Category — Cloud Computing

Otherwise known as cloud computing, cloud hosting is a process that involves the combination of a number of servers for the sole purpose of providing a more stable hosting solution. This is a more commonly used hosting system as it maximizes the use of the available resources as opposed to other systems. The idea of combining several servers together was preferred as it improves the overall performance of all servers and the output is much better. Generally, the process involves an advanced form of web hosting that is designed to massively increase its hosting power whenever you have a huge traffic on your website. By so doing, the visitors do not have a difficult time navigating through the site and they end up getting to fulfill their mission of visiting the site. The server design is quite resourceful as it lowers the hosting power when there isn’t much traffic so as to avoid wastage .

Cloud computing is entirely useful as in as much as it is effective in its operations, it is also cheap to have. The system works like the prepaid electricity billing method where you only pay for what you use. You will get to save on human resources costs as you don’t need to hire someone to take care of the servers for you. Another thing to say goodbye to are installation and maintenance costs as there is no such thing in cloud computing. There is no doubt that cloud computing has indeed gone mainstream . In as much as not every of its aspects is entirely perfect, there are quite a number of services that it is able to deliver successfully . That is why there is growing popularity on the use of the cloud hosting service .

The load of the servers is entirely taken care of by the combination of several servers. The system ensures that the work at hand is shared and none of the machines on the shared platform is left idle or overworked. This is a great idea to avoid a failure of the system, should any of the servers fail. By switching your systems to use the cloud computing technology, crashing servers will be a thing of the past . Under cloud computing, the server to be used is never set up at the customer’s location. The servers are randomly distributed so that there is absolutely no chance of them experiencing any faults and should that arise, the system will work just fine without shutting down.
HostSG offers shared Cloud hosting service popularly known as Cloud Sites. With full redundancy and high uptime guarantee, it provide next generation hosting for web site with high requirement. Cloud Sites only starts from S$8.50 monthly.

Hardware failures, software failures or user error can all cause system downtime. Downtime causes customer dissatisfaction, additional customer support, lost revenue and impacts your reputation. When your web site goes down, you’re losing potential customers and risking existing ones.

The problem is, the majority of web hosting companies have no redundancy in place, with one server handling all requests. A hard disk failure, power supply failure or software issue will bring all websites on that server off line. It may take hours to repair the problem, leaving customers stranded. Carefully read the fine print when choosing a web hosting company. Most provide uptime guarantees that only cover network uptime, not service availability. That way, They guarantee this because as long as the network is functioning, regardless of whether or notif your web site is up, the uptime guarantee is being met.

High Availability refers to an architecture designed for very high uptime. A High Availability solution greatly reduces the risk of downtime by integrating spare devices that will take the place of any resource that becomes unavailable. A High Availability infrastructure has redundancy starting at the network level all the way to the server level.

A High Availability network will connect to multiple backbone carriers and have fully redundant routers /and switches. A provider, router or switch failure should not affect your website. Power systems should be fully redundant including auto transfer to a backup generator in the event thatof grid power failures. Power distribution units should be redundant and never overloaded.

Temperature and humidity should be controlled by multiple air conditioning units, with enough additional capacity to maintain the environment in the event of an AC unit failure.

Servers designed for High Availability include dual power supplies and a RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID).) If a power supply fails, a backup will instantly take its place. The failed power supply can be replaced without bringing the server down. RAID refers to using multiple hard disks which appear as one. If one of the hard drives in a RAID fails, no data is lost and only a small performance penalty occurs while the array is rebuilt using a spare hard disk.

Redundant power supplies and RAID are key components in a High Availability infrastructure, although it can be taken a step further. Clustering is a term you may have heard before. Fail over is a type of clustering that dramatically increases service availability. In a fail over cluster, two servers are linked together. One is actively handling requests, while the other stands by. If the primary server should fail, the secondary server will detect this and automatically take over. The switch should take place within seconds, with little noticeable effect to your sites’ visitors. Fail over clustering can protect against total server failure, including file system corruption or critical hardware failure (such as the processor or motherboard.) It can take hours to re-build or provision a new server after a failure, clustering eliminates this possibility.

Monitoring the state of a High Availability infrastructure is equally important as the redundant hardware itself. The network, server and application layer need to be closely monitored on a continual, 24×7 basis. Technicians trained in High Availability need to be available around the clock to instantly respond to any issues that arise. Monitoring should be performed from an off site and off network location, to ensure a true perspective on service availability.

A hosting environment designed for maximum uptime includes redundant network, power, cooling, data storage, server hardware and proactive monitoring. If you have a mission critical web site that you depend on, make sure your next host has an infrastructure designed for High Availability.

HostSG Cloud Sites offer high availability and redundancy based on Cloud Computing Technology with multi-tier network. Apart from this, HostSG also have extensive network connection via Singtel, NTT Communication and PCCW. This ensures our clients fastest connection to Asia and the world.

At nearly all webhosting companies websites now a days, you will see the two terms “Cloud Hosting” and “Dedicated Hosting”. What is the difference between these? Well its fairly simple.

On a Shared Cloud Hosting network you have your website placed on a computer (The webserver), that has other websites on it - anywhere up to 350 or more. This has a number of down sides, such as being slower, less secure, as well as giving you less access to edit things on the server, such as installing & updating the system software. One the plus side however, it is much cheaper then going for a dedicated server, as well as being easier to administer.

On a Dedicated Server, you have the entire machine to yourself. This is fast, secure and you have full control. You can install any program your heart desires and update programs as often as you wish. This is a good choice for sites that get a lot of visitors, use a lot of system resources (through the use of CGI scripts), if you are holding very important data, or if you need special software that is not available on virtual servers.

• To sum it up, you need a dedicated server if ::
• Your site gets so many hits your Virtual Server account cannot handle it.
• You want to host many sites on the one server.
• You need a feature that is not offered on a Virtual Server.
• You require a high level of security.

HostSG offers highly reliable dedicated server on our high speed network as well as cloud hosting for daily business email communication. Contact us today to see how we can assist with your business.

Of course nobody wants to spend more than they have to when purchasing anything, and for this exact reason there are many businesses providing cheap services for people. This includes web hosting. There is a difference between cheap web hosting and low-cost web hosting. Cheap is where there can be serious issues, whether it be with support or poor quality servers. Below are six reasons for not choosing cheap hosting.

1. In order for web hosts provides you with very cheap hosting they must make cuts so they can profit. These cuts tend to mean that the service offered is not good quality. Hosts will ram lots of web hosting accounts onto one server which can degrade it greatly.

2. Cheap Web hosting tends to apply limits on how much bandwidth and server space you can use. Of course, this can be a big problem if you have a large website as it means slower speeds and less space for you to host your files.

3. As you may or may not know, Google can be very helpful for driving traffic to your website. Google doesn’t like slow websites, so keep that in mind as it may mean less visitors for you.

4. Server security is very important. When the hosting is so cheap that staff aren’t hired security tends to lack. Low security means that people may attempt to hack into your website cause havoc.

5. Server downtime is an absolute nightmare. If your site will not load then customers can’t use it, which means a loss of revenue. Cheap web hosts will use bad hardware, which could mean lots of downtime. Another thing is cheap web hosts will not hire lots of staff, so when there is downtime it will take a long time to get it back up.

6. Technical support is very important when choosing web hosting, as a lot of things can go wrong and you may not know what to do. Cheap web hosts will not hire lots of support staff, if any at all, as they eat away at their profit. Without support staff you could be left with a broken website, which in turn will lead to the loss of profit.

Since 1999, HostSG has been powering more than 25,000 clients worldwide with superior network connectivity and highly reliable cloud computing hosting with fail-over capability. We have empower thousand of businesses every day to their business success. Learn how HostSG Solution can help you with your business today.

For those navigating the treacherous waters of the business world today, one must look beyond traditional measures in order to maximize consumer spending. Traditional advertising campaigns are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of a global economy and technology continues to adapt to keep pace. One of the newest trends on the market evaluates the use of a Dedicated Server vs Cloud Computing.

The major difference between the two is that a dedicated server is a physical piece of equipment housed in a room somewhere. Cloud computing, on the other hand is a virtual server which allows customization, load balancing, and storage. Due to the confusion between the two, many businesses are now opting to utilize a hybrid hosting system which combines the two.

There are many differences between the two systems. A dedicated system is a structure that works on a specified website that has been rented from a host. It has the advantage of providing services without the competition generally associated when multiple servers sharing a single site. Additionally, the monthly fee is always the same regardless of how much navigation or space is used.

Cloud computing, on the other hand, is becoming more popular in that it is capable of allowing for spikes in traffic, offers a broader range of exposure, and provides many amenities not available in the other option. Although it is a shared server, it can balance a higher load, easily expand websites based on individual needs, and provides hardware upgrades on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the cost is directly dependent on the amount of computer power required which often fluctuates widely in a new business.

One concern many have when working on the Internet is the level of security provided to those visiting various sites. It has been revealed recently that cloud servers are less capable of providing the level of protection many expect from websites today. Google is just one example of a cloud server that has experienced safety issues in recent years.

The differences between a Dedicated Server vs Cloud Computing are significant and the selection between the two should be based upon individual need. For those who are expanding into a web-based market, one should research the options carefully before making a commitment.

Another emerging concept that has the power to change how we perform tasks is taking place before us as well, and it is called ‘cloud computing.’ Simply put, it is the ability to use resources and tools via the Internet without actually owning or being near them. The only requirement is to be able to access them.

The term ‘cloud’ is used to indicate the whole of computing services accessible via the Internet. It is an all-encompassing description of the complex internet-connected networks that exist in datacenters all over the world that power services and applications behind the scenes.

The concept of utilizing resources in these networks is being adopted by businesses both large and small. These resources are categorized to describe their function, and include:

1.Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
2.Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3.Software as a Service (SaaS)
4.Web 2.0

In the most general terms, Infrastructure as a Service means that companies may no longer need to own and house their own back-end servers and other network computing infrastructure besides an internet-connected PC or laptop in order to maintain business functionality. This capability can be purchased on a subscription basis from entities that market these services in a ‘virtual’ manner. This allows businesses to keep their costs low by not having to purchase, maintain and recycle their own equipment for this purpose, and also mitigates the possibility of business interruption due to the highly available nature of these solutions. This equates to increased uptime and profitability for Infrastructure as a Service customers.

Platform as a Service is also known as ‘cloudware’, and refers to the availability of development tools in creating web applications and services to the end user. Like IaaS, you never ’see’ the inner-workings of this environment unless you are a computer programmer or IT resource, but it exists nonetheless and again affords those who use these tools the ability to reduce costs while running their businesses.

Sofware as a Service is defined as software applications that are subscribed to and accessed only through the Internet, and not installed on local PCs or laptops. Applications built by and accessed via Google fall into this category, as well as the many photo sites to which you can upload your pictures and videos, edit and share them with others. These solutions are gaining tremendous popularity, because end users do not need to install, update and maintain software locally - only connect to it and use it when the need arises.

Web 2.0 describes the whole of the social networking movement on the Internet, and includes but is not limited to destinations such as Facebook, MySpace, eHarmony, LinkedIn and Twitter. These sites offer the ability for people all over the world to share common interests, stay connected and learn more about each other - and these sites aren’t just for the young. Statistics show that the over 50 generation is logging onto these sites in greater numbers than ever before. In fact, in one month alone, Facebook adds over 17,000 new members.

The next time you are on the Internet and upload a photograph and use the online tools to modify that picture, you are participating in ‘cloud computing.’ The picture is probably loaded to a site that uses IaaS for their servers, PaaS in order to provide the visual interface in which you modify the photograph, and SaaS applications you’ll use to access your email program and social networking sites in order to send it to or post it for those with whom you would like to share the picture.
HostSG offers Cloud Hosting service at low fees with option to up-scale to your requirement. From Cloud Sites, Cloud Email to Cloud Server, these are specially designed cloud computing solution at on-demand basis.