Cloud hosting or dedicated servers, what are the differences?

Today, one of the most critical decisions a business owner will make is choosing where to host and store all of their precious company data. Cybercriminals grow increasingly sophisticated in their approach to breaching businesses to steal valuable data. It’s crucial for your peace of mind that you know that your files are in secure storage yet easily accessible environment.

However, the big decision ultimately boils down to how much you’re prepared to invest in your digital security.

Let’s take a look at the two main options for hosting your business data, cloud hosting and dedicated servers:

Cloud hosting

The cloud has become an integral part of our daily lives. We use it to work, access information and store files right from the comfort of your home or on the go! Put, the cloud is a combination of many virtual servers that work together to keep your business running. If one of the virtual servers were ever to fail, the others would be there to maintain your security and productivity simultaneously.

Cloud hosting can be an attractive option for start-ups and entrepreneurs just setting out in the business world as it’s realistic for those operating to strict budgets. You only pay for what you use, guaranteeing great value for money.

There are one or two drawbacks, however. Most virtual servers operate with limited bandwidth per user, given the thousands of users accessing them simultaneously, sometimes resulting in reduced performance. In addition, there is little control over your virtual server, with few options to 100% configure the storage the way you want it.

Dedicated servers

Some businesses will prefer the convenience and cost-effective nature of cloud hosting. But companies that demand optimum performance day-in-day-out will be more likely to choose dedicated private servers. These offer complete control over their storage environment and room for scaling it up if necessary.

A dedicated server is one that you can physically purchase and store on-site to manage all your business-critical data. Think of it as a PC but on a much more industrial scale. As the connections you make to a dedicated private server on-site are direct, there is a much smaller chance of compromising your business data. And even if you grow to a point where you run out of storage space within your server, you can add a new one to lighten the data load.

Cost and productivity are the essential features you require as a small business. Then cloud hosting will undoubtedly do an excellent job for you. However, companies that may hold sensitive financial records or personal identity data should not scrimp on cost and opt for a dedicated on-site server. Today, businesses cannot underestimate security. There is no price you can put on the safety of business-critical data. Try hard to make your decision based on the features you need, and these will soon save you money in the long run.

At Clouvider, we offer competitively priced technology, reliability and security with both our UK-based cloud hosting and dedicated enterprise-class servers for even the most resource-heavy business requirements. Contact us today to see what storage solution can work best for your business.