ENKI versus AppLogic grid hosting providers

While ENKI uses the same underlying software to manage your Virtual Private Data Center, it is hosted in a larger Grid (array of servers) which is shared with our other customers.  ENKI has taken steps to make this grid operate at even higher levels of speed and reliability than an AppLogic grid deployed to 4 generic servers, as well as provisioning high-speed network-attached storage so that you aren't limited to the storage available in your grid servers.  Because of the shared environment, you aren't paying for a fixed number of servers or a standby server, which allows you to scale your resource consumption from 0.1 server up to tens of servers while only paying for the resources you use.  The chart below details the differences between ENKI and other AppLogic Grid providers. 

	Other AppLogic Grid Provider	ENKI Computing Utility
Cost	You pay for the number of servers you lease, whether you use them or not.  Per-server cost depends on server capability (RAM, CPU)  You pay for the extra standby server needed to provide failover capability.  You pay for system administration time to learn and operate AppLogic.	ENKI charges based on resources used.  Our charges are similar on a per-server basis to other AppLogic providers, but you receive access to high-end servers.  You do not pay for server resources you are not using, for the failover server, or for unused extra RAM and CPU, often resulting in significant savings.  Quantity discounts are available.  We operate AppLogic for you, resulting in significant savings as well as higher reliability.
Billing	Grid is typically provided for a fixed monthly amount on a one-year contract, billed in advance or paid on a monthly payment plan at higher cost.  If you don't use the entire grid, you still pay for it.	Because ENKI charges based on resources used each month, our contracts only require a minimum usage committment, with the first month paid in advance.  Your monthly bill will depend on your actual usage. Quantity discounts apply.
Reliability	Full AppLogic automatic restart on hardware failure.  Typically no guarantee or SLA, or small percentage refund on SLA violation.  You are responsible for administering your Grid, so providers cannot offer a comprehensive  SLA because you could bring your own grid down.  You control planned downtime.	Full AppLogic automatic restart on hardware failure, with ENKI-proprietary reliability enhancements. 10x money-back guarantee for unplanned outages that exceed 3.5 nines (99.95%) of reliability per year.
Speed	Depends on what kind of hardware you order for your Grid and how it is configured.   Some providers use a 100mb/s frontside network which can restrict performance.	ENKI provisions your VPDC in muscular 4 or 8-core servers with 16GB of RAM or more, so you have headroom to grow your Appliances as necessary.   High quality disk subsystems.  1Gb/sec frontside network for best performance.  Access to high-speed SANs available to support transactional loads.
Security	Security is up to you.  You can achieve good security by installing your own software firewall.	Active Intrusion Detection/ Intrusion Prevention hardware firewalls with antivirus available to protect against hacking, viruses and DOS attacks. Multilayer security possible with ENKI-supposed software firewalls.
Administration	You must learn AppLogic configuration and maintenance  skills.  As a result, you can configure your own instances (Appliances) and VPDC architecture, but you are responsible for any errors, performance problems, or data loss caused by mistakes.	You define instance (Appliance) configurations and VPDC architecture, which we set up for you.  We do all AppLogic administration for you  - you have full root access to your instances.  We optimize your VPDCs for performance and resource usage.
Persistence	AppLogic guarantees application and data persistence by design.	AppLogic guarantees application and data persistence.  ENKI offers backup services to protect against accidental or intentional deletion.
Granularity	Fine-grained instance resource allocation granularity in 0.01 CPU / 1MB RAM increments, but pricing is based on  number of servers leased irrespective of resource allocation.	Fine-grained instance resource allocation granularity in 0.01 CPU / 1MB RAM increments.  Pricing based on total RAM and CPU used allows you to save money by combining requirements from high-RAM and high-CPU instances.
Storage	Storage is allocated within the AppLogic grid resulting in potential performance and scaling problems.	Network-attached storage is optionally available to support applications requiring  high-speed or high-volume data access.
Observability	You provide your own monitoring or use AppLogic's built-in monitoring, subject to your grid being operable so that the monitoring will work.	ENKI offers enterprise-grade remote monitoring at the application and server levels, as well as user-experience monitoring. Monitoring is included with operations services.
Bandwidth Pricing	Bandwidth is priced in chunks.  If you don't use the entire chunk, you still pay for it, so effective pricing is higher than you think.  Overages are generally very expensive.	ENKI charges a flat rate for the maximum of input and output bandwidth actually used.  Quantity discounts are automatically applied.
Bandwidth Quality	Highly variable. Some providers limit bandwidth on the internet connection either by maximum rate or burst quantity.	ENKI's data centers are located at carrier meet-me points such as MAE West, with carefully selected carrier mix to ensure minimum ping and transit times.
Deployment and Management	You figure out how to deploy and manage your application.  You have to understand AppLogic's architecture to get the most of your deployment.	ENKI's experienced staff of IT professionals deploys  your application in a virtual data center of your design, with full management available, and is always available to answer your questions so you can get the most from your deployment.
Vendor Lock-In	Running applications including an entire VPDC can be moved to another AppLogic-based partner's data center with a single command.	Running applications including an entire VPDC can be moved to another AppLogic-based partner's data center with a single command.  ENKI's high-speed network allows for quick migration.
Support	Check your vendor.  Many vendors only offer web-based support requests, resulting in potential delays and miscommunication.	You call on the phone or email us, and we answer, with guaranteed service response times (phone service not included with ENKI VPS services.)
Intended Audience	Those wishing to provide their own cloud computing service. Do-it-yourself IT professionals,  organizations that have capable IT personnel with free time, organizations that want hands-on management of their Grid.  Users who need limited amount of scalability.	Those wishing to get cloud computing services from  a vendor forcused on  operations excellence. Organizations requiring enterprise-grade guaranteed service levels without staffing investment, wishing to take advantage of ENKI's extensive data center design expertise.