web hosting

The Crave Behind Cloud Hosting

Cloud computing is one of the most talked about technologies in the web hosting industry.  More businesses are finding that it can be a practical, affordable option for their storage and server needs.  So, how hot is this technology?  Well, Gartner is predicting that by 2012, nearly 80% of Fortune 1000 companies will pay for some type of cloud computing service while 30% will pay to build a cloud computing infrastructure.  If you’re not familiar with the concept, the cloud is far from what you get in the typically hosting arrangement.  The technology offers a multitude of benefits and this article will introduce you to a few of them.

Cost Effective Implementation – With a cloud hosting solution, there is no need to invest in any costly hardware, software or licenses.  Instead of making costly upfront investments, you simply add or subtract from the cloud as your needs change.  In most of these setups, you simply pay for the only the services you use.

Scalability – When IT departments anticipate enormous spikes in user load, they usually have to purchase additional hardware and software components to make it happen.  This isn’t the case with cloud hosting.  The hosting provider’s IT infrastructure typically offers all the resources you need.  Once again, you only pay for what you need and use.

Technical Expertise – When an emerging technology hits the market, it is common for a plethora of companies to jump on the proverbial bandwagon.  Unfortunately, some of them don’t have the expertise to leverage it effectively.  However, many vendors have been able to master cloud computing technology to the point where they can offer customers a highly reliable service.  This is made possible by state of the art data centers, high performance hardware and tremendous computing capacity.  The companies relying on this technology range from industry leading names like Microsoft and IBM to Google and IBM.

Optimized Resource Usage – Clouding hosting services allow businesses to shift the burdens of in-house IT tasks to third-party professionals.  This in turn, gives IT departments the opportunity to concentrate on mission-critical tasks without incurring additional costs on manpower and training.

Higher Availability - Outages and service interruptions can have a serious impact on normal business operations.  With the right cloud hosting solution, you have immediate access to 24/7 customer service and technical support to address emergency situations.  Even though cloud computing is susceptible to outages and other problems, a knowledgeable staff of technicians can dramatically reduce the threat of downtime.

Cloud Considerations

While there are many advantages to cloud computing, this technology does have some drawbacks, mainly security risks.  On the other hand, several providers offering these hosting solutions employ strict privacy policies along with advanced security measures to protect their customers.  This includes various cryptographic schemes to authenticate users and strong encryption algorithms to protect data while its in transit to third-party cloud servers.  This gives cloud hosting providers the ability to provide a much greater level of security than many businesses can achieve in-house.

Do Small Businesses Realize the Benefits of Cloud Hosting?

A recent survey conducted by internal resources at Rackspace show that medium sized businesses are reaping more of the benefits of cloud hosting while most small businesses are missing out.  According to the survey, 57% of medium sizes businesses in the U.S. claim to be aware of cloud hosting with 53% echoing the same sentiments in the U.K.  The survey hints that smaller companies are either confused about the advantages of cloud hosting or not familiar with the technology in general.  Although more organizations have come to realize the benefits, it looks as if this critical business segment is still in the dark.

Lew Moorman, Chief Strategy Officer at Rackspace Hosting, notes that he is surprised more small businesses are not taking advantage of the cloud services currently available.  Moorman says that while relatively new, cloud is a proven technology with the ability to suit the needs of businesses of all sizes.  Even more surprising is that nearly 60% of the survey respondents in the both the U.S. and U.K. reported having no plans to utilize cloud hosting in the future.

Executives at Rackspace believe most small businesses are shying away from the technology because they don’t completely understand the benefits it offers over traditional hosting solutions.  While all that might be true, another reason small organizations may be eluding the cloud is because they feel it is a cost prohibitive solution.  After all, new technologies often are.  If small businesses knew there was a way to enjoy scalability and cost efficiency, they would probably be more intrigued by the concept of cloud hosting.  Ironically enough, Rackspace has the answer with its hybrid hosting solution.

The Rackspace Cloud

Rackspace’s hybrid hosting solution is compromised is three core elements:

Cloud Sites – As the company’s flagship cloud solution, Cloud Sites offer a scalable platform designed for supporting huge traffic spikes on a pay as you go basis.  The environment is cross-platform, compatible with both Linux and Windows systems.

Cloud Files - This is Rackspace’s web-based storage service that provides developers with instant access to an enterprise-class infrastructure that improves scalability.  Through its partnership with Limelight Networks, Rackspace gives developers the ability to distribute content to millions of users across the world all while reducing upfront investment and IT-related costs.  This service comes with an industry leading SLA and competitive pricing model with storage starting from $0.15 per GB and bandwidth from $0.22 per GB.

Cloud Servers – The latest in Rackspace’s cloud hosting solution, Cloud Servers is set to provide server capacity to businesses of all sizes at their request.  This solution will leverage powerful technology developed by Slicehost, a company Rackspace recently acquired.  Known for its Xen virtualization software, Slicehost will stay on for the project and develop new innovative features in conjunction with the creative initiatives of Rackspace.

Rackspace is a global leader in web hosting solutions.  Aside from its cloud technology, the provider also specializes in managed dedicated servers and email hosting.  The company is well known for its award-winning Fanatical Support and recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the best 100 companies to work for in the U.S.