Our last article took some time to explain what cloud hosting is, and how it may benefit your business. If the topic of hosting is of interest to you, this article will further delve into the solutions available to your business. What are the types of hosting services you can expect to encounter when exploring your options? Which is best for your company? This article will strive to answer some of those questions. Remember, the team at Alliance IT is always here to answer any questions you may have!
There are four primary kinds of cloud hosting – each of which allocates resources in its own way. Each type of service also requires different levels of input from your company.
Public Cloud Infrastructure: In this type of infrastructure, a third-party service provider manages all necessary hardware and resources, provides maintenance, and ensures availability. Your business will not have to purchase (or own) servers, and you will have the ability to scale services as required.
Private Cloud Environment: A private cloud is a system a company builds and maintains in-house. All underlying resources (storage, CPU, and memory) are the responsibility of the business. A private cloud may also be referred to as an internal cloud or corporate cloud.
Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure: A hybrid cloud infrastructure takes elements from both public and private cloud systems. Companies can run applications and store data across multiple environments – without sacrificing performance. The hybrid cloud approach consolidates company infrastructure while strategically aligning with a third-party partner.
Managed Cloud Systems: A managed cloud solution gives a third-party public cloud provider the permission to manage specific operations, such as security, monitoring, incident detection and reaction, patching, and backups. When an SMB partners with a managed cloud provider, they benefit from the experience and talent of professionals, minimizing risk while optimizing budgets and allocating limited resources to core business functions.
Defining Web, VPS, Dedicated & Shared Hosting
At this point, you may be wondering if cloud hosting is the same as some of the other solutions available on the market – namely web hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting or shared hosting. To answer this question, let’s take a look at a few simple definitions.
Cloud hosting: A specific term referring to a a specialized kind of web hosting. It utilizes cloud technology, virtualization, and remote servers to deliver server capacity to other organizations. Cloud service providers typically offer a pay-as-you-go billing structure that doesn’t require an initial hardware purchase or setup.
Web hosting: A general term that applies when a third party “rents” resources and server space to another business, whether to host a website or store data. Web hosting does not necessarily rely on the cloud; dedicated hosting or virtual private servers may also be used.
VPS hosting: In this scenario, a single physical server is virtualized to host many clients. Depending on the service provider, VPS hosting may not offer on-demand scaling – a significant benefit of cloud hosting.
Dedicated hosting: A dedicated server is a single physical server in a data center. A company can purchase a dedicated server, available only to them. By definition, these dedicated servers are not subject to virtualization. Because a company is not sharing resources, security and performance is elevated – but at a much higher cost than cloud services.
Shared hosting: A shared hosting solution allows several organizations or websites to share a single server and all associated resources. Although shared hosting is typically very affordable, it is also slower than other more dedicated forms of hosting.
Is Cloud Hosting Right for Your Business?
Ready to learn more? Alliance IT will work with you to assess your current technology, analyze your needs and budget, and recommend the best course of action for your business. We’ve been a trusted provider of managed services and technical support for decades – call today to learn why!
