Application hosting services at a glance

Application hosting services options

As a product owner, you can use this guide to help you and your team choose the best hosting platform for your product.

Each service has unique capabilities and features that create a secure and compliant environment for digital service hosting.

• The Data centre classic on-prem hosting offers traditional managed hosting services for virtual and physical systems. It supports various operating systems and technologies
• The Private cloud OpenShift platform combines on-premise and cloud benefits. It offers managed services on dedicated hardware for control and flexibility
• The Public cloud Amazon Web Services (AWS) Landing Zone uses AWS hardware. It provides scalable, on-demand computing services accessed through the internet with a secure, pre-configured environment

Notes:

• Only services that are managed by OCIO are listed
• If you’re considering the adoption of ready-to-use, subscription-based software, visit Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Contact the OCIO Enterprise Architecture team at citzas@gov.bc.ca if you need guidance

Shared responsibility model

The responsibilities are divided among ministry teams, service providers and the OCIO when hosting applications in each of the hosting environments.

Information technology (IT) management responsibilities vary across hosting and cloud models. Some vendors handle IT management, while others require you to manage it. Not all providers agree to the same terms, which makes procurement challenging.

Everyone in the organization must understand their roles and responsibilities for successful cloud adoption. This includes business, procurement, compliance and technology departments.

Notes for the shared responsibility model table:

* Only applies to virtual machines.

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Technical terms explained

These technical terms are listed in the applications hosting services options table.

Hosting environment definitions

Choosing the right hosting environment for your application is important because it affects your application’s performance, scalability and maintenance.

• Virtual machines are software-based simulations of physical computers that let you run multiple applications on a single server. This offers flexibility and isolation
• Physical hardware provides dedicated resources for your application. This ensures consistent performance and control. This option is ideal for high-demand or sensitive applications
• A containerized environment packages your application and its dependencies. This allows it to run consistently on any system and reduce compatibility issues. It also makes it easier to move your application between environments and scale it as needed. It allows your team to develop, test and deploy more efficiently. Ultimately, this enhances the overall stability and performance of your application
• A serverless environment lets you run your code without managing servers. It automatically grows or adjusts as needed without requiring additional setup. This environment is suggested for variable workloads

Elasticity definition

Elasticity in hosting means the ability to automatically increase or decrease the resources based on demand. For example, it can add computing power, storage or memory when needed, and reduce them during slower times to save money.

This flexibility is important for applications that experience high, sudden demand, but may not be as important for applications with more consistent demand.

Service definitions

These additional services enhance your hosting platform’s capabilities.

• Software Defined Network (SDN) uses software to control data flow over a network, unlike traditional networks that rely on hardware connections. SDNs are more flexible and secure. They’re essential for running virtual environments like virtual machines, containers and serverless hosting. They improve network management and make it easier to control and optimize traffic
• S3 Object Store is a flexible, scalable and cost-effective way to store files that don’t change often. It’s ideal for storing photographs, email attachments or database backup files. It offers scalable storage for large amounts of data. However, it’s not suitable for live database files or files used regularly for collaboration. The OCIO offers an S3-compatible Object Storage service called Dell Elastic Cloud Storage
• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) services encompass a wide range of computer applications that enable advanced analytics and automating tasks. Many types of AI exist, but the most common and popular type of AI right now are Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT
• Security tools are tools for securing applications. For example, HashiCorp Vault for managing encrypted secrets, Artifactory for handling development artifacts and RedHat Advanced Cluster Security for active pod security scanning on OpenShift. These tools ensure robust security measures across development environments
• Checkpoint CSPM stands for Cloud Security Posture Management. This is a security tool offered by Checkpoint to analyze and strengthen security against threats
• AWS IaaS/PaaS refers to Amazon Web Services Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings in Canada’s central region (ca-central-1) and the United States’ east coast (us-east-1)