In the previous blog, we explained – based on a comparison – what cloud hosting and hardware hosting mean exactly. In this blog, we will delve deeper into the differences between the two.
We will explain the advantages and disadvantages of both types.
Cloud Hosting
In the previous blog we already mentioned that Cloud Hosting can be a lot more flexible, but also that Cloud Hosting might not be suitable for the more complex shops. Here are all the advantages and disadvantages.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Flexibility Because a website is hosted on the cloud and therefore stored online, it is easier to scale up and down. This does not happen automatically but it can be done faster if there’ s room for it. | Less speedy detection of problems With cloud hosting, it is more difficult to find out where something goes wrong in the process. This is because connections have to be made with several intermediate layers. |
| Less down time when scaling up or down Unfortunately, it is unavoidable that a site will experience downtime during up- or downtime. A major advantage of cloud hosting is that down-time during up- or downscaling is much less than when a shop is hosted on hardware. | Heavy shops can become slower Because heavy shops often require more capacity from the hardware, these shops can become slower as a result of cloud hosting. The information must be retrieved from the disk drives via a workaround, which can cause the speed to deteriorate. |
| Cheaper entry rate The most commonly used cloud hosting packages are often much cheaper in their starting price. Certainly shared packages can be offered relatively cheaply because you share your resources, as it were. | It is difficult for complex shops to scale up or down Although it is relatively easy to scale up and down for small shops, it is very difficult for heavy or large shops (10,000+ visitors). This often requires a lot of customisation, which in turn makes it more expensive. Also, scaling up or down takes a lot longer with heavy and/or large shops. |
| Shops in multiple countries Cloud hosting makes it easier for webshop owners to set up a shop in different countries. This is because they can use datacenters in other countries. | Less transparency in costs With cloud hosting, someone could go “outside a bundle” if more capacity is used than initially thought. Because it is so flexible, it is not always clear in advance how much extra costs might be incurred. It is therefore important that your hosting provider knows your exact needs and can anticipated on them. |
| Environmentally friendly Because cloud hosting allows for the servers to be divided up in the most optimal way possible by using virtualisation. Less physical space is required, which in turn reduces energy consumption. |
Hardware Hosting
We already mentioned it in the previous blog: hardware hosting seems “old fashioned”. In reality, hardware hosting is still very relevant, especially for large or complex websites.
Here’s an overview of the advantages and disadvantages.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Stability & speed Since there is no virtual layer between site and hardware, sites can be hosted faster and more stable. For small websites, this will not make much of a difference, but for complex and large shops, this is often a significant difference. | Expensive entry price Because hardware hosting packages are focused on the heavier shops, the entry price is often considerably higher than that of cloud hosting packages. |
| Problems more quickly visible Because the hardware is managed in-house, problems are often detected and solved quickly. Before you even notice anything. | Less flexible Although upscaling and downscaling are possible with hardware hosting, downtime is always longer than with cloud hosting. Most hardware hosting parties therefore choose to carry out updates in the evening. |
| Transparent pricing When choosing a hardware hosting package, we will always look closely at the capacity your website or webshop needs, which is why the price is always easy to estimate in advance. |
In conclusion
All in all, there are quite a few differences between cloud hosting and hosting on hardware. As with many other complex questions, the key here is to look carefully at what suits your website or webshop best.
Complex, heavy or large sites might be better off with hardware hosting and small, medium or simple shops might be better off with cloud hosting.
Fortunately, at Savvii we offer both options.
Curious about what’s possible? Take a look at our Managed web hosting or Managed E-commerce hosting pages for the packages. Or get in touch for personal advice.
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