Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » data storage http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog Web Hosting Industry News, Latest Trends, and Analyses. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:48:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The Transition from Shared Hosting to the Cloudhttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/04/14/the-transition-from-shared-hosting-to-the-cloud/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/04/14/the-transition-from-shared-hosting-to-the-cloud/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:23:01 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=1543 Igor Seletskiy of CloudLinux recently gave a presentation on the move from shared web hosting to cloud hosting. During his presentation he focused on specifics element of CloudLinux that are significant aspects of cloud business and not discussed that often. Furthermore, Seletskiy reiterated that “cloud” should not be considered only a technical term for a type of computing, instead, it should be widely used as a marketing term.

Not Just a Term

However, this does not indicate that there is no such idea as cloud computing, that cloud resources are not real or that there aren’t a variety of benefits to using this type of hosting. On the other hand, there are performance hits when connecting to data storage as well as input-output performance issues, especially when running in production environments which can be difficult to repair.

Services from CloudLinux

CloudLinux is a business that helps hosts transition from shared hosting into a cloud VM environment as seamlessly as possible. This is typically completed in small intervals by limiting usage for individual users. This prevents any type of resource-spike that can impact other accounts on the same server. This also guarantees each customer will have dedicated access to a specified pool of resources.

High Variance of Performance between Hosts

Unfortunately this can be another issue with cloud hosting as performance varies greatly between hosting companies on a weekly and even daily basis. As always, it is important to conduct research before finding a cloud provider that meets your business needs.

Seletskiy recognized the number of benefits of running shared hosting in the clustered environment. However, most web hosting providers encounter the issue of difficult setup and continued maintenance despite being an inherently high-availability environment. Therefore, systems typically go down as a result of configuration errors and human errors.

Seletskiy suggests a load-balancing cluster which separates the traffic load among many smaller clusters. Load-balancing is one of the best features of cloud hosting as it spreads the load across all resources for better performance. CloudLinux is a resource to collaborate clustering efforts because they can take down clusters quickly and efficiently.

The newest trend in the web hosting industry as well as computing as a whole is being in the cloud. The cost is competitive with other types of hosting and it offers improved performance and efficiency for those who opt for the services.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2011/04/14/the-transition-from-shared-hosting-to-the-cloud/feed/ 0 Assessing Storage Needs for Your E-commerce Domainhttp://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/02/03/assessing-storage-needs-for-your-e-commerce-domain/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/02/03/assessing-storage-needs-for-your-e-commerce-domain/#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:42:15 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=738 The practice of E-commerce involves much more than simply selling products and services online. Developing a good e-commerce website involves maintaining the security and administrative aspects of your website as well. Many people overlook the importance of storage when it comes to choosing a web hosting service provider. Many people make the mistake of relying solely on their hard drive, which eventually will become unable to hold your website’s data.  Aside from running out of space, using a personal hard drive is risky because a crash can occur at any time resulting in data loss. When it involves your business, reliability and security is the most important factor. With all of the possible selections available in today’s market, it can be difficult to choose a single solution.  There are certain things one must consider when selecting a proper web hosting service for their business.

How Much Space Do You Need

Purchasing a new storage device requires the assessment of your storage needs. If you only need to backup a few things, then a simple USB drive will suffice. Even though USB drives do not consume a lot of space, they are capable of holding vast amounts of data and are seen as a good way to backup your data.  If you need to store more then you may want to consider an external hard drive.

Outsourcing Storage Space

If you do not want to store your data on a physical device at your home or office, then you can always opt for virtual storage with a third-party provider.  With a good data hosting service, you will receive the benefit of an online interface that will allow you to easily transfer your files,  and you’ll also receive plenty of bandwidth. Before selecting a third-party data hosting service, make sure they are reputable and take plenty of security measures to help protect your website’s data. The data must be secure during the entire time it is stored on their server to prevent data loss.

Speed Necessity

If you need to transfer a lot of data at one point in time, then speed should most definitely be a determining factor. It is important to consider all of the aspects of the storage provider, including speed, memory and disk space. Normally the best speeds are provided by interfaces such as  IDE, Firewire, SCSI, parallel, and USB. These storage devices are of the plug and play variety and are very easy to use and maintain.

Making the Right Decision

There are plenty of options available concerning storage for your e-commerce website. It is not hard to find  a service that will accommodate your needs, however it is best to make sure you make the right decision initially.

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]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2010/02/03/assessing-storage-needs-for-your-e-commerce-domain/feed/ 0 Is Cloud Computing Behind the Twitter Hack?http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/04/is-cloud-computing-behind-the-twitter-hack/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/04/is-cloud-computing-behind-the-twitter-hack/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:24:25 +0000 Art http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=455 The cloud is one of the hottest topics in the world of network computing and more recently, IT hosting and e-commerce.  Though it has proven to be a cost-efficient technology, the cloud does not come without flaws, especially if the latest high-profile internet security breach has anything to say about it.

The Infamous Twitter Hack

What is being dubbed as the “Twitter Hack” has some questioning whether security is an issue for the phenomenon that is cloud computing.  The incident that sparked the debate was actually the hacking of a Google Apps account belonging to a Twitter employee.  It has been reported that the exploit occurred because one of Twitter’s co-founders create a password for Google Apps that was easily guessed by a hacker.  This in turn, enabled the hacker to access the user’s personal information, including the data on his wife’s personal computer.

A War of the Words

Andy Cordial, managing director of data storage solutions firm Origin Storage, stated that a large number of companies and their employees are becoming victims of the cloud.  Cordial’s logic is that because cloud computing is so prevalent, businesses are being rushed into it and forced “to adapt their IT security systems on the fly.” He remarked that Origin Storage saw the shift in the business industry on the horizon and that all the security “breaches occurring on the cloud front” is proof that there are discrepancies that still need to be resolved.  Although the cloud shouldn’t necessarily take all the blame for the most recent debacle, the news isn’t certainly isn’t making anyone feel any better about the overall security of Twitter or Google Apps.

Evan Williams, the Twitter co-founder who essentially caused his wife’s Gmail webmail account to be compromised, explained to blog site TechCrunch, that the hack was absolutely not due to a lack of security on the part of Twitter.  However, Andy Cordial stressed that if Twitter would have paid more focus on security rather than growing their user base at all cost, the company wouldn’t be in the midst of a such an embarrassing situation.  Cordial added that implementing encryption into an organization’s data storage arrangement, be it in on or off the cloud, will ensure that information stored on the server and in transit is protected from malicious intent.  His final shot at the Twitter co-founder was that creating a secure password on top of encryption and sound corporate policies would have likely prevented the matter.  However, it should be stated that it was personal user accounts, not business accounts that were compromised.

Who’s to Blame?

Who should take the bullet for the so-called Twitter Hack?  Is it really the fault of the cloud, or should blame lie with Google apps or the victim?  While it is probably a good combination of all parties, one would think that a co-founder and active member of what is arguably the most popular social networking platform of the moment would have the know-how to be a little more responsible.   In any event, this breach probably will not convince many of the users who are still concerned about internet security any time soon.

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