Computing Edge

A distinction that is too fine for many people
I have to admit that I have never bothered to think about the distinction between cloud computing and web hosting. I only decided to look at this issue when I was requested to do some research on the two topics. For most people who are not particularly interested in the developments of Information Technology, the distinction can challenge their concentration.

However there is a distinction and it might be important to grasp this distinction. In this article I will attempt to describe some of the crucial differences between these two concepts, trying to explain what are cloud computing and hosting in layman terms. I am sure that there are many technological wizards who will be dying to correct me about these differences but I would respond to the effect that this is the beginning rather that the end. It is not possible to fully exhaust these differences within the confines of a short article.

What is the contrast?
In its simplest forms, web hosting is the facility that is provided for different organizations of individuals whereby their website can anchor on a certain server so that it is available on the internet. This situation arises because the resources that are required to host a website on the internet are often not available to individual users or small businesses webhosting needs. Rather than wasting resources setting up a server, it is advisable to contact a web hosting company.

The advantages of using a web hosting company are that it will be managing a large number of websites so that it can pass on economies of scale depending on the size of the firm. If you insist on going for it on your own, then you will not have the capacity to use all the bandwidth that is available to you yet you will have to pay the full cost.

You tend to find that it is either individual users or small companies that hire out webhosting because it is too expensive to do it on their own. However large companies will have such volumes of traffic that it will make sense to organize this service on an in house basis.

Cloud computing on the other hand is concerned with the movement of a whole section of server management to a remote location with another company. Whereas you will be doing your own management within the context of a webhosting arrangement, it is expected that that you will have to give up some of your control under the cloud computing arrangement. For example a large company in Hawaii would outsource their technological management systems to another contractor in India for cost concern, while maintaining high quality standard, which is also covering the areas of reliability and performance benchmark.

For the most part the company in the USA will expect to use a seamless service without much input from its own members of staff. In fact if they are being requested to get involved in the server maintenance and management, then the cloud computing deal will be nothing more than a sham. They have to expect that the information technology will be managed externally. This contrasts rather sharply with the arrangements under a simple webhosting agreement.