---
title: "Introduction to Managed Cloud"
slug: "introduction-to-managed-cloud"
abstract: "Learn more about Sitecore's cloud-based hosting service."
---
# Introduction to Managed Cloud

Sitecore Managed Cloud is a hosting service that enables customers to deploy Sitecore Experience Manager (XM), Sitecore Experience Platform (XP), and Sitecore Experience Commerce (XC) on Microsoft Azure. It is an alternative to running the Sitecore platform on premises or via the public cloud. With Sitecore Managed Cloud, Sitecore actively monitors, manages, and maintains both the infrastructure and the applications.

> [!note]
> This documentation describes how to deploy Sitecore on Microsoft Azure with Docker Containers with Kubernetes. If you are deploying with Azure App Services (PaaS), please refer to [this managed Cloud documentation version](https://doc.sitecore.com/en/developers/100/managed-cloud/managed-cloud.html) instead.

Sitecore’s Managed Cloud services come in two options:

1. Managed Cloud Standard (MCS)
2. Managed Cloud Premium (MCP)

You must identify the best fit for your needs. This decision is based on your expertise with Sitecore software, cloud operations, and architecture experience between any in-house resources or those provided by your technology service partner.

## Sitecore Managed Cloud Standard services

Sitecore Managed Cloud comes with a comprehensive [infrastructure design](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/102/managed-cloud/the-managed-cloud-architecture.html "The Managed Cloud architecture") with all components necessary to run Sitecore XM and Sitecore XP at scale. Sitecore Managed Cloud provides the following benefits:

- Support for Sitecore XM, Sitecore XP.

    > [!note]
    > Sitecore Experience Commerce (XC) support is currently only available in Managed Cloud Premium.

- Full access to Sitecore instances and the ability to deploy custom code.
- Deploy Sitecore on Docker Containers with Kubernetes across a multitude of global data centers.
- Focus on achieving business results faster, while constraining costs and ensuring the highest security and brand reliability
- Monitoring and support for production deployments.
- Integrated support for the Sitecore platform and hosting solution.
- Set of infrastructure services and add-ons available within a service catalog.

On Sitecore Knowledge Base, you can read more about the Sitecore Managed Cloud Standard services, including:

- [Sitecore Managed Cloud Standard – service aspects and embedded operations](https://kb.sitecore.net/articles/133931)
- [Supported technologies](https://kb.sitecore.net/articles/332787)
- [Steps to restart Nodes](https://kb.sitecore.net/articles/684736)

## Sitecore Manage Cloud Premium services

In essence, Manage Cloud Premium is everything that is in Managed Cloud Standard, but with global support provided by Sitecore for the Sitecore Managed Cloud infrastructure.

Manage Cloud Premium provides proactive oversight in overall solution architecture and best practices, inclusive of security, scaling, and non-standard topologies and hybrid environments (including containers). Ultimately, Managed Cloud Premium provides individualized advisory support along side your solution development team with an enterprise SLA.

For more on Managed Cloud Premium, go to [Introduction to Managed Cloud Premium](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/102/managed-cloud/managed-cloud-premium.html "Managed Cloud Premium").