Web Hosting 101: Getting Cloud Service Providers vs. Dedicated Servers
When launching your company’s e-commerce website, app, or any other software, you must first find a suitable web hosting service. Your web server should be able to accommodate the specifications and data within your website or app as well as the traffic that will be accessing it. There are many ways in which this can be done, but getting cloud service providers and relying on dedicated servers are two of the most common, dependable web hosting systems.
The Case for Cloud Hosting
Om Thoke, web hosting expert for About.com, aims to be impartial in comparing the two. When it comes to performance aspects, however, Thoke presents an undeniable advantage of cloud hosting:
Performance-wise both of them are quite comparable. Dedicated servers are as fast as their cloud counterparts; however, there is something called “dirty” instance in case of dedicated servers. It is quite normal to see a computer slowing down over a period of time due to too many unwanted program files and temp files running on the server. This can actually be the same even with cloud servers but here you have the ability to switch to a new instance leaving a “dirty” instance behind, cleaning up that machine without interrupting things, and then moving back to the same machine in a hassle-free manner.
The best advantage of cloud servers, therefore, is their reliability when it comes to data storage capacity and backup. The cloud runs on multiple servers, which means that if any of these malfunction, the other servers can still support your site or software. You can immediately recover your data in case of crashes, and you can retrieve data virtually anywhere in the world to boot.
The Draw of Dedicated Servers
Although several IT experts and companies swear by cloud hosting, the more traditional dedicated servers have certain advantages, too. The foremost edge of this type of web hosting is security, since you can have full control over the physical and virtual aspects of your servers. This makes dedicated servers ideal for businesses that handle sensitive or highly confidential information, especially the personal details and identification articles of customers.
Cost may be one of your biggest concerns when it comes to web hosting. If you want to assure you get maximum ROI and quality services, companies like RippleWeb can provide you with the cheapest dedicated server packages that don’t skimp on performance and security, as well as the most affordable and reliable private cloud servers.
(Source: Cloud Hosting or Dedicated Server Hosting: What Should You Prefer?, About.com)
