Managing a complex hosting environment is never easy, especially when you rely on a managed hosting partner to handle critical infrastructure. While outsourcing hosting can offer benefits like reduced operational overhead, it also comes with its own set of challenges. I experienced this firsthand in a situation that caused consistent application downtime for nearly two years. Here’s what happened, the challenges we faced, and how we ultimately resolved the issue.
The Setup of the Hosting Environment
Our hosting setup was designed to support multiple client applications with high availability and reliability. It included:
– A redundant pair of firewalls for security.
– A redundant pair of Load balancers to distribute traffic efficiently.
– Golden IP addresses are the ones that client applications are pointed to.
– SSL offloading at the load balancer level to handle encryption.
This setup required precise configuration, especially when it came to SSL certificates. Since SSL offloading was handled at the load balancer level, the SSL certificates needed to be installed correctly on the load balancers with the right IP addresses.
The Problem
The biggest challenge was that we didn’t have direct access to the firewalls or load balancers. Everything had to go through our managed hosting partner. Here’s how the process worked:
We need to place the order for a new SSL certificate and go through the application validation process. After that we need to raise a ticket with the hosting partner’s support team to install the SSL certificate.
This seemingly straightforward process became a recurring nightmare.
The Root Cause
The hosting partner had a large support team, and every time we raised a ticket, it was handled by a different engineer. This led to several issues:
Lack of Familiarity with the Setup: Each engineer was unfamiliar with our specific configuration, leading to mistakes like installing the SSL certificate in the wrong place or assigning the wrong IP address.
Missed Documentation: After the first incident, we had a call with the hosting partner and agreed to add a note in the system for engineers to double-check the setup. Unfortunately, the note was overlooked during subsequent incidents.
Repeated Downtime: Every time the SSL certificate was installed incorrectly, it caused application downtime, frustrating both our team and our clients.
The Impact
For two years, we faced the same issue repeatedly. Each incident required hours of troubleshooting, communication with the hosting partner, and damage control with our clients. The lack of control over our own infrastructure made it difficult to resolve the problem proactively.
The Solution
After enduring this cycle for far too long, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We migrated our setup to the cloud, where we could manage the infrastructure ourselves. This gave us full control over our Firewalls and Load Balancers so we could configure and troubleshoot them directly. We can purchase our SSL certificates and no longer had to rely on a third party to install them correctly. We also implemented robust monitoring tools to detect and resolve issues before they impacted clients.
The move to the cloud not only resolved the SSL certificate issue but also gave us greater flexibility, scalability, and peace of mind.
Lessons Learned
This experience taught me several valuable lessons about managing complex hosting setups with a third-party partner:
Control is Critical: When dealing with complex infrastructure, having direct access and control is essential. Relying entirely on a third party can lead to unnecessary risks and delays.
Documentation is Key: Even with detailed documentation, human error can occur. It’s important to have fail-safes in place to ensure critical steps aren’t missed.
Communication Matters: Clear and consistent communication with your hosting partner is crucial. However, it’s not a substitute for having control over your own environment.
Know When to Change Course: If a setup isn’t working despite repeated efforts, it may be time to explore alternative solutions.
While managed hosting partners can offer convenience, they may not always be the best fit for complex setups. In our case, moving to the cloud and taking ownership of our infrastructure was the turning point that resolved years of frustration. If you’re facing similar challenges, consider whether having more control over your environment could be the solution. After all, when it comes to your applications and clients, you deserve the ability to act quickly and decisively—without relying on someone else to get it right