Cloud-based web hosting is something that more and more businesses are considering. Cloud solutions provide many benefits to businesses, and hosting is no exception. But is it the right option for your business? And how will it affect your downtime? Here is a guide to provide you with the information you need to make the right decision for your business.
What Is It?
With traditional hosting, your website is hosted on one physical server. If the server requires maintenance, or something goes wrong, the site goes down.
Cloud hosting is different because it uses a network of servers, like a web. This means that your site is supported by a number of different servers at the same time, so you are not relying on one physical server. There are a lot of good reasons to move to the cloud, and this is another one.
What Are the Advantages?
One of the main advantages of cloud-based web hosting is that there is less downtime. Because of the fact that you are not relying on a single server, you can usually expect to enjoy more uptime over the course of a year. However, this still depends on the reliability of your host.
Cloud-based hosting can often be very flexible as well. Hosting plans tend to make it easy to increase services and space as you grow. This could be ideal if you experience rapid growth in your business.
It can also be useful for traffic surges. Such surges can bring a whole site down easily on traditional hosting, but this tends to be less of a problem with good cloud-based hosting.
Security can also be better. Again, this depends on the hosting provider. By using a hosting solution like the IBM iSeries, for example, you will often find that the security is excellent.
How to Choose a Provider
Whether you choose traditional hosting or cloud-based hosting, you should spend time on your decision. There are good hosts and bad hosts, so don’t rush into choosing a host.
Firstly, find out how much uptime they have. It should be around 99.99%, but the higher the better. Also research its stability by reading up on online reviews, which should provide you with a good overview of any problems. In general, if the provider has a good reputation and extensive experience, you should be in safe hands.
Why Is Downtime Such a Big Deal?
With all that you have to take into account when choosing a host, you may be wondering why downtime is such a problem after all. But it is a serious issue for any business with a web presence.
Essentially, when your website is down, no one can access it. If you only have a website because you feel you need an online presence, this might not be such a big deal. But if you sell products or services online, then as soon as your website is down, you cannot make any sales.
If you provide a critical service online, this is even more important. If a customer cannot access your website when they need to, it may be enough to convince them that they cannot trust you. This could affect your reputation and seriously hurt your business.
Consider a Cloud Hosting Solution
If you are worried about downtime and you want to reduce the risks for your business, a cloud hosting solution could be exactly what you are looking for. Just remember that you still need to make sure you choose a host with a good reputation for uptime as well as security. So spend some time researching hosts, then make the right decision for your business.
Jack McDonald works for a web hosting company as an engineer and is also in the process of starting an e-commerce business. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and has more recently started writing articles focused towards small business owners.