As more and more companies move to do much of their business through the Internet, the debate about what type of web hosting a company should have continued to move forward. In the past, most businesses have operated on a shared hosting plan. Under this plan, there is one server that is hosting many different user accounts. This has been an efficient way to take care of hosting needs, and it still remains one of the most popular types of web hosting. Last year saw an increase in the number of companies using cloud server hosting. This differs most greatly from shared hosting in the way that there are hundreds of servers all working together to host the various user accounts. These multiple servers function as one and open up some new possibilities for businesses to take advantage of.
Comparing the Hardware
One of the biggest differences between shared and cloud hosting is the reliance on hardware. With a shared service, users are relying on that one server to have enough RAM and to function properly day in and day out. With cloud server hosting, there are multiple servers at work. If more RAM is needed or an increase in processor power is required, then it can happen in a matter of seconds. The hosting company is going to have hundreds of servers that all have thousands of gigabytes of RAM that is available. They can increase the storage or speed needed to any one user in a virtually on-demand format.
Comparing Reliability
Another difference between the two types of hosting is overall reliability. With a cloud server, there is very little risk of anything ever being lost. Multiple copies of documents and programs can be saved and if a machine or two goes down, it is very simple to access the backup files. With a shared server, if that server has problems then there isn’t another one to step in and take over. Performance is rarely affected when a cloud server is used. Another difference between the two is the scale on which they both work. A cloud server can be added to, changed or altered with virtually no interruption to any work that is being done. This versatility adds a new layer of value to the server.
Performance, efficiency, and cost are always three of the major factors that businesses are looking at when making any web hosting decisions. With a shared server, there are times when one website might be demanding a lot of traffic and others are not getting much. With these shared servers, sites are often allocated a fixed amount of resources. When one site isn’t using its resources, it can’t be accessed by anyone else. While this does keep things even, it creates some traffic flow problems that are more heavily used sites. With a cloud server, there are more resources right from the start. More can be used for each site, and that allows high traffic ones to still function at a high level. The cloud server does have some cost differences as well. Due to the lack of a physical machine, the cloud servers present some savings which all companies typically appreciate.
About the Author: Craig McCartney is a tech-enthusiast and currently works in the web hosting industry in the UK. Craig has been working in the tech industry for over 5 years and also has a passion for marketing which is his current role at UK2.net, the founding company of the UK2 Group, a web hosting and domain name provider. You can visit www.UK2.net to learn more about the benefits of cloud server hosting.
