In the world of hosting, there are countless services that you are able to take advantage of, all of which possess their own distinct benefits. Shared hosting, for instance, may not run quite as quickly as some of the alternatives, but it helps to keep your firm’s expenses to a minimum. However, in recent years, a solution has emerged that has somewhat divided the technological community, and has seen its reputation continuously tarnished by myths and misconceptions. In case you weren’t already aware, this is in reference to cloud hosting.
Here at catalyst2, we are proud to be one of the country’s most prominent cloud hosting facilitators – the reason for this is that we believe that this is the way of the future, and is a service that is targeted at businesses of all shapes-and-sizes. However, in order to continue in this way, we are determined to shed some light on the subject, and offer clarity in regards to some of the more-damaging rumours. If you continue your reading down below, it should not take you long to see the situation in a significantly clearer manner.
The security is lacking
When people start to delve into the subject of cloud hosting, one of the major concerns that they have is the perceived lack of security that is involved. If you are someone that is slightly new to the technological industry, you might think that because the service, as a whole, operates virtually, it is easier for cyber criminals to gain access to your sensitive content and information. Whilst this might have been true when the service initially came into existence, it certainly is not a problem that you should overly concern yourself about in this day-and-age. In actuality, the multiple servers can help you to increase the protection that you have against those with nefarious intentions.
Despite the advanced tools and software that those on the wrong side of the law have access to, your remote server will remain closed-off. Providers of this type of service have worked tirelessly to improve the state of their operating systems, in order to give you the peace-of-mind that you won’t be facing a tech-related emergency further down the line. In times gone by, you might have been under the impression that owning a dedicated server and running it in-house would give you the best chance to prevent unauthorised access. However, you need to take into account the fact that any proficient company that offers cloud hosting will have taken the necessary precautions to safeguard your website.
Before you engage in cloud hosting, we recommend that you look to ensure that your plan includes comprehensive and well-developed security measures. For example, anti-virus software and SSL certificates can help to instil confidence in your clients, something that can prove to be invaluable going forward. You need to demonstrate to your audience that you are proactive in this department, and can handle personal information in such a way that means that their worries are unnecessary.
The services are expensive
Due to cloud hosting still being a niche service within the wider hosting landscape, customers would be forgiven for thinking that they would be forced to drastically increase their outgoing expenses to afford it. However, what many people fail to realise is that by utilising a large number of servers across the UK, their overall costs will be drastically lower than they would be when engaging with a dedicated server. No longer will you be forced to cover maintenance costs; over the years, these savings will certainly put a smile on your face.
If you have previously been making use of VPS hosting, you might have been slightly frustrated by the fact that you have been forced to cover the costs of other firm’s mistakes. Perhaps they have loaded software onto the system that has subsequently corrupted the mainframe, meaning that all of the companies involved have had to pay for a new server to be installed. Whatever the case may be, these are not expenses that will factor into the equation when you begin to make use of cloud hosting.
Should your primary worry be from a financial standpoint, it is vital that you take into account the long-term advantages of this type of service. As the months and years go by, you will be able to notice the lack of additional spending that you are forced into. Your infrastructure will remain the same throughout, and any repairs or maintenance requirements will be taken care of by your elected provider. The small quantity of resources that you will be utilising is in direct contrast to the other packages that are of a similar nature, and it is vital that you take this into consideration when making your final decision.
Websites tend to run slower
Should yours be a business that heavily relies on the functionality of your WordPress website, it is only natural that you will want it to be running at optimal capacity at all times of the day. Whether you predominantly focus on ecommerce, or you simply use it for advertising purposes, any extended blips can prove to be costly. In a way, this is a prime motive for switching to a system that runs solely on the cloud. With these types of packages, never-again will you be forced to try and devise a short-term strategy when there is a blackout in your area. Instead, you can rest safe in the knowledge that even if you are without power at your corporate headquarters, your website will continue to function to the best of its abilities.
One of the major downsides that is associated with more-traditional hosting services is that they are rather fixed – by this, we mean that it can be a struggle to oversee short term changes. What this does is create a gulf in quality between your website, and those of your competitors. A hosted site needs to be accessed easily via any web browser, and must possess rapid loading times to remain relevant. This is particularly true if you find yourself in a competitive market, and are constantly vying for attention of potential customers. If your website is notorious for being slow, it will not take long for you to notice a drop-off in the number of visitors that you are receiving on a regular basis.
Should you wish to put this type of problem to bed, it could be worthwhile investigating making the switch to a cloud hosting package. By doing this, you are giving yourself the best possible chance of keeping your website accessible at all points of the day. Not only this, but the speed at which it can operate will also remain at a consistent level. Whenever one of the servers that you are making use of suffers a slight issue, your website will automatically transfer itself to another of the servers on offer. You should not disregard the importance of the flexibility that cloud hosting provides – as more time elapses, this will become something that you come to rely on more-and-more.
There aren’t many options
If you have started to conduct some research into the types of packages that are available within the bracket of cloud hosting, the chances are that you will have discovered the two most prominent options. Namely, they are those which are facilitated by Amazon and Microsoft. When managed correctly, there is no-doubt that your firm will be able to massively benefit from the accessible nature of these services. Both AWS and Azure are designed to be able to naturally evolve and grow as you see an upturn in your business; their flexible models are certainly attractive. However, to say that these are your only available options could not be further from the truth, and it is vital that you recognise this.
In this type of industry, you cannot underestimate the power of a seasoned cloud hosting provider. A prime example is catalyst2 – having first started operating in 2000, we have had the time to slowly-but-surely hone our capabilities, and develop our packages accordingly. Whilst you might argue that private cloud hosting does not carry the weight of those which are offered by household names such as Microsoft and Amazon, this does not mean that the quality will be any worse.
In case you were wondering, cloud hosting is not solely designed to be targeted towards smaller businesses that do not have access to much in the way of financial resources. There have been instances where larger corporations have been attracted by the potential unlimited bandwidth that is on offer. Part of what makes this such a high-profile solution is the way in which it can be tailored towards your particular needs. When you are releasing a flagship product, you can use your control panel to divert more power and resources to your website, thereby ensuring that your users will not experience a dip in performance levels. By reducing your loading times, you give yourself more of an opportunity to complete sales, which in-turn help to boost your profit margins.
There have been instances in the past where companies have been slightly worried about the way in which they can transition from a traditional server, to one which is entirely cloud-based. Thankfully, this is not something that you need to lose any sleep over in 2021. Once you have selected your preferred provider, you simply need to update them on your current situation. They will subsequently carry out the transferring of files to your new online base of operations, taking care to complete this without any mistakes. Regardless of the operating systems that you are making use of, this stage of the process can be completed quickly, allowing you to carry on, business as usual.
Take The Next Step
Many of the myths that are currently circulating in regards to cloud hosting are simply there due to a lack of understanding about the subject matter. Due to this being a relatively new type of service, the vast majority of firms around the country are yet to develop a comprehensive working knowledge of cloud hosting, and the types of features included. However, after having read through the above list, courtesy of the catalyst2 experts, you should now begin to see the fantastic benefits that can be enjoyed from going down this particular route.
Should you now have reached the point where you are entertaining the possibility of entering into a top-tier cloud hosting plan, the next logical step is to work out which firm offers the best cloud hosting in the UK. Understandably, you will want to have access to attentive customer service; this will ensure that your questions and queries will be answered promptly. For those of you that wish to take advantage of a wealth of expertise, the solution is simple – put your faith in catalyst2. With more than twenty years of experience, the quality of our services is second-to-none, and we would be glad to tackle your project head-on.
From the moment that we opened our door for business, we have always focussed on providing a wide-array of web hosting services. The solutions that we have crafted for our clients are first-class, and they go hand-in-hand with the exceptional customer support that we routinely offer. If you would like to get in touch with a member of our team and discuss your particular circumstances in greater detail, we suggest that you call us on 0800 107 7979; no matter the problem, we are sure that we will be able to resolve it in a smooth-and-seamless fashion.
