Cloud server hosting is known for a number of good things. It is also quite popular at present. Many cloud providers market their cloud services as excellent solutions for reliable and fast hosting. When it comes to your blogs, should you use a cloud server or is it just an unnecessary switch (from traditional to the cloud) or an added expense? For a structured discussion, this question will be answered by presenting the following series of related questions.
What advantages and disadvantages does cloud server hosting have for blogs?
Cloud server hosting or cloud computing in general carries with it several advantages and disadvantages. It can provide better stability and reliability, flexibility, and scalability. Because of the way cloud servers work, reliability and stability are somewhat assured. Generally, there will only be extremely minimal downtimes for your blog and your blog will be easy to access from anywhere around the world. It also provides the benefit of rapid deployment and faster page loading times. Additionally, it enables redundancy, which is basically the cloning of your blog on different environments to prevent and greatly reduce downtimes. There’s also flexibility because almost all software or technologies you use for your blog can be supported.
When it comes to the disadvantages, cloud hosting is known for limited control. Depending on the cloud provider you chose, you may encounter the issue of having limited control over the execution and function of the hosting infrastructure. Many cloud companies have end user licensing agreements that set limitations on what you can do with your deployments. Some may even limit the control and management of data, services, and applications.
Moreover, cloud hosting also has its privacy and security issues. Notably, because of the nature of cloud hosting, your data can be potentially accessed from anywhere. That’s why you need to be proactive in protecting your data. Implement automated security through IT compliance controls. You have to ensure that you block data exfiltration. The identities of those allowed to access resources and services should be authenticated. There’s also the need to diligently perform audits. Additionally, it’s important to integrate strategies for preventing and responding to security threats. If you are not keen on doing all of these, you may not want to use cloud hosting for your blog.
Is cloud hosting cheaper or more expensive?
Is cloud hosting cheaper or is it actually more expensive than conventional hosting for blogs? The answer to this question is a bit complex. It’s difficult to respond with a simple yes or no. While there are those who say that cloud servers are cheaper, the idea here is that using cloud servers is like renting a car. The cost per day of use/ownership is higher but since you don’t have to worry about matters like licensing, parking, and maintenance, it can be more cost-efficient depending on your use.
Cloud hosting services can be flexibly priced so you only get to pay for what you use and switch to different hosting plans or packages as you deem fit. In this sense, cloud hosting can be regarded as a less expensive or more cost-efficient option. There are also companies that offer packages with prices comparable to those of traditional dedicated servers. However, as mentioned, whether or not cloud hosting is cheaper depends on the setup it is being used with. For those who just blindly decide to go for cloud hosting, it is unlikely to benefit from the supposed cost-efficiency. The cost advantage only works for those who closely manage and adjust their infrastructure and for those who carefully analyze and set their IT goals and make meticulous comparisons of the web hosting options available.
Is it difficult to switch to cloud server hosting?
What are the challenges that may discourage you from using cloud server hosting? For one, you may not find cloud hosting easy to set up. Of course, it’s not something extremely difficult to do, but there’s the need to spend time and effort to get properly acquainted with it. This is not going to be an issue for large blogging networks that may their own IT team to competently handle everything. For ordinary bloggers who may not be that fond of the technical aspects of blogging, though, this could be a chore. Fortunately, there are cloud hosting service providers which can provide with you with simplistic control panels such as Vesta and cPanel. You just have to find one that offers something more familiar. Also, be sure to take advantage of customer support to guide you with the switch.
What does your blog need that other web hosting solutions can’t give?
This is a crucial question you need to contemplate on. Is your current web host not good enough? Can’t you get the things you expect to get from other cloud hosting from other traditional web hosts that may be cheaper and more familiar? Review the advantages of cloud hosting discussed earlier and evaluate if other hosting options can match them or offer something comparable or even better.
What do you want to do with your blog?
It’s important to be clear with what you want to achieve with your blog. Do you want to expand to an international audience? Are you trying to cater to a tremendous volume of traffic? What do you want to present on your blog? Are you focusing on a niche wherein you are targeting readers who are more likely to click on your ads/affiliate links or are you aiming for a broader audience and monetize through your page impressions? Basically, cloud hosting is most effective for handling high levels of traffic and in making sites optimally accessible in different regions.
Overkill or Solid Investment?
So what’s the ultimate answer to the question in the title? It certainly not a definite yes or no. The answer depends largely on what your answers would be for the last two questions presented above. Yes, there are many advantages in cloud hosting, but there are also disadvantages. It’s not that difficult to switch to cloud hosting but it’s difficult to say if cloud hosting is indeed cheaper or more expensive. It can be said, though, that cloud hosting is a good investment if you are going to have a blog with high levels of traffic and is meant to reach readers from different regions. It’s good investment if you have a blog network and not just a couple of blogs you are trying to monetize.
For a blog that is intended only for a small audience or niche, cloud hosting would be an overkill. Consider this: the known users of cloud hosting are the likes of NASDAQ, Airbnb, and Netflix. If your blog does not (or does not aim to) have as much as even a tenth of these sites’ traffic, you might find traditional dedicated hosting to be the better option.
