What Cloud Hosting Can Offer Small Businesses

There are many different kinds of hosting for your business to choose from, and the one that’s right for you will depend largely on your business model. After all, a blog will not have the same hosting requirements as an online retailer.

Technology start-ups, however, must walk a fine line between affordable hosting and reliable hosting. For younger, newer companies that are still in their start-up phase (first 5 years), cloud hosting offers the ability to scale hosting according to their business needs and budget. This means that companies don’t have to commit to or invest more than they need from their hosting provider at any given moment.

Cloud Hosting for Start-Ups

Essentially, cloud hosting is ideal for tech start-ups that (1) rely on their web-based technology, (2) don’t yet have the resources to invest heavily into their infrastructure, but (3) plan to experience several significant growth spurts in the coming years. These are primarily web-based businesses that can't experience any significant down-time, but still have to be prudent with their budgets because they’re start-ups.

What cloud hosting lets these businesses do is rent a kind of virtual server that can be scaled as their business needs fluctuate. So as their traffic and user-base fluctuates, their hosting package can be adjusted on an as-needed basis. Many cloud hosting providers also offer a choice of operating system (Windows or Linux), as well as server configuration controls via APIs, control panels, or a web-based interface.

The benefit of a cloud server, then, is that (1) businesses save money by not spending more than they need at any given moment, but (2) can still harness all the full potential of cloud computing technology -- such as scalable bandwidth and enhanced server performance. Such features are ideal for a company that's tech- and web-reliant, but doesn't yet have the revenue, resources or need to commit to something as comprehensive as a dedicated hosting package.

Of course, getting the most out of a cloud hosting package also means having an in-house IT team to configure servers and manage resources on an ongoing basis. After all, as your traffic and user-base fluctuate, so will your server configuration and hosting package. As much as this sounds like a cost-intensive activity, it is not. First of all, if you're a web-based start-up, managing and optimizing resources is most of what your IT team does anyway. Secondly, you’ve saved on having to buy the actual hardware and all the supporting infrastructure that goes with it – e.g. redundancy switches, physical space, etc.

Choosing a Business Hosting Provider

Once you’ve decided that cloud hosting is the kind of hosting your business needs, choosing the right cloud hosting provider can be tricky. After all, while some hosting providers have built a reputable brand, that doesn't mean that they excel at providing all kinds of hosting.

So start by looking for reviews not about web hosting in general, but about cloud hosting in particular. Then, after you have a shortlist of potential cloud hosting providers, involve your IT team in the decision making process. Because they will be managing and configuring your cloud servers, they'll also be in the best position to evaluate a hosting provider's technology and help you choose a hosting package that makes the most sense for your business.

This is a guest post written by Steven Rosen

Steven Rosen is a Montreal-based computer science student and information junkie. When he is not busy studying, he enjoys reading about web design, Photoshop and internet marketing practices. He also has a part-time job giving computer courses to young students in the community.

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