Cloud hosting may still have a futuristic mystique, but it’s a cornerstone of modern business technology. By ditching self-managed servers and hosting, and turning to the cloud, businesses of all sizes have realised many fantastic benefits. Not only are cloud servers powerful, and reliable, but they’re easily scalable too.

In this post, we’ll talk about what cloud hosting is, the 11 benefits of cloud hosting, how you can use cloud hosting for your business or project and much more.

What is cloud hosting?

Before we can dive into the benefits – just what is cloud hosting anyway?

Cloud hosting refers to the use of cloud servers for computing. Whereas traditionally, organisations would manage their own on-premises servers, cloud hosting employs a network of connected virtual and physical servers to get the job done. This makes cloud server hosting safer and more secure, as should anything happen to your server, your data can be quickly moved to another server on the network. What’s more, cloud servers are accessible from anywhere in the world, allowing businesses and their staff to enjoy serious flexibility.

There are many types of cloud hosting to keep in mind – all of which have their own unique benefits and drawbacks, depending on your business or project:

The benefits of cloud server hosting

1. Reliability

Our large network of interconnected cloud servers ensures that there is never a single point of failure. Should a server go down or fail to respond to a request, another server on the network will handle it. What’s more, if you’ve purchased more than one server from us, you can easily load balance between server environments, reducing the strain on resources and increasing performance.

2. Full root access

With full root access, users can tailor hosting environments to their own requirements, a feature that’s useful for tech–savvy users who intend to install custom operating systems or software for projects.

But your control goes further than just root access. Using the Cloud Panel, you can scale your cloud server infrastructure to your exact needs, as well as view and control your usage, all from one place.

3. Increased flexibility

The Cloud Panel will be your best friend for more reasons than one, it also allows easy and instantaneous upgrades of your server’s CPU, RAM, and SSD storage, in line with your evolving needs. When your website or application is experiencing a spike in demand, you can simply log in and scale up your resources. The same goes in reverse if there’s a drop in demand. On top of that, you’ll be able to start, stop and pause your server at the touch of a button, and view both live usage data and estimated billing for the month ahead.

4. Scalability

The high level of control and flexibility offered by cloud servers is one of their biggest advantages. This is especially true for users whose demands may fluctuate seasonally, such as Christmas or Black Friday for eCommerce brands. Hosting your site or application on a cloud server allows you to create flexible development environments, as well as immediate boosts in performance in the event of spikes.

There are two main types of scaling when it comes to cloud computing:

Vertical Scaling

Vertical scaling refers to upgrading a system with additional resources to meet an increase in demand. This could mean increasing processing power by upgrading CPUs, improving network speed, or adding more storage and memory. Vertically scaling your cloud server hosting could even go as far as replacing your existing server entirely, or moving its workload to a more powerful machine.

Horizontal Scaling

Horizontal scaling refers to adding additional nodes or machines to meet an increase in demand, as opposed to simply upgrading the existing infrastructure. For example, if a single server is no longer powerful enough to meet your requirements, adding another server may be a good solution. Whilst this may increase the complexity of your cloud hosting, it’s often a necessary step when scaling up.

5. Cost–efficiency

Cloud hosting costs are calculated based on your usage, and billed at the end of each month. This means you’re only paying for the services and resources you’re actually using. What’s more, there’s no need for big capital expenditure on server infrastructure, or the hassle of hiring and managing staff to keep your servers up and running, as we handle all of that for you.

6. Increased security

Cloud servers offer greater security than other hosting options, for a variety of reasons:

Geo-redundancy

Traditional hosting relies on a server in a single location, which usually has to be close to you so you don’t compromise on loading speed. Cloud servers on the other hand store data in multiple sites in different regions, and are easily accessible via the internet from any device, anywhere.

Disaster recovery

As an additional layer of security, in the event of an issue with the server your project is currently running on, cloud server hosting allows the data to be moved or replicated into another environment quickly and easily. This is ideal for continuity of service, as well as data security.

Cyber–defences

You’ll be stocked with private networks and firewalls as your first line of defence for your server against cyber attacks, and if the worst does happen, you can test and restore them with snapshots, images and clones on ISO 27001 certified data centres.

24/7 support

Feel rest–assured that you’ll have full 24/7 support from a technical team who are just a phone call away.

7. Increased reliability

Multi–tier architecture allows for separate presentation, application and data layers that offer improved reliability, as well as unmetered bandwidth. So you can send as much data to your visitors as needed, without any compromises on performance – and without any extra fees!

8. Easy set-up

Provisioning a cloud server is quick and easy, and takes just a few minutes to get up and running.

9. Increased collaboration

In this day and age, many businesses have shifted to remote or hybrid working modes – resulting in many employees working off site. Cloud hosting allows access to applications and data from any location) assuming the availability of a device and stable internet connection). This is a huge plus and can also help increase productivity, as well as offer employees the flexibility to work from their preferred locations.

Cloud hosting is especially beneficial for supporting mobile teams, facilitating simultaneous access and collaboration on shared documents irrespective of employees' whereabouts.

10. It’s sustainable

Hosting on the cloud, rather than locally on physical drives (which poses its own security risks!) is the way forward for a greener world. This is great if you want to improve your corporate social responsibility. Plus, our green UK data centres run on 100% renewable energy without sacrificing uptime. It really is possible!

11. Gain valuable insights

Without insights – your business can’t grow. Cloud servers (whether provisioned privately or through a third-party provider), can provide access to integrated analytics tools and real-time monitoring, among many other things. You can even have customisable dashboards in order to monitor the progress of KPIs and other business-relevant metrics in order to make important decisions. 

What can you use cloud hosting for?

Cloud hosting can be used for a variety of business models and projects, but is particularly ideal for those seeking stable website performance without the hefty cost of a dedicated server.

Its distributed infrastructure efficiently manages traffic spikes during promotions, seasonal events, or sudden popularity surges. It is particularly beneficial for websites requiring substantial processing power, bandwidth, and storage – such as news sites, large scale blogs and e-commerce stores.

Which type of cloud hosting should you choose?

To select the appropriate cloud hosting service for your site, it’s super important to assess your requirements and budget.

All cloud hosting types come with varying price points and associated pros and cons – but the recommended hosting configuration depends largely on your specific needs.

Consider the following when making your hosting choice:

1. Budget

Consider any and all financial constraints. For startups or small businesses with limited resources, investing substantial time in researching intricate managed hosting setups may prove overly expensive. Opt for a hosting plan that aligns with your website's generated revenue, as hosting prices can accommodate various website sizes and types.

2. Site traffic

Even if it’s an estimate at this point, it’s a good idea to get a little more than you need to accommodate for any surges during peak seasons.

3. Uptime requirements

100% uptime (unfortunately) doesn’t exist – this is technology, afterall! But a hosting provider with 99.99% uptime is bound to give you what you need. With high uptime, you drastically lessen your chances of losing out on revenue. However, if your project or business can afford downtime for updates and the like, you may be able to get away with a budget monthly option for cloud hosting.

4. Industry regulations

Your sector may have specific requirements for keeping data as secure a possible to industry standards. In select industries, laws dictate specific requirements for hosting and data storage setups. Factors such as server location and redundancy levels might be stipulated to ensure uninterrupted service.

5. Compatibility with your current CMS

Assess compatibility with your chosen content management system (CMS) such as WordPress or similar. Different CMS platforms have distinct server requirements – this is particularly important if you wish to migrate your CMS over to cloud hosting from another hosting solution.

Is cloud hosting faster than VPS?

When it comes to cloud hosting vs VPS (virtual private servers) – the main difference between the cloud and VPS hosting is their ability to deal with growing needs much faster. Cloud hosting is more equipped to handle large projects that require a high level of resources.

Ultimately, deciding between a VPS and cloud hosting hinges on your preferences, budget, and project requirements. While a VPS assigns a fixed amount of resources, surpassing this limit before an upgrade can lead to performance issues. In contrast, cloud hosting can often manage sudden spikes in resource needs by distributing the load across multiple servers. This feature makes cloud hosting ideal for projects expecting high resource usage from the offset.

Now that you know all about the benefits of cloud servers, the only question is, when are you going to make the jump for your business? Integrating cloud hosting into your operation has so many advantages, and can be done for as little as £5 per month. Take a look at our range of UK cloud servers, or talk to our sales team for more info.