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Cloud computing is the buzzword of the moment, but is cloud hosting always the best option for ecommerce sites? The online gift experience retailer Wish.co.uk, which has enjoyed a rapid growth in popularity since its launch in 2011, has returned to using a dedicated server hosted by Memset after trying out the cloud and finding it inadequate. What can online businesses learn from the experience of Wish.co.uk in the cloud?

Cloud Server Vs Dedicated Server

There are a number of differences between cloud servers and dedicated servers, which ecommerce business owners need to understand so they can decide which type of hosting is most appropriate for their business.

Cloud servers are designed to be quick and easy to set up. This ease of use makes cloud servers very attractive to new start-ups, who are looking to get their businesses launched with the minimum of hassle. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, require more advanced skills, but they also offer greater control and often provide better reliability and security.

Sharing Space in the Cloud

A cloud server is a virtual server that is spread over many connected physical servers. The network of physical servers, known as the cloud, has a vast amount of resources. The aim of cloud hosting is to spread the hosting of a particular website across the entire cloud, utilizing any available computing power to handle user requests. The flexibility of this approach allows the cloud hosting provider to host many more websites than a provider that allots each user their own dedicated space on a server, which drives down the cost of cloud hosting. Many new online businesses choose to host their site on a cloud server in order to save money.

Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

The downside of cloud hosting, as Wish.co.uk found out, is that sometimes it simply isn’t up to the job of coping with high traffic volumes. This problem is shared by many online businesses as their popularity begins to spike. A sudden upswing in traffic can lead to unexpected downtime, which is the worst possible outcome for an ecommerce site that has been working hard to get noticed on social media or in the press. Persuading web surfers to click through to an ecommerce site only to be greeted by an error or a site that runs at a frustratingly slow speed results in lost sales and severe disappointment for business owners. Traffic levels of other sites sharing the same cloud server can also affect the performance of a site.

Cloud Hosting Case Study – Wish.co.uk

During its first year in business, Wish.co.uk attracted a lot of attention thanks to its savvy PR handling and, of course, the quirky experience days that it sells. Once the world started talking about Wish.co.uk, the cloud server that was hosting the site started to struggle. Tweets from celebrities including Stephen Fry sent huge surges of traffic to Wish.co.uk, requiring the company to scale up their web hosting.

Although many cloud hosting providers do allow their users to boost their resources to deal with high-traffic periods, this service carries an additional fee. Wish.co.uk founder Richard Kershaw, who is himself the publisher of web hosting site WhoIsHostingThis.com, says that from now on he will be sticking with dedicated servers for Wish.co.uk. He says that he enjoys having full control over the business’s hosting without experiencing unexpected bills from having to boost cloud server resources.

When to Choose a Dedicated Server

A dedicated server offers higher capacity and greater resources than a cloud server. Busy ecommerce stores that have extremely high load activities due to large numbers of visitors logging on and making purchases may want to consider using a dedicated server instead of a cloud server as their host. A dedicated server guarantees the speed and reliability that are required by a successful ecommerce business.

Jack Harding is a self-proclaimed “computer nerd,” who enjoys researching the latest ecommerce trends. He also enjoys writing about today’s technology to share with others. To experience a busy ecommerce store in action, see Wish.co.uk.