VM's For Sale, Cheap!

Imagine a world where research, software development, and online learning rule. Imagine independently owned, yet centrally supported virtual machines taking on Amazon, Dell, HP, Newegg, and Best Buy . . . and winning. Imagine all this in an affordable package that makes it easy to get the resources you need, when you need them.

It’s been more than five years since MSIS started providing virtual servers for the institution, and the goal is still the same — to reduce the risk of buying your own equipment and jamming overpriced hardware in the eye with the stick of safe, affordable, computing.

These servers are cheap!

Processor	Memory (RAM)	Hard Drive	Network Data Storage
FREE	$34.20/GB/year	$1.80/GB/year	$0.32/GB/year
FREE	$2.85/GB/Month	$0.15/GB/month	$0.03/GB/month

Cheaper than a fancy steak dinner!

Configuration	MSIS	Amazon EC2	Physical Server Hardware
Small (1 Processor/2GB RAM/50GB HD/No Storage)	$158.40/Year	$392.52/Year	$575.00*
Medium (2 Processors/4GB RAM/50GB HD/100 GB Storage)	$258.80/Year	$922.32/Year	$1105.00*
Large (4 Processors/16GB RAM/50GB HD/1TB Storage)	$964.88/Year	$1844.64/Year	$4949.00*

Safe as Houses!

Nobody wants to lose their research and important data. We make sure to back their stuff up every day. Each byte of data is lovingly copied and transferred to a safe location. We house it and keep it warm for two whole weeks. Restores happen in a day from when unexpected happens.

Did I Mention Cheap?

Still not convinced? Still need more evidence? Here's how much backup and restore for virtual servers costs:

Zero. Zilch. Bupkis. Nada. Zip. Nuthin.

 

 

But wait, there's more!

Think about the hidden costs and risks. Flood! Fire! Theft! Tired graduate students tripping over power cords! If you're buying physical hardware, you've got to worry about, power, cooling, backup, and people to run the equipment. How much more productive would our researchers and faculty be if they didn't have to worry about RAID cache backup and sudden power loss?

Help us my fellow MSIS-ers! Broadcast the propaganda in our Knowledge Base and use the tools to talk to our customers throughout this amazing institution. Together, we can wipe out the disasters of running your own equipment, and launch a movement that builds a new world out of the detritus of the old!!

* Based on HP catalog orders for the University of Michigan.  Does not include backup, power, and cooling costs.