At present, Cloud computing has emerged as one of the most prominent topics in the field of information technology. There are IT giants such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft who are presenting some amazing examples of this new form of computing technology. A significant part of credit for the ever expanding field of cloud hosting services certainly goes to them.
The Attraction for a Cloud-Based Solution
The very uniqueness of cloud computing lies in the fact that it offers the ability to do so much with so less. There is no requirement to have any type of infrastructure. The necessary equipments, applications and resources are already provided to you due to which it is possible to save internal resources boosting productivity at the same time.
Moreover, the fee structure in cloud, which allows to pay only for what you use provides with an opportunity to save considerable costs. Due to this, according to a research, 60% of the CIO’s indicated that cloud computing is their top priority.
Cloud-based hosting is quite nearer to traditional form of web hosting and even much different from it simultaneously. In a cloud environment, your website along with its different files and applications are stored on a group of interconnected servers. As you are provided with access to multiple servers, you have unlimited processing power at your disposal which lets you scale up at any given time according to your custom needs.
By 2015, end-user spending on cloud services could be more than $180 billion. This is because, cloud hosting has got a number of advantages and on assessing them, it becomes clear that it is surely better than the traditional web hosting method.
At the same time, it does possess certain limitations which need to be considered. Due to this, while selecting the cloud hosting solution, you need to rather analyze the big picture and take all the important factors into consideration.
Specific Needs of Your Organization
Choosing the right cloud hosting solution for you is certainly a crucial decision. It is not only important in respect of the selecting a suitable service provider but also due to the decision of opting for a cloud-based solution itself.
Before starting with the process, it is advisable to first evaluate your personal needs and seriously consider your business environment. This is because, firstly, you need to be clear enough whether you really do need a cloud-based solution or whether dedicated or managed hosting can suffice your requirements?
In case, if you simply want to launch a single website with normal features, opting for a cloud-based solution will only be like adding an over load for your business.
Type of Cloud Hosting Solution
Cloud hosting mainly has two different types: public and private. In a public cloud, you share resources with other users on multiple virtual servers, which is similar to that in a shared web hosting environment. Where as in a private cloud, you get your own multiple servers, wherein you can accommodate all your storage requirements like that in a dedicated hosting.
In private cloud hosting, you get the authority to manage your own servers and greater flexibility with regard to storage space. A study reports that if given the choice of only being able to move one application to the cloud, 25% of respondents would choose storage. Thus, at this point, you need to decide the amount of level control you need and how many resources you are willing to share with others.
Service Reliability
Now-a-days, Internet has evolved as such a powerful communication medium that most organizations rely on it to create awareness and reach up to their mass audience. Many of them frequently undertake significant mission-critical tasks which are subject to no compromise for their business purposes.
Being so important, more and more organizations are moving towards cloud hosting considering it to be more reliable method to sustain their IT infrastructure. When you opt for outsourcing your hosting needs to cloud-based environment, you avail significant advantages in the form of cost savings on power, connectivity and personalization.
Although the cloud is largely viewed as a reliable offering in comparison to both in-house and traditional hosting solutions, the true level of reliability lies in the service provider you choose. You have to keep in mind that while cloud hosting is a hot commodity, it is still a relatively new offering on the market.
There are some companies that specialize in this technology, and others that are merely jumping on the bandwagon and trying to capitalize on an emerging trend. This should give you the motivation to seek out a firm that has the expertise and infrastructure capable of ensuring a reliable cloud hosting service.
Generally, cloud hosting is considered as a more dependable service as compared to both in-house and traditional hosting solutions, the actual amount of reliability depends upon the service provider you select. You need to consider that even though cloud hosting is greatly effective, still it is relatively a new service in the IT industry. Based on a study, about 32% of Americans believe cloud computing is a thing of the future.
On one hand, there are web hosting companies who specialize in this service, on the other hand there are service providers who are simply following this emerging trend in order to build upon this upcoming service.
Level of Security
Security is definitely the most important factor associated with cloud-based hosting. It is also a controversial aspect, specially because on one hand there are experts who regard cloud hosting to be more secure than traditional hosting methods while on the other hand critics claim it to be presenting with greater security risks. Whichever side may be right, but what needs to be considered here is that all these are real time statements made for the cloud hosting solution.
Anyway, from your side, you surely do need to ensure that the cloud hosting service provider you select has the required technology, personnel, and policies with them to secure your all important business information. To help you out in selecting the suitable web hosting service, company reputation in the market should be considered as a decisive factor.
Plan for the Future
Cloud hosting provides you with a robust platform that offers flexibility and on-demand resources. It acts as an ideal selection for those who need the space for instant expansion to support the growth in Internet traffic, data and applications. Even then, it being a crucial decision, you do need to think about the overall situation with respect to long term requirements.
You should take into account aspects such as how the pricing structures, service level agreements, and other related elements will affect you in the long run. Although, cloud hosting is by and large a comprehensive hosting solution, it can even turn into a costly affair in the long run, if you do not plan according to your specific requirements.
However, 82% of companies reportedly saved money by moving to the cloud solution. Thus, if you are having a complex hosting requirements, then cloud hosting can surely turn out to be an effective and cost saving solution to go for.
Is Cloud Hosting Really Suitable for You?
As described before, cloud hosting is not a cup of tea for those who have a simple single website. It is more suited for those who need more authority and have dynamic hosting requirements.
Statistically, more than 60% of businesses utilize cloud for performing IT-related operations. In case, you think this is the perfect solution for you, be sure to check your specific requirements prior to ordering for cloud hosting with a web hosting service provider.
You need to be sure about your hosting needs and select a hosting plan accordingly or else it is possible that you may find it not affordable or may run out of resources to accomplish your business targets.
Finally, if you are pretty sure about your hosting needs and want to get your website project hosted on a cloud-based hosting server, then we would like to suggest you with some of the prominent companies providing exceptional cloud hosting services.
There are some excellent web hosting companies like AccuWebHosting, DreamHost, IWeb, Rackspace and NetMagicSolutions providing the best cloud hosting services to its clients. We recommend you to visit the sites of these companies and then you can move ahead to finalize your cloud-based web hosting solution with the best fit company as per your specific needs.
So, what other factors do you think should be considered before choosing a cloud hosting solution?
