Hosted Services
What are hosted services?
Hosted services are a type of website or software that allows people to store, share and access data or tools from anywhere in the world. These services are hosted by a third party provider who is responsible for providing trustworthy and secure services, thus effectively replacing on-premise servers and other hosting web infrastructure in exchange of a subscription or pay-per-use basis.
The location of the hosted services can either be at the vendor's premises or on the cloud, with the latter commonly referred to as "cloud services".
There are numerous types of hosted services available targeting specific audiences and usages. Some popular examples of traditional hosted services include:
Web hosting services: Web hosting services provide storage space and access to a web server, allowing customers to host their websites on the internet. These services can vary widely in terms of the features and services they offer, from basic shared hosting plans to more advanced options such as virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated hosting or even complex website builders. Examples of web hosting providers include Wix, Bluehost and GoDaddy.
Database hosting: Database hosting provides customers with a dedicated server to store and manage their data. Some of the most common features in this type of offering include automatic backups, data replication, and performance optimization. Examples of database hosting services include Rackspace, Liquid Web and HostGator.
Email hosting: Email hosting provides customers with email accounts and the ability to send and receive emails from their own domain name. These services generally include valuable features such as spam filtering, virus scanning, and calendar integration. Examples of email hosting services include Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365 and Zoho Mail.
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Benefits of using hosted services
One of the most significant advantages of using hosted services is the significant savings in time, money and resources that users can benefit from, all while having access to a broad range of applications such as email hosting, cloud storage, databases, and CRM among others.
In addition to helping businesses reduce their operating costs significantly while taking advantage of the latest technologies, hosted services also eliminate the need for companies to manage their own onsite infrastructure - a process which is often complicated and resource intensive.
Furthermore, these services also offer businesses greater scalability and flexibility compared to traditional on-premise solutions. This allows companies to quickly deploy new applications and software updates at any time and in response to sudden or planned increased traffic and sales demand on a site. Consequently, hosted services are a great way for businesses to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies while reducing costs and IT complications.
Another significant benefit of using a hosted service is greater levels of security, as they are hosted on secure servers by a reliable third-party provider. Most of these, including Wix’s, are monitored 24/7 to ensure the highest levels of security, reliability and performance for businesses.
On the same note, hosted services also offer enhanced data protection with automated backups and disaster recovery measures in place for maximum uptime, allowing companies to rest assured their data is secure and available when needed.
To sum it up: hosted services offer businesses a number of advantages over traditional on-premise solutions. They are more cost-effective, scalable, and flexible, while also providing enhanced security and reliability.
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What are cloud hosted services?
Cloud hosted services refer to any type of software or application that is provided and accessed over the internet through a cloud computing platform (cloud communications), rather than being installed locally on a user's computer or hosted on a physical server on-premises.
Some of the most common examples of cloud hosted services include:
Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting uses a network of servers to host websites or applications. This allows users to enjoy a great level of scalability and flexibility, as they can quickly remove or add resources based on demand. Examples of cloud hosting services include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.
Cloud computing: Cloud computing services provide on-demand access to computing resources, such as servers, storage and networking. Because they’re hosted remotely by a cloud provider, customers can easily scale their resources based on their needs. Examples of cloud computing providers include Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, IBM Cloud and Vultr.
Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS is a delivery model in which software applications are accessed over the internet, generally through web browsers, APIs, or mobile apps. Typically sold on a subscription basis, these applications are generally aimed for specific business functions such as customer relations, file sharing, communications or human resources. Examples of SaaS providers include Salesforce, Zoom and Dropbox.
When it comes to how to make a website, choosing how to host your website is an important part of the decision-making process. Make sure you opt for web hosting that delivers security, reliability and performance, when building your site.