Since the cloud is not a tangible object, it can be difficult to accurately define. The cloud is a way to provide processing power and store data across multiple computers in a secure manner without the use of personal hardware. This data and information can be accessed through a network connection, usually the internet. Cloud hosting specifically, is used to host your website or blog.
Cloud services are available through cloud hosting companies. These companies, like Microsoft Azure, maintain their own hardware that acts as a virtual machine for their customers. These physical servers can support cloud hosting for multiple customers. This reduces the total amount of equipment needed for hosting.
Benefits of Cloud Hosting
There are many benefits to using cloud hosting versus traditional servers, so let’s go over some of the main ones:
1. Since there is no hardware to maintain, there is no risk of you having to resolve any maintenance issues if the server malfunctions. If a server goes down, it can take a long time to get back up and running if you’re maintaining it yourself. By using the cloud, you’re reducing risk and increasing your websites reliability. Cloud companies guarantee fail over, so if a server were to malfunction, a backup server would automatically take over.
2. Cloud hosting is scalable which is both cost-effective, and great for the speed of your website. If your website’s traffic goes up and down, you can scale your services to the appropriate level. With many hosting plans, you pay for only what you need, so you’re never overpaying for a server that’s too powerful.
3. Setting up cloud hosting is much easier than setting up a physical server. Setting up a server requires a level of expertise that most people don’t have, unless you’re an IT Technician. With cloud hosting, there is a very simple way to get your site up and running quickly.
4. Most hosting services these days come with a user-friendly server management dashboard. This makes it easy to monitor your site’s traffic and scale your resources accordingly. These dashboards are made for non-tech experts, so you don’t need to hire someone to scale your server as needed. Not only does this save you money, but it saves you lots of time as well.
5. By not using any personal hardware and only utilizing the services you need, you’re using your resources more efficiently. With more and more companies and individuals prioritizing sustainability, cloud hosting is one of the simplest ways to reduce your environmental impact.