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Insights for Entrepreneurs

Best Cloud Hosting for Startups – A Detailed Study

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Glory Simmons

Insights for Entrepreneurs · 12 min read

best cloud hosting for startups

12 min read

Entrepreneurs have started employing cloud computing for their business which is an uprising trend in the IT industry. A decade back, cloud computing was reserved for enterprises that are operating with cutting-edge digital technology. But now, times have changed and cloud solutions are easily available even to small businesses and startups.

Are you a startup and want to create a fast and secure online platform? Cloud hosting can be a perfect choice for your business. This article will let you know what cloud hosting is, how it works, its benefits and features, and many more.

What is a cloud hosting service?

Cloud hosting is one of the web hosting services that make applications and websites to be accessed through cloud resources. Cloud hosting services offer multiple solutions, includying website and application hosting, registering and managing domains, connecting global content delivery networks, and more. for this you should lookup for cheap dedicated hosting.

In other terms, it is an electronic network that is comprised of multiple virtual servers, where users can store their data on different components with the help of the internet. A load of data is shared among different servers by cloud and offers high-speed performance in your platform.

How does cloud hosting work?

The working pattern of cloud hosting is entirely different from traditional web hosting. In traditional web hosting, the system uses a centralized approach where each server will host multiple websites in it.

All websites that are hosted within a single server will share computing power and other resources. If any of the websites get sudden traffic, the rest of the websites that share the resources will get slow down.

In cloud hosting, the system uses virtualization which divides a physical server into multiple virtual servers. To host a single website, this hosting service will use multiple virtual servers which results in better performance of the platform than the traditional web hosting.

Types of cloud hosting

If you are planning to have cloud hosting for your business, then you need to know about its types. Each type has its significance and you should be specific to use which type for your business.

Public cloud hosting

This type of hosting is similar to traditional hosting where a single server is shared. In the public cloud, the hardware is shared with many virtual machines and the resources are ring-fenced. The disk space is not shared with other accounts. Only the rack space in the data center alone is shared.

While hosting with the public cloud, your application is completely protected with a public cloud firewall. This firewall can protect your platform from bandwidth-hogging threats, DDoS attacks, and much more easily.

Private cloud

Although public cloud hosting is not that in-secured, still users may feel uncomfortable using public cloud hosting as it may require a high degree of security when shared with other accounts. For this, the only solution is to go for a private cloud.

With private hosting, the infrastructure is not shared with other users. Users can have a physical distinct server and will not share their resources with any other user. Private cloud hosting is expensive when compared with public hosting. If you prioritize your data security, then you will not feel much burden to go for private cloud hosting.

Hybrid cloud hosting

A hybrid cloud has a special infrastructure that combines private, public, and on-premises cloud hosting. The objective of hybrid cloud hosting is to manage all resources and to provide application portability for all hosting types.

Hybrid cloud hosting comes as a single and unified computing environment with flexible distribution of resources. An added advantage of this type of hosting is it will the organization to have both traditional and cloud-native workloads.

Managed cloud hosting

The key IT functions are outsourced with managed cloud hosting. This type of cloud hosting will offer physical infrastructure and virtual machines needed for your application to be hosted. A full range of infrastructure and application-level support.

Managed cloud hosting is the best cloud hosting for startups and small businesses that may not need to have dedicated IT personnel to access the resources. They can just have dedicated PHP engineers and other specialist developers.

Features of best cloud hosting for startups

The features of cloud hosting make the service unique and attractive for all users and all businesses. Let us identify those key features of cloud hosting that will support our business in growth.

On-demand self-service

Cloud hosting supports its users to keep track of their performance all the time. The developers need not wait for a new server to join the cloud, instead, they can select the resources and tools as per their needs as a self-service. The user can monitor the allotted network storage, server uptime, and many more, and can set limitations for these tools.

Resource pooling

With the help of a multi-tenant model, the cloud service provider pulls the computing resources to offer services to multiple users. According to the user’s demand the physical and the virtual resources are aligned and realigned. The user will not have any control over the resources as the provider will decide which resource needs to be used for a particular user.

Easy maintenance

The maintenance of cloud servers is simple and there will be low downtime with these servers. Cloud hosting providers come with an update regularly and the entire server system gets updated often. Every update will be compatible with any user’s device and can increase the performance of the application.

Greater network access

As all data are connected to the cloud, users can access their resources from any part of the world and at any time. They can upload or download data from cloud hosting. The rapid scalability that is offered by cloud hosting is an added advantage. As virtual and physical servers are scattered all over the world, it offers greater network access to all users.

Cost-effective solution

Cloud hosting can be cost-effective when compared with other hosting types. This type of hosting reduced IT costs and also data storage spending. If users need more storage they can pay and get additional storage space.

Security

Cloud hosting reduces the fear of security for enterprises and will avoid migrating workloads. Cloud hosting providers will employ the best security experts who are skilled enough to protect all resources and applications available on the server. Public cloud hosting has lesser security protection than private cloud hosting.

Automation

This is one of the most crucial features of cloud hosting. The automation process gives the cloud hosting the ability to install, configure, and maintain all cloud services automatically. With minimum manual effort, all advanced technologies are widely used by the service. To bring automation, the provider needs to install and deploy virtual machines and should maintain them properly.

Resilience

Quick recovery from any disruption is termed to be resilience in cloud hosting. The resilience of the cloud server is usually measured by how fast its resources like databases and network systems restart and recover from any interruption, loss, or damage. Also, the server will be available round the clock on all geo-location without any restriction.

Benefits of using the best cloud hosting for startups

Before you decide on choosing cloud hosting for your startup business, it is very essential to know about its benefits and how well it can support your business to grow.

best cloud hosting for startups

Scalability and flexibility

Every business tends to grow in the future. You may be a startup today but your growth is very near. Cloud hosting gives the flexibility to expand your business. With its scalable feature, you can add or reduce various resources that include storage and bandwidth. This cannot be expected with traditional web hosting. So, any small business or startup would prefer cloud hosting for their budding business.

Traffic and uptime

As in cloud hosting many servers are connected, and you will experience less downtime and even no downtime also. If any one server fails then immediately other servers that are connected will take over the application and you will get an uninterrupted service. With less downtime, your application can get better performance and this will give you a competitive advantage.

Disaster recovery

The multi-server setup in cloud hosting will offer regular backups of data in your application. Even if you face any issues from the server side you may not face any loss of data. Data recovery is a simple process with cloud hosting. But with traditional hosting, all data will be stored in a single server. If anything happens to the server, the entire data will get into trouble.

Flexible pricing structure

With other hosting types, you may be forced to pay on a monthly or yearly basis irrespective of your usage. But with cloud hosting, providers will let you pay for what you use. If your platform faces sudden traffic during a certain period, you can extend the storage feature for a particular period and then can come down to a normal storage plan.

Faster website speed and performance

This is what every application or platform needs the most. This will reduce the bounce rate and can help the admin to get more traffic. Cloud hosting will assure easier page load with the help of multiple server environments. As there won’t be much strain on a single server, and the strain is divided among multiple servers, cloud hosting can assure users have the blazing speed for their applications.

Factors to consider in finding the best cloud hosting for startups

Every single day more IT systems are externalizing. It is very crucial to know about the factors that influence cloud hosting to become the best cloud hosting for startups. By understanding these factors, you will be able to find the best cloud hosting provider for your business.

Reliable cloud host

You need to find out a web hosting expert who has years of experience in providing cloud hosting services to all sizes of businesses. Certain key checkpoints will make you identify how reliable the cloud hosting provider is.

Points to identify reliable cloud hosting provider

  • Examine the hosting provider’s execution for the last 6 months against their SLAs.
  • Check whether the provider can manage sudden traffic and support performance with consistency.
  • Make sure that the provider is capable of managing all tasks in the cloud-based environment.
  • Check with all liability constraints and solutions they offer during the time of crisis.

Cloud security and compliance

Every cloud hosting provider needs to strictly comply with industry-recognized compliance standards and also its framework. Still, you need to check your provider’s compliance licenses and certificates like ISO 27001.

There are certain security parameters you need to check when considering cloud hosting for your business. If your data reside in a different location, then the cloud hosting should meet the data residency requirements.

Key security mechanisms to check with the cloud hosting provider

  • Certified firewalls
  • Multi-layered security
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Data encryption
  • Threat detection and prevention
  • Access control management

Customer support packages

Customer support is very crucial in the hosting process. Customers may not be technically strong to handle all online threats and issues on their own and they will desperately need an expert’s support. The cloud hosting provider you choose should offer the best customer support in the industry.

Key points to check on the customer support offered

  • Multiple communication channels should be available like phone, live chat, email, and many more.
  • 24/7 support is required as you may reside in a location that has a different time zone and when you have an issue, the cloud provider should be available irrespective of the time zone.
  • Always read the SLAs of the provider to know how far they will be able to provide service.
  • Check with the plan you subscribe to with the hosting provider as each plan will come with support for different sets of features with different levels of services.

Migration support

Some users may not be satisfied with their existing hosting provider. They may plan to migrate to another hosting provider. In this case, the hosting provider should support users in their migration process and should ensure a smooth transition

  • Make sure that the cloud hosting provider supports migration without charging additionally.
  • While migrating, the provider should assure you that will not be any loss of data.

Cloud hosting plan costs

While choosing the best cloud hosting for startups, you need to be more conscious about the pricing. There are many hosting providers and you need to compare all their pricing and what features are included with the package. Some provider offers a pay-as-you-go model that will let users pay only when they use them. So, you need to check multiple aspects while checking the pricing of cloud hosting.

Things to look at while checking for the pricing

  • The provider needs to offer transparent pricing with clear breakdowns.
  • Flexible billing plans should be provided like a monthly, half-yearly, or yearly subscription.
  • No lock-ins.
  • Easy stoppage of services should be supported.
  • Special discounts and deals for long-term customers.

Digital Ocean – the best cloud hosting for startups

We recommend Digital Ocean cloud hosting provider as the best cloud hosting for startups and small businesses. If you want to enhance your business productivity, drive innovation, and create operational efficiencies with cost management, then you need to approach Digital Ocean

Reasons to prefer Digital Ocean

  • A strong customer focus is offered by the provider to all users irrespective of their business size.
  • The provider uses high-performance SSD and its speed benefits the performance of your site or application.
  • The control panel offered by the cloud hosting provider is simple and intuitive.
  • The provider owns active developers and a dedicated community page to support beginners to get used to their hosting services.
  • The digital ocean cloud hosting provider has more than 12 data centers.
  • The provider offers a user-friendly interface to access all resources and offers military-grade protection to user data.
  • The provider supports users with automatic backups that will help during data recovery.

Conclusion

Reliable hosting is the main aspect to run a successful online platform or application. The best cloud hosting for startups should come with a great set of tools that will support your business to have a seamless operation. The provider should assist you in managing data storage, computing, and analysing data. We, Appkodes, recommend Digital Ocean as the best cloud hosting for startups and small businesses. Get connected to subscribe to the best hosting plan for your business.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author

Glory is a creative content writer whose writing has a deep connection with users and can provide SEO-friendly tech-driven content. Being a freelance content writer, all her writings meet the demands of any online business, solopreneur, start-up, and brand.