Cloud hosting is an increasingly popular option for hosting WordPress websites. It’s not surprising because it comes with many advantages. Get to know what these advantages are and find out whether or not they are applicable to the WordPress sites you own or manage.
- High Availability and Reliability
Cloud hosting guarantees high availability or uptime for WordPress sites. Most companies that offer cloud hosting services promise uptimes at 99% to 99.99%. This is possible due to the pooling in of resources. Cloud hosting involves several servers working together to provide the resources needed to run websites with very minimal interruption. Also, most cloud service providers implement efficient load balancing and server duplication systems to ensure data protection. This means that even if something goes wrong, the host is able to protect your website’s data.
- Self Healing
In relation to high availability and reliability, it’s worth noting that cloud hosting solutions are generally self-healing. This means that if there are hardware failures encountered, the problem generally goes unnoticed by the clients as everything is addressed behind the scenes. The resources available are simply pooled in to address current needs and prevent downtimes as much as possible. To clarify, in case you are confused with what you read about cloud hosting being different from the use of physical servers, cloud hosting also involves the use of physical servers. It’s just that it uses a multitude of servers working in concert to deliver server resources that appear unlimited and able to handle extensive and intensive site requirements.
- Data Protection and Backup
Some web hosting type comparisons may include security as one of the drawbacks of cloud hosting but such an idea is not necessarily accurate. If you stick with reputable cloud server providers, those that put emphasis on security (as they should), security can’t be an issue. Many cloud hosting companies readily provide firewall protection and a host of other security solutions. Many also guarantee effective contingency plans together with constant monitoring and redundancy policies for effective disaster recovery.
- Elasticity and Agility
Another important benefit of cloud hosting is the flexibility it affords. It can efficiently handle traffic spikes or sudden surges in traffic be it expected or unexpected. It also makes it very easy to scale up or scale down the service depending on what is required. This ensures the seamless handling of “rate of change” or the number of times a site’s files and databases are changed with the introduction of new information, and backed up.
- Greater Freedom
This freedom is about being able to do almost anything with your website in terms of the software you use. With cloud hosting, you can even change everything in your site. You can even switch to a different operating system kernel. Virtual private servers cannot support this kind of software freedom. Moreover, in connection to the elasticity and agility advantage discussed earlier, cloud hosting also supports quick modifications and adjustments. You no longer have to design your site and content with resource caps in mind. You can just work on what is deemed necessary and useful for the site and have the resources you require adjusted.
- Maintenance-free with Managed Hosting
Cloud hosting can also be available as managed cloud hosting. With this setup, cloud providers offer the so-called “one-click” WordPress hosting, wherein the host takes care of all the technical aspects of your site. You only have to pick a fast loading WordPress theme, add your content and you’re done! This means there’s no more need to be bothered by the need for maintenance and technical administration. The host can also obtain the needed tools suitable for the content management system you are using. You can forget about most of the technical aspects of running your sites and just focus on your content, marketing, and customer service (in case of ecommerce sites).
- Resource Visibility and Automation
Generally, cloud hosting service providers readily provide the tools or interface that enables the comprehensive viewing of resource usage. Many providers allow customers to choose the control panel they want. Moreover, with all the tools that typically come with cloud hosting services, automating repetitive tasks is possible and made easier.
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In summary, the benefits cloud hosting can offer to WordPress sites are not that different from the benefits cloud hosting provides in general. However, these benefits don’t always apply to all WordPress sites. Cloud hosting is generally deemed more applicable for big and popular websites or blogs. There are times when it is more cost-efficient to settle with a different kind of hosting service.
Cloud hosting is cheaper when you are dealing with high traffic volumes and you are meticulously tracking, managing, and adjusting your infrastructure. Otherwise, its cost can’t be justified by how much you generate with your unpopular WordPress website. While it can be said that cloud hosting has the best stability:cost ratio, this unlikely holds true for low traffic websites. There are cloud solution providers, though, that can offer flexible pricing schemes that could be cost-efficient as far as your sites’ specific needs are concerned.
About the author
Tim Erinwright is a UK-based web developer at his freelance gig WRightDigital, and a self-professed tech geek and writer. When he’s not creating magic on WordPress, he can be found analyzing the “Song of Ice and Fire” books, and of course hiking.
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