TECHNOLOGY CHRONICLE

To low-end users, the difference between shared and cloud virtual private server (VPS) hosting may seem negligible.  But for the client seeking autonomy, security, and better performance, the difference could be quite great!

It is important for the person deciding on which type of server they are going to use to know the distinctions between all the available type of hosting, so they can choose the one that best fits their websites.

Types of Servers

There are three main types of servers: shared, dedicated, and cloud VPS. While they all have similarities, each offers a particular advantage, one that is useful for a particular client. Shared hosting will give each website a partition on a server, where each website is competing for the server resources. This is usually a good option for anyone running something like WordPress, or a blog, or any other website with low-traffic and minimal content. However, when traffic rates start going high for any one of the websites on the server, then all the websites will experience latency. This is why dedicated servers exist, to provide clients with an entire server just for themselves. This way they can customize the hardware and software on which their server runs, but will be spared the physical upkeep by the hosting agency.

Virtual Private Server

A virtual private server is similar to a shared server, with a few important differences. The first is that while a VPS will host a few different websites, each one has its own dedicated server with strict resource allocations. This means that if another website on your server gets a traffic surge, you will not experience latency. Websites on VPS do not compete for resources, they have a dedicated amount of resources always available, no matter what; even if the server fails. Virtual private servers are always running on pieces of larger servers, which makes the possibility of a loss of service to your website slim, as even if one server fails, there will be another one to fill the void. It also means that you can have true unmetered bandwidth, as neighboring websites will not be eating up your transfer rates. Finally, there is much less opportunity or likelihood of a security breach on a VPS; the same cannot be said for shared hosting.

Choosing What is Right for You

For someone running a small website, with less experience and less data demands, shared hosting is a viable and cheap option. However, someone who needs security, performance, and customization for cheaper than a strictly dedicated server will find a lot to like with cloud VPS hosting. It provides economical rates with robust hardware and immense security. The good news is that the choice should be relatively obvious if you know your budget, your experience, and your expectations.

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The economics of cloud computing indicate that this form of technology is increasingly significant in today’s markets.  Read on to learn why!

Cloud computing economics are somewhat difficult to nail down.  Although cloud technology is a driving force behind the success of several IPO’s, it has gone under-appreciated by the general public.  Or at least, under-analyzed!

Social media exists almost entirely on the back of cloud technology.  For anyone who has paid much attention to the stock market in the past couple years, these social media companies have attracted huge amounts of investor cash.

And they’re not just generating their own revenues through advertising– More and more organizations and businesses are relying on social media for their marketing!

This is a mega trend shift and cloud computing economics are indicative of this shift.  It’s affecting companies on several levels.

First let’s be clear– to some degree this article is asserting that cloud computing and internet social media are inextricably linked.  While social media is merely software that utilizes cloud technologies, these companies wouldn’t exist as we know them without the cloud.

On one level, the economics of cloud computing are materializing through the changes in corporate marketing strategies.  Companies are beginning to understand that they have to interact with their customers on a new level– one created by cloud technologies!

And this isn’t just social media.  Businesses are more frequently connecting with their customers via another form of cloud technology– the app.

Apps are turning up everywhere.  They’ve been a vehicle for successful startups and they’ve made a lot of people very wealthy!   Although the first buzz about apps came out of Apple, they now exist on several platforms.  And it seems that every major company now offers a way for you to easily connect with them via an app.

This is allowing customers to do business on the go– and it’s changed the face of consumerism.  You used to have to go to a store to shop.  Then we gained the ability to do it at home from your computer.  But now… you can do it from anywhere!

This can’t be underestimated!

Certainly, this is not a technical analysis of cloud computing economics!  But hopefully it gives an idea as to how this force is driving and contributing to trends in the markets, as well as in individual business sectors.  This technology is rapidly linking with our society and the applications it’s producing are changing the very way in which human beings live their lives.

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A lot of people are asking: What is the Cloud?  We have a quick explanation!  Read this article to find out: 

The rise of cloud computing has given way to a general confusion about how this technology works.  It’s also left people with a lot of questions.  The first and foremost of these is:

What is the cloud?

In short, the cloud refers to a location where files are stored.  Up until recent years, you probably only stored files on your computer’s hard drive (or maybe on CD’s, memory sticks, etc)

However, files are now increasingly being stored online–

• Pictures on Facebook
• Videos on Youtube
• Files in your Webmail account

So, what is the cloud for?  Well, it’s simply a location online where you can access files that you’ve saved.  But there’s a little more to the story…

What is the Cloud? –A Trade Off!

People are pretty happy to store their files and pictures in this manner because it’s convenient!

It’s just so easy to upload your pictures right to a social networking website, you may not always pay attention to where (or if) they actually get saved on your hard drive.

Similarly, perhaps you don’t bother making a copy of that important document that was emailed to you because you know it will always be saved there in your inbox.

Or so you hope!

The flipside to this convenience is a lack of control.  When you store things in the cloud, you give up the ability to control how there stored and who has access to them.  Sometimes you might even be giving control over how those files are used!

However, despite the disadvantages of this technology, cloud computing has given way to some amazing technologies!

What is the Cloud? –The Future!

Facebook and YouTube are easily recognizable applications of the cloud.  But this technology is being used for much more than just social networking.

Businesses across the world are moving their computer operations into the cloud.   This way, they can provide employees with easy access to files- no matter where they are!  This is definitely changing what it means to “be at work”!

All sorts of products are being created that reference databases in the cloud!  Many home appliances and even lighting fixtures can now be connected to the internet and controlled by cloud-based interfaces.  And navigation systems are constantly updated with information in the cloud!

Cloud computing will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the lives of humans everywhere!  As we move forward, it will be important for us to keep a clear grip on this technology.  But that might prove to be difficult.

After all, this technology owes it’s success to being everywhere at once!  :)

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credit: The Opte Project

Perhaps you’ve been wondering- what is internet?  If you live in any industrially developed country, you’ve undoubtedly been exposed to the internet already.  But despite this exposure, maybe you’re still not clear.  After all, what is internet REALLY?

In the past 10 years, we’ve seen an exponential increase in the application of internet technology.  From WiFi to cloud computing and streaming video, the online world is becoming full of so many wonders- it’s getting difficult to keep a grip on our technological foundation.

Almost anyone born after 1990 will find it impossible to remember a time before the widespread availability of internet.  It’s important for those who CAN remember to do so.

As we layer technology upon technology, it’s vital that we remain able to define and map humanity’s journey out of the physical world and into the digital one.

So, let’s get clear about it.

What is internet?

Internet developed in a series of moves by several institutions to connect their smaller local networks into a large, integrated system.  Many companies and organizations had “in-house” networks and everyone began to see the potential benefits of connecting them together.  This effort largely gathered steam in the 1980′s.

By the 1990′s there was a convergence of several factors that propelled the development of the internet into the force it is today:

-Personal computers were starting to become financially available to the average family.

-Educational institutions emphasized the importance of computer literacy by installing computer labs and mandating that students take courses in computer basics.

-And of course, it became self-evident that email was a far more efficient means of communication than physical mail.

The combination of these dynamics drove the commercialism of the internet and caused a huge boom in internet business.  This led to more efficient lines of data transmission.

The early days of the internet relied on telephone wires and “dial-up” access.  Although people were mesmerized by internet technology, compared to today’s standards, transmission speeds were prohibitively slow.  As more people got “online”, many became began to ask, “what is internet?”

This awareness drove companies to create faster methods of service such as DSL and cable internet.  These dedicated paths of transmission allowed users to access larger files and webpages at a much faster rate.

From there, things began to snowball for the internet.  As personal computers became more and more affordable, it wasn’t long before most households contained multiple computers.  Routers became a necessity in order to divide internet access between machines.  And it wasn’t long before laptops drove the desire for internet mobility– a need met by wireless routers.

Soon, internet access was available virtually everywhere.  Now with cell phones doubling as WiFi hotspots, it’s possible to get online wherever you are.

But now there is a disconnect from what we’ve created.  The internet developed so quickly.   Cloud computing is (perhaps fittingly) “clouding” where information is stored and where it comes from.  There are so few wires left to give us a visual image of how we remain connected.

If you’re wondering what is internet, the answer is becoming increasingly less clear.  With the introduction of technologies like virtual map applications and social media, the internet is becoming less tangible.  For many, it’s no longer just a means of communication or a tool to gather information.  It’s a huge part of their personal, everyday lives.

So what is internet?

For those people, the internet is their reality!

And in the years to come, it will likely become everyone’s.

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