Cloud Hosting
What is Cloud Hosting?
Cloud hosting is a service that provides offsite and virtual servers which are used to host websites and applications for organizations. They are cost-effective, easily scalable, and remove the burden of maintenance from the user.
How does cloud hosting work?
Cloud hosting works by mobilizing cloud-based architecture of server resources, removing any need for on-premises hardware, and the maintenance and security that accompanies such assets. This cloud-based architecture provides all the features and benefit of cloud-based computing for your website or application. Servers can be located in various locations, and engaged or disengaged when resources require.
What is the difference between cloud-based and cloud hosting?
The difference between cloud-based and cloud hosted resources is the location where software is being run. Cloud-based applications contain all the server-side and software side computation, with functionality delivered to the end user. Cloud hosted applications and websites use the cloud for hosting on one or more virtual servers, with some applications and/or website management still in the hands of the app/site owner.
What are the types of cloud hosting?
There are four main types of cloud hosting, each with its own unique benefits.
Public Cloud
In a public cloud hosting environment, users share rack space in a data center with other customers. This doesn’t pose a particular security concern, since each customer’s data is isolated from others, but since the virtual server space is shared, it is considered public. This is the most economical approach since multiple customers can share resources.
Private Cloud
In some instances, an organization may choose to use a single, private server for their hosted applications and websites. This means a greater degree of security but will most likely come with greater cost as well—an expense worth the additional security in more sensitive data environments.
Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid cloud hosting is a combination of virtual and physical server machines, both public and private cloud, working together to host applications and websites. The benefit is that the distributed computing platform provides management, orchestration, and portability across all architecture types.
Managed Cloud
In a managed cloud hosting environment, security, maintenance, upkeep, and troubleshooting are all handled by the service provider. This leaves the customer to focus on the day-to-day business, with IT demands left to technical specialists. This platform offers the highest level of support and worry-free service.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud hosting?
As with any multi-option distributed computing architecture, cloud hosting has both advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
· It’s near-instantly and near-infinitely scalable. Cloud hosting enable users to future-proof their applications and websites since resources are available on-demand. Customers of cloud hosting aren’t required to activate, engage, or monitor usage, and can focus on other aspects of running their business.
· Cloud hosting offers a degree of economic relief, since customers only pay for the resources used.
· Cloud hosting is more reliable in most instances because the burden of maintenance and upkeep is on the cloud hosting provider.
Disadvantages
· If a business is connecting to applications and websites remotely, bandwidth may be an issue. Customers must ensure that they have fast enough connection speeds to get the full benefits of the cloud hosted content and services.
· Additionally, any time a business opts to host applications or websites via the cloud, they elect to give up some control of the computing environment. The same level of hands-on connection to the architecture one would get from having server hardware on-premises simply does not exist.
· Cloud hosting, like any other web-based service, is vulnerable to attacks. While security is a priority for cloud hosting providers, the unlikely possibility exists that a larger hosted network could succumb to nefarious efforts.
· Like security attacks, avoiding downtime and network outages are a priority for cloud hosting providers. But the unlikely possibility exists that customers would experience network outages in a cloud hosted environment.
HPE and cloud hosting
HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform is an open and secure hybrid cloud solution for organizations of all sizes. It’s much easier for companies to scale using cloud hosting and cloud-based services than if they use on-premises infrastructure. And it’s not just scaling up that factors in. With HPE’s cloud hosted services, the pay-as-you-go model allows you to scale back should your usage call for it, reducing capital costs and protecting your bottom line.
Though there are various iterations, there are three major types of cloud-based services:
· Software as a Service (SaaS): The broadest form of cloud service, SaaS involves customers accessing their remotely-hosted software over the internet. Rather than a one-time fee, SaaS usually runs on a subscription basis. Widely known SaaS products include Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
· Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Centrally managed hardware made available to users for rapid provisioning in a virtualized environment. The infrastructure includes compute resources, cloud storage, and networking capability. Users access these resources via a browser-based management console or by API.
· Platform as a Service (PaaS): A complete development environment that is hosted in the cloud and enables application developers to create apps quickly and easily. It usually includes an OS, web server, tools, programming language, database, network, servers, storage, and more. The PaaS provider hosts and maintains the system and often builds a solution tailored to the unique needs of the customer.
Solve even the most complex challenges with HPE Hybrid Cloud Solutions, as you transform your digital landscape by migrating to the cloud. Cloud promises speed, agility, and cost efficiency, but your enterprise needs HPE’s Hybrid Cloud Solutions to solve for data gravity, security, compliance, and cost management. This solution powers businesses as they navigate complexities within their data architecture. Whether your needs are great or small, hands-on or full-service, HPE has a cloud hosting solution that is tailored to fit your needs.
And now you can innovate faster with the cloud experience everywhere, as you shift to agile DevOps processes with HPE Pointnext Services. Bring the cloud experience to your non-cloud native apps and streamline your development to better deploy applications across the hybrid cloud.