infrastructure on physical machines. We’re seeing increased demand for bare metal infrastructure on both sides of the Atlantic.
MSP GLOBAL: MSPs are always looking to expand their offer. How does bare metal help them?
HP: MSPs can create value-added services on top of bare metal—like virtualization, Docker platforms, or anything that uses a lot of raw compute power. It’s wise to put it on a bare metal platform because it offers flexibility and MSPs don’t need to do their own kpacks. Plus, they can match the OpEx with the customer revenue.
[Ed. note: In most basic terms, Kubernetes Native Container Build Service—”kpack” for short—is a build resource for Kubernetes, an open-source system for creating, managing, and scaling containerized applications. If you see the term “Kubernetes” or its short form “K8s”, you can be sure you’re not in a conversation about consumer laptops!]
MSP GLOBAL: Okay, so now we’ve heard about the pros of bare metal—what’s the downside?
HP: The downside is that the knowledge requirement for managing bare-metal infrastructure is higher than managing applications in a Cloud infrastructure. You would need to build your own virtualization and everything on top of the bare metal.
The network is taken care of most of the time, but you need more knowledge within your team of how to manage Linux systems and basic networking functions.
MSP GLOBAL: Got it! And what trends are you seeing at the moment?
HP: There’s definitely a focus on AI and privacy. And doing that on a bare metal platform is very interesting because you don’t have to do the capital expenditure for big GPUs. It gives you the flexibility and the privacy to run your own AI infrastructure.
The negative is that it takes a lot of knowledge to set it up right now because the software for the middleware infrastructure isn’t there yet.
MSP GLOBAL: What’s your final advice for MSPs, especially those looking to grow?
HP: My message would be to really look into the costs of having your own hardware farm, with the complexity of adding servers in the data center, managing data center infrastructure, plus the network. There are a lot of hidden costs. And be aware that while the Cloud can be appealing at the start, it can then become very difficult to migrate away from it further down the line.
Dive Deeper Into the World of Bare Metal and Cloud for MSPs
Meet a whole range of bare metal providers and a host of hosting firms at MSP GLOBAL. Register today—and be sure to book your hotel if you already have your ticket.
