What’s With All The Cloud Hosting Buzz?

The cloud has become the norm within the tech industry. Why all the hype, and in what direction is it headed?
Cloud computing has become one of the most discussed topics when it comes to web hosting, SaaS (Software as a Service) or any other tech-related discussion. You hear it in marketing, you hear it with developers, and you’re even starting to hear it in casual conversation with your neighbor.
But when you ask someone to explain exactly what the cloud is, you rarely get a straightforward answer. That’s because the term “the cloud” has become ambiguous, referring to many different kinds of services. Apple has a cloud-based service called iCloud, Amazon has its own cloud hosting called AWS, and thousands of other companies also have unique versions of what they consider “cloud computing”.
In order to establish a clear definition of cloud web hosting, let’s say the cloud is a number of dedicated servers tethered together to make one mass of high-power computing resources. This distinct method of web hosting provides the user with a cost-effective way of increasing the resources they need for their site (or another project being hosted in the cloud).
What are the benefits of cloud hosting?
Fully dedicated resources – Unlike with shared hosting, you have control over how many resources you allocate to your site. You will never be bogged down by someone else using the server.
Scalability – If you start out with a small amount of RAM, and then soon after you need more, you can easily increase your resources to account for the growth. You can also increase CPU, memory, bandwidth, etc.
Self healing/redundant – Your site is always protected. If a server fails, your site is automatically moved to another server within the cloud in order to keep your site live.
Speed – this refers to how fast your site operates while it’s hosted, and also the incredibly fast speed of setting up your server. Thanks to cloud hosting, you spend more time developing your site rather than waiting on your web hosting.
Where is the cloud headed?
Cloud hosting is quickly becoming one of the most popular web hosting options. A recent press release by IDC, a global provider of market intelligence, shows that public IT cloud service spending will grow to more than $127 billion by 2018. This same report predicts that by 2018, IT cloud services will account for well over half of all worldwide software, server and storage spending growth. Other predictions say that overall spending will exceed $225 billion in the same timeframe.
The cloud has greatly increased innovation and collaboration within businesses. Thanks to it, systems are better connected with databases and various other platforms within the company. Entire companies can operate more efficiently since each department can access the cloud and effectively analyze data.
The cloud has shown more advancements that might otherwise be restricted due to server limitations. The low cost and high speeds allow for elevated innovation and a smoother transition within a company. Instead of an IT department focusing on maintaining systems, they can direct their attention to developing more strategic projects.
From here?
Cloud hosting is still a fairly new concept. There are skeptics who are concerned whether or not the cloud will really hold up. However, cloud hosting is a reliable option that produces the highest results possible. Although cloud hosting isn’t necessarily the best option for everyone, it is becoming more and more popular every year.

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