Is Cloud Hosting Reliable?

This is one of those situations where you need to be asking the right question to get the answer you need.

Is cloud hosting reliable?

It depends.

On what?

The provider.

The Good, The Bad, and The Cloud: Don’t Get Caught Out in a Rainstorm

Cloud hosting is the new ‘it’ word in the tech world. Cloud this and cloud that, but there have been some big stories the past few years about clouds failing. And when a cloud fails – well, it’s not good for anyone.

However, that doesn’t mean cloud hosting is less reliable than dedicated servers. Why? Because when a dedicated server fails, it happens behind closed doors. All technology, at some point will have a failure, but that doesn’t mean it happens often or that it is catastrophic when it does happen. Cloud hosting is safe and reliable, as long as you choose the right provider.

Tips and Tricks for Knowing a Good Cloud Hosting Provider When You See One

The reliability of a cloud-hosting provider can be measured and judged by a few factors: available uptime/performance, security standards and protocols, level of customer and technical support, and the service level agreement (SLA).

• Glowing customer reviews.
This is a great place to start your search. Companies can’t hide from customer reviews. Go to the source and see what clients the cloud hosting provider has and what they have to say about it. Cloud hosting isn’t one of those industries that people use because they love it (I mean, we do), so it’s rare to see a Net Promoter Score in the 60’s. With a company like Macquarie Cloud Services, you can see that we take our customer service (and customers) seriously.

• Outta this world availability.
Look for a cloud-hosting provider that offers 99.99% uptime.

• High performance metrics.
This might be a ‘gimme’, but obviously you’ll want a cloud-hosting provider with high performance and fast response times. Other metrics that shouldn’t be forgotten include whether a client provides multiple availability zones, fault tolerant infrastructure, reporting tools, live migration, and backups.

• Flexible to fit your needs.
Not everyone needs the same thing in their cloud. Dedicated or multi-tenant clouds. Fully managed or self-managed clouds. Make sure that they can offer you what you’re looking for.

• Security like a vault (literally and virtually).
A good cloud-hosting provider has security on lock. Look for companies with advanced authentication protocols and procedures and encryption of all transmitted and stored data.

• 24/7 support.
If disaster strikes, this will be the biggest differentiator between a dreadful experience and one where your provider saves the day. Great customer service and great technical service are both life (and money) savers when something goes wrong. Cloud hosting providers that take their work seriously will have on-call IT staff every moment ready to jump into action for you.

• Offers disaster recovery.
Now, if the worst happens, disaster recovery is more precious than gold. It ensures that nothing is lost and you can pick back up where you left off.

• An SLA that works for you.
This piece of paper is key when it comes to cloud hosting. It works double duty as a plan and warranty. It’ll lay out all the terms and conditions of all the previous bullet points so the fog is cleared and you know what to expect from your provider.

Looking for a Cloud Hosting Provider?

If you’re a company in Australia and thinking that the cloud might be the right solution for your needs, contact us today. Macquarie Cloud Services offers one of the most reliable, safe, and (in our opinion) fun cloud-hosting solutions in Australia. If it weren’t true, we probably wouldn’t host over 40% of Australia’s federal government agencies and have industry leading SLGs.