Managed cloud hosting has become an increasingly popular option for businesses of all sizes as they seek to improve their efficiency, scalability, and security.

In this digital transformation era, the traditional way of managing IT infrastructure is rapidly changing, and businesses are transitioning to cloud-based hosting solutions.

In this article, we’ll review what managed cloud hosting is, its advantages over traditional hosting, comparisons with other hosting options, and the situations where it’s the best choice.

What is Managed Cloud Hosting and How Does it Work?

With managed cloud hosting, the provider takes care of the day-to-day management tasks, including hardware, software, network resources, storage, and other components of the cloud ecosystem. This allows you to focus on your core business activities.

By opting for managed cloud hosting, businesses can avoid the costs of setting up and maintaining their IT infrastructure while enjoying the benefits of increased accessibility, flexibility, and reliability.

What Does Managed Cloud Hosting Include?

Managed cloud hosting typically includes the following services:

1. Server Setup and Configuration: Establishing and configuring the cloud servers to meet specific needs.
2. Security Management: Implementing and managing security measures like firewalls, intrusion detection, and data encryption.
3. 24/7 Monitoring and Support: Continuously monitoring the servers and providing round-the-clock technical support.
4. Automated Backups: Regularly backing up data to prevent loss in case of failures.
5. Software Updates and Maintenance: Keeping the server software and applications up-to-date.
6. Performance Optimization: Ensuring optimal server performance through regular tweaks and adjustments.
7. Disaster Recovery Planning: Developing strategies for quick recovery in case of any disaster.
8. Scalability: Facilitating easy scaling of resources as per business growth or demand changes.
9. Compliance Management: Assuring that the hosting environment complies with relevant laws and regulations.

Benefits of Managed Cloud Hosting

As websites become larger, more complex, and require faster processing power, it becomes increasingly important to consider cloud hosting, which provides resources to keep websites running smoothly.

1. Scalability

Managed cloud hosting guarantees scalability. This attribute means that clients can promptly increase or reduce their infrastructure on the cloud.

The service provider will help you allocate resources according to your website, so you don’t have to pay for what you don’t use.

That means that during peak seasons, your website will be equipped with sufficient resources to accommodate traffic, and in low seasons, you won’t incur needless expenses.

2. Flexibility

Managed cloud hosting also offers the flexibility of using any programming language, software stack, or database. You can run multiple operating systems with cloud servers or extend to other services and hardware.

This feature enables clients to scale and customize their website’s infrastructure tailor-made to their requirements, enabling them to meet their business goals without a hitch.

3. Redundancy and High Availability

With managed cloud hosting, hardware failures are a thing of the past. Managed cloud hosting providers use redundancy to tackle this issue.

Such systems spread storage, processing and memory across multiple servers in different locations. Thereby ensuring that data and services are accessible from anywhere and can recover swiftly from any disaster. In simpler terms, redundancy provides high availability.

4. Security

Security is a critical aspect of any website or system. Managed cloud hosting raises the bar when it comes to security.

Managed cloud hosting providers ensure their client’s data is encrypted and stored securely. They also implement strict security protocols to safeguard against cyber-attacks and ensure the smooth running of your website.

5. Managed Services

Finally, managed cloud hosting relieves clients of some of the most daunting and challenging tasks in running a website.

Managed cloud hosting providers offer services such as automatic backups, server monitoring, and regular software updates. These services free up clients’ time to focus on their core businesses.

What’s the Difference Between Managed Cloud Hosting vs Traditional Hosting?

Managed cloud hosting differs from traditional hosting in many different ways, including scalability, flexibility, and security. Here are some of the pros and cons of each:

Managed Cloud Hosting Pros and Cons

Traditional Hosting Pros and Cons

How Does Managed Cloud Hosting Compare to Other Hosting Types?

Shared Hosting vs Managed Cloud Hosting

Shared hosting is a cost-effective solution where multiple websites utilize the same server resources, ideal for small-scale websites or personal blogs. However, this can lead to limited performance due to shared bandwidth and storage, resulting in potential slow load times. Additionally, shared hosting offers limited customization and flexibility, as changes can affect all websites on the server.

Managed cloud hosting provides dedicated resources and expert management of cloud infrastructure. This suits businesses requiring higher performance and scalability. Unlike shared hosting, where resources are limited and shared, managed cloud hosting offers tailored solutions, better security, and dedicated support.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting vs Managed Cloud Hosting

VPS hosting is similar to shared hosting in that it involves multiple websites hosting on a single server. However, VPS hosting partitions a physical server into multiple virtual servers, providing dedicated resources and enhanced performance. Ideal for growing businesses, VPS hosting offers scalable resources and the flexibility to customize server settings, providing a balance between cost-efficiency and control.

Managed cloud hosting offers more advanced features than VPS hosting. While VPS provides a balance between shared and dedicated hosting, managed cloud hosting delivers fully managed services, higher scalability, and custom solutions tailored to complex business needs.

Dedicated Server Hosting vs Managed Cloud Hosting

Dedicated Server hosting offers exclusive access to a physical server, ideal for large businesses or those with specific performance and security needs. It allows for complete customization of hardware, software, and network settings, ensuring high performance and enhanced security due to the absence of shared resources.

Managed cloud hosting provides similar levels of control and performance as dedicated servers but with added benefits. It offers enhanced scalability, reduced maintenance effort, and access to a wider range of cloud-specific features and services.

Colocation Hosting vs Managed Cloud Hosting

Colocation Cloud hosting allows businesses to own and maintain their servers in a data center facility, offering complete control over their infrastructure. While it provides direct server access and high customization, colocation hosting involves significant investments in infrastructure and ongoing expenses for maintenance, security, and power. This model can be challenging for smaller businesses or those lacking in-house IT expertise due to the requirement of managing the infrastructure independently.

Managed cloud hosting differs from colocation hosting by offering businesses a fully managed infrastructure with less need for physical hardware investments. It eliminates the complexities of managing physical servers, providing scalable, secure, and maintenance-free cloud solutions.

Hybrid Hosting vs Managed Cloud Hosting

Hybrid Cloud hosting, blending various environments like dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and colocation, offers a customizable infrastructure solution. It’s ideal for businesses needing scalability and the ability to adapt resources quickly during peak demand. However, managing different environments in hybrid hosting can be complex and often requires a skilled IT team, posing challenges for businesses without dedicated IT support.

Managed cloud hosting differs by offering a unified, fully managed environment, simplifying the complexity of managing different hosting types. It provides a one-stop solution with scalability, security, and support, ideal for businesses without extensive IT resources.

Choosing Managed Hosting: When Is It the Right Decision?

As a web developer or website owner, you may have experienced the challenge of deciding which type of hosting to choose for your site or application.

This could be due to the wide range of web hosting providers available on the web. If you’re spoilt for choice, here are five scenarios when managed hosting is best to consider.

1. Complex or Resource-Intensive Applications

If you’re running a complex web application or website that requires a lot of resources, managed hosting might be the best option.

Your provider will ensure that your website or application runs smoothly and can handle high traffic without any performance issues. Additionally, your provider will also offer support for any specific software you might need to run your application.

Businesses that host complex or data-intensive applications such as e-commerce, customer relationship management systems, or content management systems, therefore, require managed hosting.

2. Growing or Scaling Businesses

If your business is growing fast, you might want to consider managed hosting. As your business grows, you’ll need more resources, and your servers will need to scale.

Growing businesses require more resources to handle increased traffic and user demand. Managed hosting providers offer scalable hosting solutions that can expand to accommodate your business growth needs.

You can concentrate on growing your business, knowing that your hosting provider can handle the peak traffic loads.

3. Limited IT Resources

If you have a small team and limited IT resources, you might want to consider managed hosting. According to a 2022 IBM report, 69% of teams lack the necessary skills to manage cloud workloads.

Managed hosting providers have expert teams who can take care of performance monitoring, server configuration, backup and recovery, security and patch management.

This can free up your IT team to focus on other critical tasks, such as developing new applications or improving your existing ones.

4. High Security and Compliance Requirements

When you deal with sensitive data such as personal records, financial data, and business-critical information, security and compliance become crucial.

Managed hosting providers can meet these requirements by providing advanced security features, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and data encryption.

Plus, they can ensure your servers comply with various industry standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

5. Focus on Business Continuity

If your business depends heavily on your website or applications, you might want to consider managed hosting. With managed hosting, you can ensure high availability and uptime for your applications.

Managed hosting providers offer disaster recovery and business continuity services. In the event of a disaster, you can continue your business operations with minimal downtime and data loss.

24/7 monitoring ensures that any disaster is detected on time and quickly addressed to maintain business continuity. Since your provider takes care of data backup and disaster recovery, you can focus on keeping your business up and running.

How to Select the Right Managed Hosting Provider

To choose the right managed cloud hosting provider, consider these key factors:

1. Management Depth: Ensure the provider offers comprehensive management, covering all aspects of cloud hosting maintenance.
2. Ease of Use: Choose providers that not only handle technical aspects like server maintenance but also offer intuitive control panels for user configuration.
3. Technical Expertise: Verify the provider’s expertise in managing cloud infrastructure, particularly in areas relevant to your needs.
4. Security Features: Evaluate the provider’s security protocols, including firewalls, intrusion detection, and compliance with industry standards.
5. Uptime and Speed: Ensure providers have a strong track record of high uptime (above 99.9%) and rapid server response times, crucial for cloud environments.
6. Customer Support: Seek providers offering 24/7 support with expertise in cloud hosting, including proactive monitoring and management.
7. Scalability: Ensure the provider can seamlessly scale resources to match your business’s growth.
8. Backup and Recovery: Confirm the provider has solid backup solutions and effective disaster recovery plans in place.
9. Pricing: Assess the total cost, including any extra fees for additional managed services, and compare it against the value provided.
10. User Reviews: Check for feedback on the provider’s reliability, customer service quality, and performance in managed cloud scenarios.
11. Customization vs Control: Determine the balance between the provider’s management scope and your own control over the hosting environment.
12. Integration Capabilities: Check for compatibility with your existing applications and ease of integration with other services.

Top Managed Cloud Hosting Providers

At HostAdvice, we meticulously test, compare, and review top cloud hosting providers. For a detailed review of all of our recommended top providers, explore our Best Managed Cloud Hosting Providers page. Here are a few of the top providers in the managed cloud hosting category:

Cloud Hosting Plans with Kamatera

Kamatera’s cloud hosting is similar to their VPS. You can choose between 13 global Data Centers to host the server, their management console is super easy to use and it’s backed up by a 24/7/365 human tech support. Prices are totally fair and you can tailor it precisely to your needs.

Visit Kamatera

Cloud Hosting Plans with HostArmada

HostArmada uses a high-end Cloud platform for all Web Hosting options. All their options include cPanel and the choice of NGINX or LiteSpeed, which surpasses Apache! For every Cloud Service ordered with HostArmada, users receive 24/7 Technical Support with a 10-minute response time and rapid website loading. AI-powered firewalls and free daily backups are available for security.

Visit HostArmada

Cloud Hosting Plans with ChemiCloud

ChemiCloud offers genuine cloud services that can deliver amazing performance for your websites. No matter if you want to host a blog or an e-commerce website, if you need cloud semi-dedicated resources, this is what you should choose. Your website availability is a top priority for ChemiCloud. Therefore, their 99.99% uptime guarantee means your websites will always be available. You’ll also Benefit from the Following Features: Free Daily Backups Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Free Website Transfer

Visit ChemiCloud

Conclusion: Is Managed Cloud Hosting Right for You?

Managed Cloud Hosting is a powerful hosting solution that offers superior performance, scalability, and security. It’s designed to take the burden of technical details off your shoulders, leaving you with a stress-free and efficient website management experience.

With Managed Cloud Hosting, you can have peace of mind that your website is always up and running, secure, and ready to meet all your business demands.

Remember to choose a reputable, experienced, and responsive managed cloud hosting provider that aligns with your goals and offers transparent pricing, flexible plans, and reliable support!

Next Steps: What Now?

Now that you know all about managed cloud hosting, here are the practical steps you can take from this guide:

• Get managed cloud hosting from the best-managed cloud hosting providers
• Get cheap cloud hosting from the best cheap cloud hosting providers
• Learn different Cloud Hosting Types and how they work
• Find out Why Cloud Hosting Is Right for your business
• Know how to choose between VPS or Cloud Hosting