What is cloud hosting?
The cloud is the enormous network of servers that make up the internet. Cloud servers are used by businesses so that the data they store and the applications they run can be accessed online.
Cloud hosting is where a service provider, like WHUK, provides customers with all the cloud computing resources, e.g., storage, RAM, CPU and bandwidth, they need. Rather than buying your own hardware, this is provided as a service.
Essentially, a cloud hosting service like ours lets you host your apps and websites on high availability, internet-accessible cloud servers; while ensuring you have all the flexibility, scalability and reliability your business needs.
What is the difference between a dedicated server, VPS and cloud?
Dedicated servers, VPS and the cloud are all different types of hosting solution. A dedicated server is a single physical server with significant but fixed resources. It is called a dedicated server because all its resources are dedicated exclusively to a single customer. With huge storage and enormous processing power, it brings substantial benefits. However, not all businesses need such capacity and so it’s not always the most cost-effective choice. Additionally, if you need to increase your dedicated server’s resources, it can often require downtime during the hardware upgrade.
A VPS, on the other hand, is one of several virtual servers hosted on a dedicated server. Unlike shared hosting, it is securely separated from other VPS using virtualisation technology. This means each VPS has its own operating system and the security and flexibility of a mini dedicated server but at a much-reduced cost. Being virtual also means that VPS can be upgraded quicker than dedicated servers, usually in the time it takes to restart the virtual machine.
A cloud server is a more advanced form of VPS. It uses virtualisation to create virtual servers, but rather than these being created on a single physical machine, they are hosted on a cluster of physical servers. This enables cloud servers to recover from hardware failure in seconds just simply by moving virtual servers to another physical server in the cluster – something that can be done autonomously, without human intervention.
In addition to high availability, the other chief benefits of cloud servers are the ability to scale up resources on-demand and with our cloud server platform being designed for enterprise-class applications, our customers have even greater CPU and IO performance.
Are virtual servers less secure than dedicated servers?
No. Cloud servers are just as secure as dedicated servers and, at WHUK, our SSD cloud server hosting is highly secure. We follow strict security regulations to protect our customers and the security tools and expertise we deploy are far advanced compared to what most companies could achieve in-house.
To protect your server, we use next-gen firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, application firewall configuration, email security, DDoS prevention and more. We can even develop and implement security policies designed around the needs of our customers.
What are the benefits of cloud hosting?
The benefits of the cloud continue to grow as the technology evolves. However, the main attractions are its cost-effectiveness compared to in-house infrastructure, unrivalled on-demand scalability, high availability, rapid server and application deployment and online access. Increasingly, companies seeking digital transformation migrate to the cloud to take advantage of technologies like data analytics, AI, machine learning, automation and IoT.
What is managed cloud?
Carrying out server management in-house requires internal expertise and takes up valuable time. For many businesses, it makes common sense to leave these tasks to the vendor so that their own IT teams can focus their time and energy on more business-oriented projects.
A managed cloud hosting solution is where the vendor carries out the management tasks on the customer’s behalf, ensuring that your cloud server performs optimally and that your operating system is patched and updated. At Webhosting UK, it is possible to tailor your management requirements around your company’s needs.
Is managed cloud the right choice for me?
If your cloud migration has been delayed due to a lack of in-house server management know-how, then managed cloud hosting can help resolve that issue for you. It’s also beneficial for businesses who want their IT teams to concentrate on business projects rather than mundane management tasks.
How do I upgrade my cloud server in the future?
You can upgrade easily from within your client area. If you need advice about the cost of upgrading the resources you need, e.g., RAM, CPU or storage space, please contact our sales or billing teams. Once any billing changes have taken effect, a restart will be needed for the upgrade to be applied. This can be performed at any time, day or night, to suit your needs.