Managed cloud hosting is one of several up-and-coming business IT solutions, offering off-site managed server hosting that’s considered more reliable and less expensive than other leading options. Here’s a basic (but useful) breakdown of its finer attributes for those that may be considering a switch.
Reliability
Rather than being hosted on a single physical server, websites in a managed cloud setting are hosted on what’s called a “virtual partition,” which draws its disk space and other essential resources from an large network physical servers that are carrying any number of sites. If one server fails and goes offline, it might dilute the cloud’s availability of resources slightly, but will have no noticeable ripple on on the website’s front end, the virtual server for which will continue to pull resources from the remaining network – in other words, the rest of the network will carry the burden. Some cloud platforms could even survive an entire data center going offline as the pooled cloud resource is drawn from multiple data centers in various locations to spread the risk as thinly as possible.
Physical Security
The “underlying physical servers,” as they’re often referred to, are still housed within data centers, so managed cloud hosting subscribers benefit from the greater security measures that said facilities implement to prevent people from hacking, disrupting, and hijacking them on-site.
Flexibility
As a resource, managed cloud hosting is available in real time, “on demand” and isn’t limited to the physical constraints and capacity of just one server. If a client’s site demands extra resource from its hosting platform due to a spike in visitor traffic or the implementation of new functionality, the shift is accessed and implemented seamlessly. Even when using a private cloud model the service can often be allowed to ‘burst’ to access resources from the public cloud for non-sensitive processing if there are surges in activity on the site. By operating on a system of “responsive load balancing,” a software-based solution remains instantly available to respond to changing demands at all times.
Utility-Style Billing System
With this sort of fully managed hosting, a client only pays for the amount of service they actually use. The resource is available for spikes in demand but there is no wasted capacity remaining unused when demand is lower, making it substantially more cost effective for users.
Whether you’re looking for small business IT support or more complex web hosting, managed cloud services are worthy of consideration and a weight off your shoulders as you learn to use your website as a business tool.
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