The rise of cloud computing has brought with it a myriad of benefits for business users. From flexibility to cost savings and asset management, the cloud has allowed businesses of all sizes to compete and grow with unprecedented ease. Business growth is often an unpredictable affair. Peak buying seasons, sudden spikes in demand and overall growth can sometimes overwhelm your website hosting causing serious slowdowns in service to users, or worse!
Cloud scalability offers businesses, both large and small, the flexibility to increase or decrease computing resources as needed, quickly easily and efficiently. Most providers offer the “pay-as-you-go” business model, so you only pay for the resources you actually use.
What is Scalable Cloud Hosting?
When choosing a website hosting platform you’ll need to make sure that as your site grows, both in terms of assets and traffic, your host provider offers stability and access to increased system resources. A provider offering scalable hosting will give you access, on-tap, to systems resources as your needs dictate.
Because of virtualization, the ability to add resources like SSD storage, RAM, CPU, and bandwidth is a simple affair. Once you’ve set up your server, simply navigating to a control panel on your host provider gives you immediate access to increased power. Because your server is a virtual server, or VPS, expansion is nearly unlimited. For example, if you’re running an e-commerce business selling product online, you may find traffic and sales interest peaks several times a year around holidays like Valentines Day, Mother’s Day or Christmas. Scalable hosting allows you to add bandwidth, storage or other resources immediately to meet your increased needs.
If you’re running your corporate IT via a cloud computing host platform, adding additional employee workstations is also simple to do via the control panel. By using a cloud host, the need to purchase and install additional hardware is eliminated. Employees can access your corporate server via any web-enabled device like a smartphone or tablet.
If you need to grow your in-house IT network to accommodate growth in your business, adding additional server space, workstations and software licenses can be costly. You’ll most likely purchase more power than necessary and that extra CPU space will remain unused. In addition, management of resources can cost you both in employee time and money. By transferring your business IT to the cloud, all of the day-to-day management of servers, hardware and software is provided by your host company.
Auto-Scaling Your Website Hosting
For many websites that find it difficult to predict traffic patterns and growth, hosting on the cloud addresses your needs through auto-scaling. Auto-scaling gives you instant access to virtual machine resources for the short term when your site is experiencing load spikes or similar situations. Unless you’re constantly monitoring traffic and usage numbers, auto scaling allows you to preset parameters that will kick in, in the event certain predetermined criteria are met. This lets your site seamlessly adjust, and when traffic returns to normal, resources are automatically returned to your original settings. If you feel that traffic is going to be permanently increased, resetting resources is as simple as a mouse click and basically immediate.
Cloud scalability removes the guesswork and management of your IT services. Migrating your business IT to the cloud can also free up your employee’s time allowing them to focus on mission critical tasks, eliminate costly downtime, and grow your IT needs as your business grows. The cloud is changing the way business operates. Moving your business or website hosting to the cloud is a smart business decision!