Challenges when Switching to Cloud Hosting and how to Avoid Them

Switching “to the cloud” can be a great alternative for people who are looking for stable web hosting that offers a great deal of resources, yet only requires you to pay for what you use. Many find that after making the switch to the cloud, they are able to save some money while not losing out on anything in their web hosting. However, switching to this kind of web hosting package can bring with it some problems, and it’s important you know how to avoid them.

Security concerns are larger on cloud hosting programs than they are with most other types of web hosting. Because information is stored on a remote server that could be quite far away from the customer’s actual location, they typically have very little control over the security systems that are put into place. The customer also has very little control over the personnel hired by the cloud web hosting company, and has no way to tell whether or not they’re trustworthy individuals to handle their information.

To address these concerns, many cloud web hosting companies offer to encrypt the data that is sent to them, before they ever even see it. This encryption scrambles the information and puts it into code that is impossible to read or use. When data is encrypted, it’s of no use whatsoever to the personnel of the cloud web hosting company, or to hackers.

Reliability is also harder to find in cloud web hosting companies than with other types of web hosts. Sometimes cloud web hosting companies can “disappear under the cover of night,” taking their client’s data, and their money, along with them. Other times, servers and machines within the cloud structure could break down, leaving the customer without a website or without access to their important information. This is an especially big problem for customers that use the cloud infrastructure to provide services to their own clients.

Finding a cloud web hosting company that has a lot of experience and has been in business for a long time is part of the solution to this problem. A company that has been around for a while, and that has plenty of happy customers to back them up, probably isn’t going to pack up and leave without proper warning. Also, make sure to ask any cloud web host that you’re considering what their contingency and back-up plans are in case part of their system breaks down. At the same time, be sure to ask what compensation you’ll receive if you, or your clients, can’t access the cloud at any time.

Security and reliability are two of the biggest challenges customers face when they are switching to a cloud web host provider; and unfortunately, they’re the two issues that cause people so much hesitation before making the switch. Know how to deal with them and avoid them though, and you could be about to embark on a web hosting experience that will give you more value for your dollar, and that  you know you can rely on at all times.