Bare metal: concept, advantages, and use cases
Are you looking for a high-performance solution for your IT environment? Discover the benefits of bare metal servers for your business. This solution can be adapted to a wide range of needs and is offered by a partner with data centers located in France, ensuring optimal security for your data.
Bare metal definition and how it works
What is a bare metal server?
A bare metal server is a dedicated physical server that a customer leases from a provider. Unlike virtualized solutions, all of this server's resources are reserved exclusively for the customer and are not shared with any other tenants. Of course, multiple users within the customer's company can access and use the bare metal server simultaneously.
Difference from a virtualized server
Bare metal is therefore a physical server used by a single customer. The resources of the bare metal server can thus be used without restriction by the person renting it. As for the virtualized server (also known as a virtual machine), it uses the resources of a physical server to provide isolated environments for different customers. In this way, several dedicated and independent virtual servers can be hosted on a single physical server.
BMaaS: what place does it have in an IT ecosystem?
Comparison with traditional IaaS
The “Bare metal as-a-service” or BMaaS system is a service whereby a provider offers a physical IT ecosystem that is entirely dedicated to you. This physical infrastructure is managed by the provider, who takes care of hardware purchasing, deployment, maintenance, and support.
IaaS, or “Infrastructure as a Service,” is a cloud computing model that allows you to rent a virtualized IT infrastructure (servers, storage, networks, etc.). Everything is hosted in the cloud, and you can create, configure, and delete virtual machines as needed.
With IaaS, you use a virtual environment shared with other users, whereas with BMaaS, you have a physical server all to yourself.
Why choose BMaaS?
BMaaS (Bare Metal as a Service) offers many advantages for your business because it combines the power of a dedicated physical server with the flexibility of the cloud. The physical server is provided and managed by an external service provider, which reduces costs compared to owning your own server.
With BMaaS, you have a dedicated physical computer, which offers optimal performance. The resources of this server are 100% yours, so you don't have to share them with other users, which enhances the stability and security of the service. You also retain full control over the configuration and installed software. BMaaS is therefore a powerful, secure, and flexible solution without the constraints of a physical server installed on your premises.
Benefits of bare metal servers
1. Increased performance
When you choose to rent a bare metal server, you have a physical server that is entirely dedicated to you, and its performance is 100% at the service of your business. There are no virtualization layers, so you have direct access to the server's resources. All of the power of the processor, memory, and storage is entirely dedicated to your applications. This absence of intermediaries guarantees low latency, improves execution speed, and offers constant stability, even during peak activity periods.
2. Isolation and enhanced security
Bare metal guarantees that you will not share your server with anyone else. Unlike shared cloud environments, where several customers coexist on the same physical machine, here you remain the sole master on board. There are no neighbors who could potentially monopolize the CPU, and no risk that a breach at another customer's site could compromise your data.
This physical isolation is particularly important for sensitive data. A law firm dealing with mergers and acquisitions does not want its files to be on the same hypervisor as a competitor. Banks understand this well: their critical applications almost always run on bare metal, with total control over encryption, firewalls, and access policies.
Security audits also become simpler. When the CNIL or ANSSI asks where data is stored and who has access to it, the answer is clear: physical server X, rack Y, data center Z. There are no gray areas and no complex virtual architecture to document. For companies subject to strict regulations, this transparency is essential.
3. Flexibility and hardware customization
Bare metal allows you to choose exactly the components you need. Scientific calculations run better on AMD EPYC processors, in-memory databases sometimes require 2 TB of RAM, and high-I/O applications require NVMe drives. This kind of custom configuration is impossible in a standardized cloud environment.
This level of customization makes a real difference depending on the business. Example: a video post-production studio configures its servers with high-performance GPUs and 10 TB of fast storage for 4K editing. Six months later, a new project in 8K? The scalability of bare metal allows you to add an additional 20 TB and double the RAM without migrating the entire infrastructure. Provisioning takes 48 hours, with no need to rebuild everything.
Software publishers appreciate this flexibility. Their development environments start out light and can ramp up as releases come out. A build server that goes from 32 to 128 cores for intensive compilation phases, then scales back down during off-peak periods. This “à la carte” scalability allows costs to be adjusted as closely as possible to actual needs, without oversizing.
4. Controlled infrastructure costs
Unlike setting up an internal data center, choosing BMaaS means you benefit from an on-demand service. You have your own dedicated server without having to invest in the purchase of physical hardware or its maintenance. The expenses associated with your bare metal solution are also much more predictable (you don't have to worry about sudden costs related to a breakdown or component replacement, for example).
Use cases
Intensive applications: AI, Big Data, or IoT
The BMaaS solution is perfect for applications that require a lot of power. This is particularly the case if you use or develop a tool that uses artificial intelligence, but also if you need to process large amounts of data (Big Data). If you offer your customers services based on the Internet of Things, the bare metal solution is also the most suitable. Each server resource is dedicated to you, guaranteeing maximum and stable performance for your heavy computing or real-time processing needs.
Critical or regulated applications
The bare metal solution is also very secure because a physical computer is entirely dedicated to you. The risk of data leaks or hacking is therefore much more controlled. If you use critical or regulated applications or handle sensitive personal data, this is the solution to choose.
Multi-tenant architecture and sovereignty constraints
In multi-tenant environments or those subject to data location constraints (digital sovereignty), bare metal offers the possibility of physically isolating servers. This makes it possible to host applications in a specific data center, control access to data, and ensure compliance with local laws.
Deployment of hybrid solutions in UltraEdge data centers
Hybrid or cloud integration
Bare metal cloud solutions combine the rental of a physical server with a hybrid cloud solution to host online applications. Depending on your business needs, you can integrate your BMaaS solution into a hybrid or cloud mix (private or public). This allows you to run sensitive applications on dedicated servers while leveraging the cloud for less sensitive needs.
Local management, connectivity, and supervision
With more than 250 data centers located throughout France, UltraEdge offers you optimal connectivity and rock-solid security. In addition to benefiting from secure data hosting in accordance with current standards, you are committing to a sustainable approach by reducing the impact of your IT needs. What's more, UltraEdge's experts are highly responsive, supporting you in your digital transformation and monitoring your servers to detect any anomalies or specific needs.