Managed cloud hosting is a service where a third-party provider manages and takes care of your cloud infrastructure, so you don’t have to. This includes setting up, maintaining, and optimising the servers, networks, and storage that run your website or application. The goal is to let you focus on your business, while the provider handles the technical details.

Imagine you have a popular website. Instead of buying and maintaining your own servers, you decide to use cloud hosting, which means your website runs on virtual servers provided by companies like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.

With managed cloud hosting, you hire a team (the provider) to manage these virtual servers for you. They ensure your website runs smoothly, handle updates, monitor performance, secure your data, and fix issues if they arise. It’s like hiring an expert to take care of your car so you can just drive it without worrying about maintenance.

What Is Cloud Computing?

What is cloud computing? Cloud computing is a technology that allows you to access computing resources like data storage, processing power, and software over the internet, instead of using your own hardware. These resources are provided by a cloud service provider, and you can use them on demand, paying only for what you use.

Key Points

• On-Demand Availability: You get the computing resources (like servers or storage) when you need them, without having to own the physical hardware.

• Distributed Over Multiple Locations: The resources you use might be spread across many data centres in different places, which helps with reliability and performance.

• Pay-as-You-Go: You only pay for the resources you use, like renting a car instead of buying one. This can save money, but if you’re not careful, unexpected costs can add up.

It lets you save files in a virtual space online, so you don’t need physical data centres or devices on-site.

Cloud computing provides a range of resources for users:

• Data Storage
• Servers
• Databases
• Networking
• Software
  

Difference between cloud and managed cloud

In cloud hosting, providers offer access to the cloud infrastructure, but users are responsible for installing applications, tools, and managing the operating environment. This setup requires users to have or acquire technical knowledge for both setup and ongoing management, and support is often limited or self-service based, meaning users must resolve technical issues on their own. This type of hosting is ideal for individuals or organizations with the technical capability to manage their cloud environment.

On the other hand, managed cloud hosting takes care of all technical aspects for the user. Providers handle the setup, maintenance, and support of the cloud infrastructure, ensuring that all resources on the managed cloud server are efficiently managed. Comprehensive support, often including 24/7 assistance, is provided by the hosting provider, making it ideal for businesses that want to focus on their core operations without the burden of managing cloud infrastructure.

Most famous cloud hosting providers

There are many cloud hosting options available, but as a Managed Cloud Hosting provider, Flexicloud utilizes the following cloud services. These are all companies that provide cloud computing services, including virtual private servers (VPS), cloud storage, and other related services. Here’s a brief overview:

1. Vultr: A cloud services provider that offers virtual private servers (VPS), bare metal servers, and other cloud infrastructure solutions. Vultr is known for its simplicity and competitive pricing.
2. AWS (Amazon Web Services): The cloud computing platform by Amazon. AWS offers a wide range of services, from computing power and storage to machine learning and analytics. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive cloud service providers globally.
3. DigitalOcean: A cloud infrastructure provider focused on simplifying cloud computing. It offers virtual servers (called Droplets), managed databases, and scalable storage options. DigitalOcean is popular among developers for its ease of use.
4. Linode: A cloud hosting provider offering virtual private servers, similar to DigitalOcean and Vultr. Linode is known for its strong customer support and straightforward pricing.
5. Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Google’s cloud computing platform that offers a variety of services, including computing, storage, databases, machine learning, and data analytics. GCP is known for its advanced technology, strong security, and global network infrastructure.
6. Hetzner: A German company that offers cloud computing services, dedicated servers, and web hosting. Hetzner is popular for its powerful hardware and affordable pricing, especially in Europe.
   

Advantages of Managed Cloud Hosting

• 24/7 Support: Managed cloud hosting providers usually offer around-the-clock support, with experts ready to help whenever you face issues, ensuring your business stays up and running smoothly.

• Enhanced Security: Protecting your data is a top priority. Managed cloud hosting providers have skilled teams to safeguard your network against threats, keeping your information secure.

• Reliability: A dependable network is essential for your business, but it can be challenging to set up and maintain. With managed cloud hosting, the provider’s experts ensure your network is strong and reliable, so you don’t have to worry about downtime.

• Automatic Upgrades: Your provider keeps your cloud server updated with the latest technology, so you’re always using the best and most efficient tools without needing to manage updates yourself.

• Recovery Plan: Managed cloud hosting includes a disaster recovery plan, with systems in place to quickly restore any lost data and minimize downtime, ensuring your website stays available even in emergencies.

• Scalability: As your business grows, your cloud hosting can easily expand to meet your needs. Managed cloud hosting allows you to scale up (or down) quickly without the hassle of managing additional hardware or resources.

• Cost-Effective: You save money because the provider handles all the maintenance and operations. You just pay for the services you need, avoiding the costs of owning and managing your own servers.

• Centralized Control: All your cloud management is handled in one place, making it easier to oversee and manage your network. Any changes or upgrades can be implemented swiftly, ensuring smooth operations.

• Performance Optimization: Managed cloud hosting providers continuously monitor and optimize your server’s performance, ensuring your website or application runs efficiently, providing a better experience for your users.

• Compliance Assistance: If your business needs to meet specific regulatory requirements (like GDPR or HIPAA), managed cloud hosting providers can help ensure your data storage and processes are compliant, reducing your legal risks.

Why Flexicloud Is Unique Among Other Managed Cloud Hosting Providers

And here are some additional services that set us apart from other Managed Cloud Hosting providers.

• Linux only: FlexiCloud Hosting is a Linux-only hosting provider.  We are fans of Linux and its security features. All our servers are on various Linux variants, mostly CentOS or Ubuntu. All our shared hosting services are in its own chrooted environment, which cannot communicate with other environments. This ensures that even if any website or application is infected, you are at ZERO risk.

• We are Affordable: We are not a cheap hosting provider. But we are affordable. Because we provide a hassle-free 30-day money back guarantee, you can sign up and try our services at zero risk.

• cPanel based Hosting Provider: Our shared hosting platform uses the most popular control panel – cPanel. It is the most popular and very widely accepted control panel, which is not only easy to use but also quite powerful. There are only a few things that you cannot do with cPanel. It’s quite versatile so that you can manage almost all of your hosting through the control panel.

• CloudLinux: Cloudlinux can be easily said as a kernel patch which allows us to decide how much CPU and RAM any user can consume. This ensures that no website can take the entire server down, thereby improving the stability of our servers – and your websites.

• AI-based firewall: We use an AI-powered firewall that checks the validity of IPs before granting server access. The AI continuously monitors all installed servers for malicious activity. If a threat is detected, the IP is blacklisted. If the same IP attempts access elsewhere, it must pass a CAPTCHA to proceed, significantly reducing unwanted traffic.This tool enhances our security, featuring an inbound firewall, malware detection, honeypot, and WAF, making us one of the most trusted managed cloud hosting providers.

• Free SSL: Is your Hosting provider charging you for a basic SSL certificate? Move to FlexiCloud Hosting, we provide free domain validation SSL certificates for all websites, including main and subdomains hosted with us.  It’s a COMODO or LetsEncrypt certificate that we are distributing for free. The only requirement for the SSL is that the site should load from our server. You can switch your site to SSL within 24 hours after you have pointed the site to our servers.

• Guaranteed Backups: FlexiCloud will be committed to provide you guaranteed backups of your site. We will retain the backups for 7 consecutive days and you can go back to any date from your control panel or or by raising a ticket.

• Shared Hosting plans: FlexiCloud cPanel based Shared hosting is best in class, most efficient and gives you the best value for money. And our plans are starting from just 125 rupees. Explore our  Plans and Pricing.

• Free Malware removal: While we keep our security very high, we have seen many sites getting hacked because of two reasons, there was a security hole when they were migrated to FlexiCloud. Or they haven’t updated their websites with the latest updates and left it to be hacked. We have some in length articles on how to protect your sites from hacking and how to keep it secure.
  

Conclusion

Managed cloud hosting is a great option for businesses that want the benefits of cloud services without the hassle of managing them. By letting experts take care of the technical side, companies can concentrate on their main tasks, enjoy better performance, and keep their online platforms secure and scalable. Whether you’re a small business or a large company, managed cloud hosting offers a reliable and cost effective way to keep your digital operations running smoothly.