Advantages of Hosting in the Cloud
"The Cloud" is so hot right now but why the gosh-darn-heck
should you care? Let's delve into some of the advantages of
Cloud Hosting;
- Reliability - The Cloud offers a more reliable
hosting solution than traditional single-location-based hosting
because data and traffic are distributed across the cloud hosting
network. If one server fails, the rest fo the network takes up the
slack thus reducing the possibility of downtime
- Performance - For the same reasons as
'Reliability', distribution of demand means that there's no single
choke-point for traffic or reliance on a single piece of hardware
to handle whatever demands may arise
- Scalability - If the demands on your Intranet,
Extranet or Website grow over time, the Cloud can quickly and
easily scale to accomodate your business needs without the hassle
of having to buying new hardware or migrating data to a different
host environment
- Cost - Simply put, using a "Public" Cloud
saves you the cost of setting up and maintaining hardware as well
as the assocated costs of administration. You can pay for what you
need, when you need it.
It is important to note that there are different flavours of
Cloud hosting to suit a variety of business needs, this
includes;
- Private - This is the more expensive option
where a business hosts the Cloud itself, for its own use. This is a
more secure option for businesses that need that control over
applications and services
- Public - This is where all hardware, software,
applications and services are hosted by a 3rd party. This is less a
less secure, but more affordable option.
- Hybrid - A combination of the above options,
using Private Cloud hosting for the important things and Public
Cloud for everything else. This can mitigate some of risk aspects
of Public without the full cost of a completely Private Cloud.
If you are considering a Cloud solution, drop us a line! We're
experienced Cloud navigators who are more than happy to provide you
the insight you'll need to make the right move for your
business.
Reference: Windows Azure Cloud Computing Platform