At Reality Solutions, we specialise in providing the very best cloud hosting solutions for our clients, but what actually is cloud hosting and why would your business benefit from it? Carry on reading to find out more!

What is Cloud Hosting?

With traditional website hosting, you use resources on a single physical server, which can be on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or where you share resources with other accounts on that server (shared hosting). When it comes to the cloud, this means a network of servers, and can be either physical or virtual. These are often spread across diverse geographical locations too for added security.

Features of Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting utilises a fully cloud-based architecture, which removes the need for physical servers on-site to maintain. Some of the key advantages of using cloud hosting providers include:

1. The ability to easily scale resources

With traditional hosting methods, scaling up meant installing new physical server units or upgrading existing equipment. This often resulted in poor levels of service, and large periods of downtime within organisations.

When moving to a cloud hosting provider, there is no need to invest in more disk space. Cloud hosting gives you the option to increase resources automatically, based on your requirements at the time.

2. Flexible pricing depending on the level of support required

Lots of companies outsource their website hosting rather than taking care of this in-house as it can be difficult to set up and manage. Not only would you need to register your domain name, but also choose how much bandwidth you need to host your website. That is why it is often best left to the experts!

With cloud hosting packages, you only pay for the resources you actually use. This is a much more flexible pricing option, and if you have a hosting account with a cloud platform there are often other cloud services that you can bundle on.

3. Support for SQL databases

When hosting web applications, it is key that your cloud server provider hosts the type of database that your application deploys. SQL and NoSQL are the most commonly used database types, and cloud hosting can support both of these databases. Cloud hosting is a viable option for a wide range of applications, whether you have a standard WordPress website or need to host a high-performance application.

4. Automated hosting solutions

Cloud hosting providers utilise automation technology to ensure that software upgrades and changes are carried out efficiently. There is no need for reconfigurations to take place anymore (which are very time-consuming), and automation allows for the easy adjustment of bandwidth and storage resources to suit your requirements. Helping to boost resource efficiency, and giving you the best possible cloud hosting.

Types of Cloud Hosting

There are 4 main categories when it comes to cloud hosting, and although you won’t need to go into this much detail if you use a cloud hosting provider, it is always good to have the background knowledge.

• Public cloud – this is where hardware is shared between multiple virtual machines. However the virtual server’s resources (disk space and processing power) aren’t shared with other accounts.
• Private cloud – this is where you don’t share infrastructure with other account users. If data security and control are important for your business, this is the best choice.
• Hybrid cloud – this integrates the public cloud, private cloud and on-premise computing. This allows organisations to run both traditional and cloud-based workloads together.
• Managed cloud – this is where as well as providing the infrastructure to host your web applications, support is also provided. Managed cloud hosting is the best option for small businesses that don’t have a dedicated IT team.

What To Look For In A Cloud Hosting Provider

Choosing the right cloud hosting provider for your business can be challenging, and with a huge range of options to choose from it can also get complicated too. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a cloud hosting service for your website:

1. Scalability – if you experience a spike in website traffic, can the hosting provider scale your cloud hosting instantly?
2. Multiple data centre locations – the top cloud hosting providers offer data centres around the world, so when users visit your site they will be using a network close to their physical location.
3. Flexible pricing – make sure there is the option to pay for what you use (this can be in the form of a monthly hosting plan).
4. Uptime monitoring – go with a company that offers a 99% uptime guarantee, this is fairly standard across all cloud hosting providers.
5. Multiple operating system options – if you are looking for full control over your hosting environment, choose a provider that offers multiple OS options.

We hope you have found this blog useful, and if you have any further questions about cloud hosting or the services we provide here with Reality Cloud, get in touch today.

*This article contains general information in order to assist all of our customers and is meant for guidance only – there are no guarantees that the information we provide will be suitable for your particular needs. If you require specific assistance, we recommend that you seek professional guidance on your individual circumstances. Reality Solutions are in no way responsible for any loss or damage arising from any information contained within our articles.