The Top Ten Cloud Hosting Providers

Cloud computing or cloud hosting as it is most commonly referred to, is a revolutionary technology that despite having been in operation for only a few years. However, even in this short time span, the technology has deeply influenced changing way in which people create, store use or even distribute and share information. Hence before gaining information about the top ten cloud hosting providers, it is important to understand what cloud computing actually stands for and also about the features and advantages offered by this technology.

What is Cloud Hosting?

Contrary to what many people believe, cloud computing is not a new technology but rather just a different method of using the computer resources. It is a comprehensive solution aimed at offering IT as service to the end users through the use of different types of data networks that can be accessed through the internet. A good example to explain cloud computing would be that of an electricity grid from which every household pulls energy as per its specific requirements. In a similar manner cloud hosting enables multiple users to access and benefit from diverse resources that have been stored on cloud servers as per their individual needs.

Here it is important to understand that cloud hosting should not be confused with internet usage.  Although both operate on the principle of shared networking, a major difference that distinguishes the two technologies is right to access the resources. While internet offers an open-access to various online resources to almost anyone with a device and proper connectivity, the cloud hosting is a more private affair. This means that in order to be able to share the resources offered by the top ten cloud hosting providers, clients need satisfy any pre-defined conditions or accept the terms of usage of these resources.

Types Of Cloud Hosting Services

Given the vast potential of cloud computing, it is not really surprising that many users feel amazed by the scope of this technology. The technology offers flexible solutions according to the type of problems and the objectives of the users. Depending on the specific requirements for which consumers and businesses seek access to the top ten cloud hosting providers, these services can be categorized into the following three types.

  • Infrastructure As A Service(IAAS)

This is the most basic type of cloud hosting service that enables users to share the actual physical infrastructure facilities across a network. These might include resources such as servers, storage disks, printers and other such accessories. This type of cloud hosting enables organizations to minimize the operating expenses as they do not need to actually purchase the resources but can rather pay for the same according to usage.

  • Platform As A Service (PAAS)

Often referred to as the middle layer of cloud hosting, this cloud service enables users to share the different platforms for creating and running applications. The service providers generally offer a collection of programming languages, operating systems and even a web server, which can be used the end users for creating, development and testing of a wide range of software solutions including simple mobile apps to high end web server applications.  This cloud service proves especially beneficial for web developers as they can easily access different resources that might be essential for the development of software solutions, without actually downloading or installing them on their system.

  • Software As A Service (SAAS)

The third and final type of cloud hosting service that is available for end users consists of different types of software developed for use across internet. This service enables users to easily access, share and even modify information from almost any location. This service is generally charged on the basis of individual users, which means that business organizations can easily add or remove users based on the requirement of specific projects.

Benefits of Using Cloud Hosting  

There is no denying the fact that cloud hosting is increasingly becoming the preferred choice of most business organizations and independent professionals. The ability of the top ten cloud hosting providers to offer sophisticated functions and latest resources to consumers in a simple and cost effective manner is just one aspect of the growing popularity of cloud hosting. The service also offers the following benefits making it the most revolutionary IT technologies in the modern times.

  • This technology is highly cost effective primarily because it enables consumers to share resources at a much lesser price than they would have to invest on purchasing or installing the same. Cloud hosting also ensures faster development of solutions, which in turn cuts down the production cost and also enables timely delivery of solutions to minimize overheads.
  • Cloud hosting offers great flexibility in terms of obtaining the required solution for specific problems. Consumers can select that few services that are absolutely necessary for their projects and later expand the circle to include other service as and when the need for the same arises.
  • Cloud hosting provides the assurance of more efficient and effective solutions as the developers and resource users can test the solutions under diverse conditions before opting for the ones that’s suit their needs the most.
  • Since the concept of cloud hosting is based on sharing the resources, it is also a lot more eco-friendly as multiple consumers can use the same resources minimizing the need for greater machine usage and emission of harmful gases and products that can harm the environment.
  • Clod hosting a lot more reliable than conventional web server hosting since the resources are spread across multiple servers minimizing any chances of downtime due to the failure of a single server.
  • Most importantly setting up cloud hosting services is not only extremely easy but accessing them is also quite simple eliminating the need for consumers to undergo any special training prior to using these services.

In the short time since it was first introduced in 2011, the concept of cloud hosting has come a long way to become one of the most important technologies of modern IT industry. With an increasing number of businesses making the intelligent decision of adapting this technology, it is not unexpected for the top ten cloud hosting providers to face a need to expand their services even further in the near future.