One of the biggest buzz words in the world of web hosting these days is definitely “cloud computing.” For those who tout cloud computing, it seems like it is the best thing since HTML and will revolutionize the industry more than anything else in history. This article will attempt to discuss some of what is known about cloud hosting thus far and compare it to standard web hosting solutions.

In order to determine how cloud computing relates to a traditional web hosting solution, it is necessary to first understand what cloud computing is all about. A basic definition of cloud computing is its a service that hosts your website files & databases and responds to inquiries. That brief explanation sounds a lot like typical web hosting, however, there are distinct differences.

In cloud computing, the “cloud” can have many different servers that spread the work in a seamless integration to help ensure that everything is handled correctly and quickly. With cloud computing, the data processing resources are shared across many servers, so that the “web server” is virtualized and not an actual physical server. This is not so with traditional hosting, where usually each service is homed on one server and the processing is only done on the server where the service is located.
There are several advantages cloud computing has over traditional web hosting which make sense for specific situations. Below are just a few of the advantages that really stand out and can serve to make cloud computing a potential alternative to consider.

Elastic Capacity
One of the biggest advantages associated with cloud computing as a web hosting solution is the idea of ”elastic capacity.” Demand for more bandwidth and disk space is always elastic, either up or down. As that demand increases, it is necessary to have more server resources at your disposal. As it decreases, paying for those unused resources could be an unwanted burden. In order to have a web site capable of dealing with high traffic spikes, you need to ensure that there are enough server resources to handle the influx. When web traffic has ebbed, you will maintain better profitability if you are not having to pay for those additional resources you needed during the spikes. Rarely does any website have a constant level of increasing spikes.

The way cloud computing services work, depending on the provider and the plan chosen, charges for an amount per gigabyte of transfer and per web site request. The pricing is very straightforward and easy to understand for the most part. This pricing structure helps define cloud computing as a ”pay as you go” plan, allowing one to be able to harness as much or as little server resources as are necessary. This elasticity for meeting traffic demand is one of the biggest distinguishing characteristic of cloud computing. While the market is dominated by a select few number of players currently, it is poised to become more popular, with several well-known traditional hosting centers are beginning to offer cloud based solutions.

For example – Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Service (Amazon EC2) One of the more interesting examples of cloud web service that has recently come on the market is the Amazon EC2 Service. Amazon EC2 is designed to provide resizable compute capacity that ultimately makes web-scale computing easier for developers.

Developed with simplicity in mind, the Amazon EC2 web service interface allows for obtaining and configuring capacity with minimal friction. The service, while run on Amazon’s computing environment, still puts complete control of computing resources in the hands of the user. One unique quality that Amazon EC2 claims is the reduction of time required to obtain and boot new server instances to just minutes. That feature allows for fast scale capacity across the board, as computing requirements invariably change. In addition, the payment structure for the service is set so that it is only necessary to pay for the capacity that is actually used. This makes Amazon EC2 one of the more affordable cloud services offered that is offered presently.

Better Plan Stability
Another advantage frequently discussed regarding cloud computing is the better stability that such plans usually come with. Since the cloud is interconnected, there are many different instances for redundancy. This redundancy and the associated scale make cloud computing quite stable. Very rarely is there a problem and even when one arises, it’s usually quickly resolved. This significant increase in the level of stability means that you can have more piece of mind about whether your website and online applications are up and running.

Maintenance
The fact that little to no maintenance is required is yet another distinct advantage of cloud computing over regular web hosting. You don’t have to clean out log files or make sure that security work is done on the server. All of the maintenance and security work on the cloud is done by the company managing it. This means that you can focus on your business and making it more profitable rather than spend precious time with an activity such as tweaking Apache2 settings over SSH, or another similar activity. While some people may enjoy handling various technical tasks, most small business owners have plans for far better use of their time.

Disadvantages to The Cloud
While there are significant advantages associated with cloud computing, there are several disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration. For many webmasters, some of these limitations are deal breakers, since they can be difficult to overcome. With certain considerations, it might not even be a prudent business decision to go with a cloud computing solution.

Size Considerations
One disadvantage associated with trying cloud computing on for size is that it can be downright expensive for even a simple web site. A deal where you get a shared web hosting account with some nice storage and bandwidth for under $10/month is hard to beat. There are no concerns about how many hits you get and how much is transferred, since everything is included in the plan. Going with a cloud computing solution means that you need to pay per hit and by transfer. It’s hard to come up with a budget and it can often make no sense for a small web site, especially if the site in question doesn’t receive a lot of traffic and therefore has no need for the elastic capacity that comes with a cloud computing solution.

Web Application Control
Another disadvantage of going with cloud computing is the lack of control over web applications. The choices of programming languages and database calls are limited to the approved framework of the hosting provider. This limitation may not match up with the current skill set of your programmers, thereby limiting what you can do on your website. In fact, if you have an existing website you wish to convert to hosting in the cloud, significant parts of your web site my need to be reprogrammed in order to have it run properly and benefit from the switch.

In many cases, you are not allowed to have your own installed applications. You have to go with the ones that are provided by the company that you have chosen. For those webmasters who are married to their favorite apps, this can be a very distinct deal-breaker.

Special Programming Requirements
One more disadvantage that we will mention regarding cloud computing is that it will take special programming techniques to get the most out of the cloud solution. By utilizing these new techniques, you will be able to get the cloud to do what you need it to do, but these new techniques come with new learning challenges. The learning curve for these new techniques can end up keeping your IT staff quite busy, increasing the cost and complexity of a project. While these can ultimately be overcome, you may find its not worth it for small or mid-sized projects, since implementing the extra techniques will cost more than what you will be saving as a result of moving away from traditional web hosting solutions.

Now that you have a pretty good idea of what cloud computing is all about and are aware of some of the associated advantages and disadvantages it should be a little easier to compare it with traditional web hosting solutions. Below are some contrasts over a few different areas that relate to business web hosting.

Cloud computing eliminates a series of potentially complicated problems. Many webmasters will think twice before implementing certain features because they are afraid that too much burden will be placed on the server if things get “busy” at a certain point. Thanks to cloud computing, these worries can be mitigated rather easily because all of the resources needed are made available right from the start.

As on any online project, if you are interested in the long-term success of your project, it is vital to assess your web hosting needs for now and into the near future. Making sure sure the solution fits properly is essential and you should evaluate every solution available for it’s strengths and its weaknesses, comparing one to another. The choice of using cloud computing may best align with your business goals.

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