Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » data storage

The Transition from Shared Hosting to the Cloud

Art — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:23:01 +0000

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.

Assessing Storage Needs for Your E-commerce Domain

Art — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:42:15 +0000

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.

Are You Paying Too Much for Web Hosting?

Art — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:27:27 +0000

The easiest way to enjoy a low cost on your web hosting bill is to choose the right service provider to begin with. Unfortunately, the web hosting business is growing at a rapid pace, which means choosing a good and reputable host is not only difficult, but often consuming and very frustrating. The good thing is that once you find the ideal host, you will agree that the journey was worth the time and effort you put into it. If you want to make sure you are getting a bang for your buck, keep your eyes on the following areas as they directly attribute to the cost of service:

Bandwidth and Storage

Bandwidth and disk space play a major role in determining the price of web hosting. Determining how much of each you require can be tricky, but coming up with an estimate is important. Whatever you determine, just make sure you understand how these crucial resources are allotted. It is imperative that you understand the rules on overages and what will happen if you use more bandwidth or disk space than you have been allocated. Simply knowing this will spare you the surprise of a huge web hosting bill at the end of the month. A hosting company that will spill the details on allowances and overages ahead of time allows you to take the measures needed to reduce or properly plan for extra usage. This type of host can be a real keeper.

Website Quantity

If you require more than one website, then you might want to consider signing up with a hosting company that allows you to run multiple domains on a single account. This will help you save a lot of money over purchasing separate accounts from different companies. Because you are essentially putting all of your eggs in one basket, you also need to consider the dangers of multiple domain hosting. Should disaster strike the server, all of your websites could be compromised and unavailable to visitors. You need to give this careful thought as crippling downtime might be the greatest cost of all.

Web Applications and Technologies

You can save yourself some money on web hosting just by ensuring that all the software applications and technologies your site requires are included in the package. This includes programs such as FrontPage and WordPress as well as technologies such as PHP or ASP.NET.

If the host does not offer what you need, paying extra for it could end up costing you dearly. Make sure you understand what is included and try not pay for features that can be obtained somewhere else for free.

Hosting Contracts

Many web hosting companies offer substantial discounts when paying for a year or two worth of service in advance. Signing up for something like this may appear to be a smart move, but you need to find out how long you will be locked in first. It is recommended to avoid any long-term contracts until you can assure that you are absolutely satisfied with a particular host. For this reason, you may want to keep your options open to month-to-month contracts where the risks are considerably lower.

Is Cloud Computing Behind the Twitter Hack?

Art — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:24:25 +0000

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.

Critical Factors to Consider When Evaluating Application Hosting

Art — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:38:44 +0000

Application hosting services are increasing in demand as more business come to realize that outsourcing to a qualified managed service provider can greatly enhance the deployment process and reduce costs across the board. To help you find a service that meets the needs and expectations of your organization, we have listed some of the important factors that must be considered for an application hosting solution.

Storage Requirements

Because storage can be a rather costly proposition, it is best to take a just-in-time approach towards your inventory. By answering the questions below, you can draw a more accurate picture that might defer costs until they are absolutely vital:

- How much storage do you need now?

- How much storage will you need in the next 3 to 5 years

- How much additional storage will you require each year?

- Will you need to archive data and pull it from the main storage area? If so, how much and when?

Applications to be Hosted

How many applications do you need to host and what type of applications are they? Staging, testing, development and deployment are just some of the environments you may need hosted. In most cases, each environment has different hosting requirements in terms of availability, operational tasks, access and support. Make sure you assess the use and flow of data within and between these applications to precisely determine the requirements for each one.

Backup and Restore and Disaster Recovery

Before deciding on an application hosting provider, it is critical to define what is to be backed up, when and how often. When focusing on this area, it is also a good idea to keep disasters in mind and think of what would happen if something bad occurred and the provider’s data center became completely unusable. This is a place where you need to put a business continuity plan into effect.

SLA Monitoring and Reporting

Key performance indicators come in handy, but only when they detail what is important to your organization. Make sure you know what levels of availability the service level agreement covers as well as the applications that will be monitored. If monitoring reports are available, find out how they are to be structured and provided.

Root Access

System root access usually isn’t given to parties outside of the data center staff. It is also important to know that some application providers will waive their SLAs if they can determine that a non-root access account is the cause of an outage. Because this can have a major impact on your availability, it is vital that you inquire within the provider about their root access policies before signing the contract.

The Service Contract

When it comes to application hosting, contracts define much more than what products or services will be provided and how much they cost. They also explain how organizations are to interact with each other. It is wise that you go over the contract with a fine tooth comb to prevent confusion and enable a framework for dispute resolution and continuous enhancements.

The Planet Introduces New Cloud Storage Service

Art — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:11:51 +0000

A global leader in dedicated and managed hosting solutions, The Planet is enhancing its infrastructure in the terms of storage performance with cloud storage functionality. This new service offers an on-demand, highly scalable solution that will ensure the stability large enterprises need to flourish in today’s business environment.

Last week, The Planet announced that the new cloud storage service will be limited in availability to its existing hosting clients. Rob Walters, General Manager of The Planet’s storage and data protection division, says the service offers a world of new opportunities as customers can extend their hosted environments right into the cloud storage facility. The cloud storage platform is geographically distributed, providing customers with the ability to upload to the local network node along with a single policy enforced account to administer all of their file-based storage requirements. The Planet’s cloud storage solution is based on a 40 cents per GB pricing scale and doesn’t come with any hidden fees or performance issues. Most cloud storage providers charge fees for sundry access services. Amazon Web Service’s Simple Storage Solution is one example that charges around 1 cent per 1,000 put, post, copy or list requests. According to Walters, the new cloud storage service is a first in the hosting industry.

The Planet’s announcement of its high performance solution is great news for customers as past services haven’t been cheap to utilize. On the surface, cloud storage generally seems to be a more affordable approach for addressing the storage issues faced by so many companies today. However, unexpected fees usually rear their ugly heads, hidden charges associated with bandwidth and additional costs for accessing data. These fees typically result in costumers paying far more than initially anticipated. With the cloud storage solution offered by The Planet, customers are charged a fixed rate and know exactly what they are paying for.

Another advantage of The Planet’s cloud storage service is that it makes up the only geographically distributed storage solution of its kind. Leveraging its state of the art Dallas-based data facility and solid partnership with Nirvanix, The Planet is able to take advantage of the Storage Delivery Network and allow customers to choose exactly where they want to store data on the cloud. There are no limitations as data can be placed on any node in both networks.

In a recent statement, Patrick Harr, Nirvanix Chief Executive Officer, commends The Planet on its extension of the Storage Delivery Network. By providing more flexibility, The Planet is essentially giving its customers the best of both worlds, resulting in a win-win situation for all parties. By utilizing Nirvanix’s global cluster, customers have the freedom to access the local Dallas node or optimize storage from virtually anywhere in the world. Coupling an attractive price with respectable service level agreements, the new cloud storage service provides clients with more options for creating and scaling next-generation web applications.

Although The Planet stands firm in its claim as the first to offer such a cost effective solution, the new service actually follows a cloud storage system launch initiated by Webair last month. eLina, Tilana and Nirvanix also introduced similar services prior to The Planet’s recent launch.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » data storage

The Transition from Shared Hosting to the Cloud

Related posts:

Assessing Storage Needs for Your E-commerce Domain

Related posts:

Are You Paying Too Much for Web Hosting?

Related posts:

Is Cloud Computing Behind the Twitter Hack?

Related posts:

Critical Factors to Consider When Evaluating Application Hosting

Related posts:

The Planet Introduces New Cloud Storage Service

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