The BBC has reported how small business owners can suffer pain and confusion when their websites are lost due to a malfunction in the cloud. The shock when tech fails is huge, and can leave businesses in complete disarray and wondering what they can do to get their website back.
An example of the pain that tech trouble can cause was reported in the article and the business in question was a blog site for Mums. The owner lost access to her site after cloud hosting provider Gridhost shut down. The business was unable to be informed about the closure as it had been set up via a third-party business, which had also stopped trading.
The repercussions of this could have been catastrophic, however thankfully the website was retrieved after several hours of negotiations.
The BBC spoke to Dr McElheran, Assistant Professor of Strategy at the University of Toronto, who said: "The cloud is a game changer for survival, growth and productivity for the young, especially the young and small. But this is where the trade-off comes in - they lose control."
There is evidence to support such a claim, and it is clear that the cloud as a hosting environment has both good and bad points around it. For example, there is an almost endless amount of data in the cloud, and it is estimated that there will be over 100 zettabytes of data in it by 2025. However data outages using this system are not uncommon, as seen back in 2021 when some Amazon services went down.
Getting the right hosting and support
The BBC story is certainly not unheard of and demonstrates something which we already know. Hosting is a fundamental and crucial part of any company’s marketing framework and it is important for a business owner to choose the right hosting environment for their website.
When searching for a hosting provider it will be important for a business to think about:
- What they need: It is essential to understand what type of hosting is required for a specific website. For example, a website with a lot of photos may want a hosting environment focused on speed and extra storage, while Ecommerce websites would maybe be more concerned about security.
- Subscription period: Businesses will be met with a wide range of different contract lengths from a host of companies, so it will be worthwhile considering how long a business is willing to commit to upfront. Shorter month-by-month deals give the chance to trial platforms and leave quickly if they do not meet specified requirements, but longer-term contracts can save money.
- Support and add-on services: Once a website is set up and the hosting is running, businesses may want to add extra features to their website or hosting packages. Therefore, it is worthwhile finding out what any potential hosting provider can offer in terms of “extras” for your business.
Hosting from BBI
Here at BBI Brandboost we offer our clients managed hosting services that incorporate high security protection, keeping websites safe. Our options range in categories and cost from the basic shared environments up to more complex dedicated cloud and dual hosting systems.
We will be able to help you select a hosting environment that offers you the best opportunity for flexibility, growth and development for your budget. Contact us now to find out more.