When you are setting up a corporate site, you will have to decide between hosting your website internally or outsourcing it. Both these approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. A failed server can have a catastrophic effect on a business. However, if you have a proper plan in place for the disaster you will be aware of what to do in case a server fails. Although this may appear to be a black and white decision, there are several things you need to consider.
Important considerations while making a decision
One of the first factors you need to take into account is the significance of uptime for your business. The cloud hosting solutions are more expensive than the in-house servers. However, the benefits associated with cloud hosting are far more than the in-house hosting and, in the end, they may outweigh the costs. For instance, the online business that relies on web-based transactions will think of uptime as an extremely significant factor. So, they will be okay with paying a bit more for getting cloud hosting that will guarantee a level of uptime. Other businesses are not so dependent on uptime. An in-house hosting setup will be ideal for them.
Pros and Cons of In-house hosting
Pros
- Provides physical control over all the backup.
- Maintains the crucial data within the house. There is no third-party access to all your info.
- There is no need to depend on the internet connection for accessing the data.
- These solutions can be more cost-effective, especially for smaller and medium-sized organizations.
- You have total control over the access to the site.
- The choice in the selection of hardware, with expandability and ease of upgrades, is entirely yours.
- It is easier to manage the performance and web storage space.
- The company is not legally or contractually bound to specific providers.
Cons
- The costs involved in data recovery can outweigh the advantages for businesses that are not relying on instant recovery and uptime.
- Businesses can have a limit on the data that can be stored on the cloud because of the costs involved and storage availability.
- In case the net goes down from your side or the cloud provider, you will not have access to your info.
- Complete data recovery can prove to be time-consuming and can affect the systems.
- There are costs involved in buying your hardware, software, and high-speed internet.
- You and your staff will need technical skills for developing, maintaining, and upgrading your site. There is also the need to be updated about the latest technological advances.
- There are resources required for providing round-the-clock support for a site to make sure that it is available to the users.
- You will need security expertise for employing tools and techniques for maintaining the security of your site.
As you might have deduced, there are several pros and cons involved in every setup. If you have some kind of in-house server hardware, it is suitable for businesses that do not want to depend on the net. And yet, at the same time these organizations can benefit from using a cloud solution like Office 365. It allows the users to connect with the data from everywhere with good uptime.
Using a hybrid server model
Another good alternative is using a hybrid server model to provide the businesses with strong data security and a mixture of both alternatives. By using the hybrid model, you can take backup for the data on the onsite VPS servers as well as cloud solutions. Selecting a cloud, in-house, or hybrid hosting solution depends basically on the goals, operations, and capabilities of your organization. For instance, for a business that is looking for simple access to its data from any place where there is a net connection available, you should opt for a cloud server alternative. There are some great Linux VPS hosting alternatives available with ewebguru. The concern of the upgradation of server infrastructure has to be addressed.
On the other hand, the companies that are looking to keep crucial data in-house without any third-party access, in-house hosting is a great alternative. It will also permit complete control of the physical server. However, many businesses want a mixture of both these options for several reasons. They might have legacy applications that have to be placed over an onsite server. The remaining data can be saved in a cloud. Hybrid gives you an offset that allows businesses to keep on using the investments in hardware. And yet they can migrate to the cloud solution during the transition.
Outsourcing vs In-house hosting
Outsourcing the hosting to an external web host such as ewebguru is an attractive proposition when you are looking for an off-the-shelf solution. Or, you lack the infrastructure and skills required internally for carrying out all the requisite work. Usually, small and medium-sized businesses prefer to get in touch with a VPS hosting provider or an ISP. In-house hosting is ideal for businesses that are big enough to have the know-how and financial resources for ensuring smooth operations. Another concern is the security of the systems and equipment.
When you are using cloud hosting, there are no capital or onsite hardware expenses involved. It is suitable for small businesses that might outgrow the storage fast. It is possible to add storage as required. But, businesses often have to limit the data stored on the cloud. This is mainly due to the limitations on storage availability and the costs involved.
Conclusion
For the in-house hosting, you will not only need a server but you will also need a high-speed net connection. You will also be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the server and providing 24-hour support. Take into consideration the costs involved in software licenses and maintenance. Some businesses are thinking of migrating from in-house to cloud solutions. You need to purchase some space on the cloud to start this transition. Get in touch with ewebguru for more technical advice and some great cheap VPS hosting alternatives.
