Cloud services

CSC cloud services consist of Pouta hardware virtualization service, Rahti application containerization service, Pukki database-as-a-service (DBaaS) and Noppe cloud platform. All CSC cloud services are self-hosted within our data center in Kajaani, Finland.

Pouta cloud services

With Pouta services, you can take control of your IT infrastructure, manage it in a flexible fashion, and automate it as you require. You can launch and manage virtual machines, deploy storage, and create networks for your needs. This infrastructure can be used for anything you need or can imagine. It is a generic platform that can run many different kinds of applications from web servers and databases to complex scientific software stacks and data analysis pipelines. The flexibility also carries a required level of expertise and familiarity with UNIX.

We offer two Pouta services:

cPouta is our general purpose cloud service. The virtual machines are accessible online from anywhere in the internet if needed. If you require virtual machines or other infrastructure services, and you do not have sensitive data requirements, cPouta might suit your needs.
ePouta is similar to cPouta, but is mainly recommended for sensitive data processing. The virtual machines are only available via the customer’s network and can be considered a virtual private cloud. Read more about our sensitive data services.

Rahti container cloud service

Rahti allows deploying containerized applications in a reliable and managed cluster. This is a higher level service than Pouta services. Rahti takes care of most of the lower level management, so that you do not have to. Rahti requires a basic knowledge of containers and application deployment.

Like Pouta, Rahti allows you to run the same kind of applications and services. However, in contrast to Pouta where you manage infrastructure like virtual machines and networks, in Rahti you manage applications directly. These applications need to be packaged in a container.

If you want to run a web application or host a website, Rahti will likely be the platform for you. It comes with many of the most common features needed for web-based applications.

Here are some example use cases that Rahti is suited for:

Hosting an interactive web application or just a regular website.
Prepackaging a complex application like Apache Spark and making it easy for others to run their own instance of that application.
Deploying a web application written in common languages like Python, JavaScript or Java to the web with just a single command.

Related cloud services

If you just want to deploy a database in CSC cloud, Pukki DBaaS is the recommended solution. Pukki simplifies the process of setting up a database in cPouta to just a few clicks by automating certain maintenance and administrative tasks.

Similarly, if your goal is to run web applications such as Jupyter or RStudio in CSC cloud, our Noppe service allows you to do this without actually having to manage any virtual machines or networks yourself.

Support

If you have questions about CSC’s cloud services, do not hesitate to contact our Service Desk. Please also see our user guides in Docs CSC, as well as our upcoming cloud-related trainings.

CSC Service Desk Cloud-related courses Cloud services in Docs CSC