For businesses of any size, navigating the world of virtual private server hosting gets complex pretty quickly. With all the options out there it can get pretty confusing. It’s important to remember the primary reason your company started using VPS hosting altogether.
Odds are it had something to do with the amount of control that you could have over your hosting environment without having to implement and deploy a physical dedicated server. The problem is that like many basic hosting situations, VPS hosting, which stands for virtual private server hosting, may result in lags in performance and reliability. This is why, in large part, small businesses are migrating their hosting to cloud VPS platforms.
VPS hosting in the cloud explained
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So what is cloud VPS hosting, exactly? In very basic terms, cloud VPS hosting is essentially a VPS environment hosted on a set of pooled resources in a network, all shared among subscribers and able to be requisitioned on command. The misconception is that data transfers are much slower than with traditional VPS. The truth is that most cloud virtual server hosting solutions are hosted on servers that deliver Tier 1 connections. Additionally, many cloud VPS hosting providers guarantee a certain amount of bandwidth and storage.
Benefits of cloud VPS hosting
— Security. One of the biggest concerns, especially among small business owners, when migrating to a cloud hosting solution is security. High levels of security are available due to the fact that VPS hosting platforms run on their own specific operating system. In that way, your cloud VPS will be way more secure than a standard reseller hosting account. In short, with a cloud VPS you’ll be able to develop and implement a security policy that meets your specific needs.
— Reliability. The truly amazing thing about a cloud VPS is that you’re not relying on a single server for support. That means if one server goes down, you likely won’t experience any downtime. No downtime means no lost data, revenue or customers. Reliability should be non-negotiable for small businesses seeking a cloud VPS.
— Affordability. Unfortunately, costs are not all that predictable when it comes to procuring a cloud VPS solution. They tend to be all over the map, but when you stack the cost of a cloud VPS host over a dedicated host you’ll quickly find that you’ll be saving a large amount of money each year on hosting. This is largely due to the fact that cloud VPS hosting is usually priced on an on-demand basis. This means you pay for what you use. Nothing more, nothing less.
— Scalability. Finally, there’s the benefit of scalability. If you’re a small business owner, you probably have plans to grow your infrastructure as your company grows. With cloud VPS tools developed by companies like Rackspace, the VPS cloud is much more scalable than its traditional counterpart.
The bottom line is that no two cloud VPS providers are alike. You’ll need to find a cloud provider that meets your company’s specific hosting needs. The best way to ensure this is through education — knowing exactly what to look for in a quality cloud VPS host.
