Cloud Hosting

What is Cloud Hosting?

Are you looking for hosting that's flexible, scalable and affordable? Have you outgrown traditional shared hosting, but aren't ready for (or don't want to bother with) purchasing or leasing your own server? Then cloud hosting might be for you.

Cloud hosting combines the powerful resources of Virtual Private Server hosting with the scalability and versatility of cloud computing. By virtualizing your Web server and drawing on the pooled resources of a group of computers, cloud hosting is an increasingly popular choice for business sites of all sizes.

How Does Cloud Hosting Work?

While shared hosting is like living in an apartment with many other tenants, and dedicated hosting is like moving into your own home, cloud hosting is something different altogether. When you choose a cloud hosting plan from your provider, you're actually paying to use a part of the pooled resources of hundreds, or even thousands, of machines in the larger network. Your Web server, applications, and data files are stored (as multiple copies to provide redundancy) across these systems, which collectively make up the cloud.

Cloud hosting is efficient and more affordable than traditional dedicated hosting because the demand for resources is distributed across so many machines. This also means that you can scale your plan on the fly to meet demand. So, for example, if your site is currently experiencing high traffic due to popular files or increased eCommerce activity, with cloud hosting you can simply scale up the bandwidth and processing to match the demand. And since many cloud hosting plans are "pay as you go," you're not stuck paying for a full month at a higher rate for only a few hours or days of increased resource use.

The nature of cloud computing means that managed hosting and advanced configuration features are also included with many plans. Maintenance and upgrades are also generally included, since there's no single "server" to update or maintain.

Cloud hosting is more expensive than most shared hosting options (as well as some Virtual Private Server (VPS) plans), but for those who have outgrown the capabilities of shared hosting, the configurability, scalability, and versatility afforded by cloud hosting plans makes them a smart choice.

Cloud Computing Overview

Cloud computing is decentralized, multi-machine network computing. More simply, this means that all the applications, websites, and data that would normally reside on a single machine are instead spread across a large network of machines on the Internet. This provides greater security, power, and reliability with:

Built-in redundancy: In the cloud, files of all kinds are automatically backed up and continuously updated, so even if one copy fails, becomes corrupted, or is deleted, another copy can be accessed by the system right away. This improves uptime and helps prevent site crashes or failures.

Isolated computing environments: Cloud servers run in their own memory space, independently of any central operating system. This makes them more secure and also means that your sensitive files and applications are kept separate from not only other servers in the same cloud, but from the Internet at large. Firewalls and other security options can be adjusted on the fly to enhance security or simplify access.

Dedicated resources: Cloud computing gives greater flexibility than any other platform for on-demand upgrades. Resources can be allocated as needed to meet increased demand, and because you only pay for the resources you use, a cloud server can actually save you money over other time.

Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN pre-loads static content (e.g., non-interactive page elements, images and text that are changed only occasionally or not at all, logos, etc.) to speed up your site's load time for visitors. Many cloud hosting providers rely on a CDN as a basic part of their file management system, since pre-loading also speeds up application elements and their own internal pages.

Get an overview of how companies can benefit from using cloud computing in the shifting online marketplace:

How to Set up Cloud Hosting

Setting up a hosting account is a fairly uniform process, regardless of level or plan type.

The first step is to find a host with the features you need, at a price your budget will support. Your needs are unique, and this process can take some time as you narrow down your choices. Remember, publishers' or providers' ideas of what matters often differ from the specific features, support options, and configuration you want and need.

Remember, too, that because most cloud hosting packages are pay-as-you-go, you'll want to have a good idea of the approximate resources your site will need each month, plus a "cushion" for surges in bandwidth and processing power.

After finding a host that suits your needs, it's simply a matter of signing up with your new provider, linking your domain name to your new account, and then uploading or building your website.

How to Choose Cloud Hosting

You probably know of at least a few hosting providers, either through advertising or from friends and associates. A quick Internet search for "Cloud Hosting," "Cloud Servers" and the like can quickly turn up dozens of additional choices.

Most cloud hosting providers list their features in easy-to-navigate tables on their sites. This simplifies evaluating plans, comparing features, and toting up your estimated hosting costs. Find a few options that have the features you want and need, then pick the one that provides the most bang for your buck.

Once you've decided on a host, it's simply a matter of signing up for their service, and paying the fee. Unlike shared, dedicated and VPS plans, cloud hosting plans are usually based on usage, so it may take you a few months to find your average usage, especially if your business is growing rapidly.

Benefits of Cloud Hosting

Choosing a cloud hosting plan gives you:

• More advanced features and tools than shared or traditional Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting
• Guaranteed server resources (including CPU, RAM, and bandwidth)
• No single point of failure; fully redundant data storage means additional protection against downtime
• Flexibility and scalability to meet increased resource demands
• Lower prices than traditional dedicated hosting options
• The ability to create sites ranging from basic blogs to powerful eCommerce or Web reseller hosting sites

Cloud hosting may also save you money in the long run because you don't have to purchase or upgrade any of the hardware, software, or infrastructure necessary to maintain your server (although usage fees can stack up quickly if your site experiences extended traffic surges).

Managed Hosting

Due to its decentralized nature, cloud hosting often comes with managed hosting built into the plan. Managed hosting shifts responsibility for software and hardware maintenance to the host, including:

• Software updates
• Firewall maintenance and management
• Backup and disaster recovery services
• Traffic monitoring and intrusion detection

Since your Web server is technically stored on an array of machines throughout the cloud, you won't need to worry about physical upgrades. However, managed hosting frees you (or your tech staff) up to attend to more pressing matters, like site development or running your business. Some cloud hosting plans include additional security and storage options (at the same per-use rate, or, for applications and monitoring, a flat additional fee) and more robust support options (e.g., 24/7 phone support, a dedicated support representative for your account, etc.).

Cloud Hosting Limitations

Leveraging its power and flexibility across multiple machines, cloud hosting provides advanced features at lower prices. But it does have a few limitations:

• External security—While cloud hosting does provide an isolated instance for your site, applications, and data, since you have no local information storage, you have to place a lot of trust in both your provider and any third parties providing storage or data and application management services. Also, depending on the structure of the cloud your host uses, security vulnerabilities may exist at points of public data transfer, like uploads from a browser-based control panel.
• Downtime—Cloud computing's greatest strength—an always-on, redundant design—is also a vulnerability. If the data connection to your host fails at key points, your site can go dead just as quickly as it would if it were hosted on a physical or virtual machine at your host's data center. Redundancy minimizes this risk, but does not eliminate it. Also, because data is spread across the cloud instead of in a single machine, updates to site content or applications may take a little longer to refresh than they would with traditional hosting platforms.
• Changing providers—Cloud technology is still relatively new, and standards are much more variable than with nuts-and-bolts physical hosting. If you experience "vendor lock" due to your provider's proprietary systems or applications, you may have genuine difficulty moving your site to another provider.
• Limited control over server configuration—Many hosts rely on a specific system to manage their cloud hosting accounts. And because there is no single physical server for your site, you may have limited (or no) control over components in the operating system (OS) or other configuration options. And depending upon your provider, you may have limited control over installation and application management options in your hosting control panel. This can be especially true if your provider's OS, cloud management application, or Content Delivery Network (CDN) reserves certain services to the host, rather than the client.

With per-use rates, on-the-fly upgrades, and built-in redundancy, cloud hosting plans are a popular choice for many small to medium-sized businesses. They're especially attractive to those on a budget who find they need more power than their shared hosting plan can provide. However, cloud hosting requires a lot of faith in the technical acumen and reliability of a fairly long chain of vendors and providers, so it behooves you to research all your options carefully. And be sure to read the fine print and understand your provider's usage rates before you choose a plan.

Share This:

Tags:

Web Hosting Web Server

• Prevoius
• Next