The United States is at the forefront of technological development, but nations around the world – even developing countries – are experiencing major shifts made possible by a wide range of computing breakthroughs. In fact, some nations that have never been fully connected with phone service have been able to jump over the landline era and go straight into wide usage of cell phones. Hosting bring similar technological possibilities to the entire world.
Specifically in terms of hosting, because of the security and stability in the United States, many companies abroad choose to use an American-based solution. Storing the infrastructure that runs one’s site and business technologically at a data center in “the states” allows businesses to have great safety and reliability, while gaining easier access (faster load times, better SEO) to customers throughout the US.
Globalization means that all areas of the world are, in a certain sense, becoming local to us. Whether you are in Brazil, India, Finland, or Japan, US-based VPS hosting runs 24/7. Even when you are sleeping, your business is working for you while people in other countries are awake. Globalization is a broad concept, but the implications specific to the cloud – and VPS servers in the cloud – are particularly intriguing.
Why is a VPS so often used? The virtual private server, or VPS (a server created using virtualization technology), has become a staple of the hosting industry because it’s a cost-effective way to get similar (in some cases nearly identical) power and control to dedicated servers, without having to pick out and maintain hardware. Let’s look at how VPS hosting, the cloud, and globalization are intertwined to understand how working with a US-based hosting service might be the right choice for a business located elsewhere.
The cloud and globalization of computing
It’s not an accident that cloud technology is becoming so widespread internationally. We all know how important scalability is, and some of us have experienced frustrations created by growing “too quickly” – as can frequently happen with server infrastructures.
Cloud computing and hosting offer the opportunity for a business to grow technologically in the smoothest and simplest possible way. You don’t hit a resource cap with the cloud – whether for storage room, bandwidth, or any potential limitation – because more devices are utilized. You are no longer “stuck” within one machine or set of machines, at the mercy of the parameters allowed by those servers. Cloud also optimizes speed and performance because the work load is distributed, so it’s unlikely that your infrastructure will experience strain.
Globalization is involved with the cloud because everything is available through the web. A company’s IT system can exist in another country from its headquarters, or in various countries. Author Thomas Friedman has described the globalization process as delivering an increased access worldwide to information and resources, which is exactly what is involved with cloud hosting and VPS servers in the cloud.
Server maintenance also does not have to be conducted at the same physical location, in many cases. Engineers employed to service cloud environments can be located in other countries as well, which is good and bad – that aspect reduces operating expenses but can mean job loss in the countries where the servers are located. Either way, you can see how the cloud has impacts not just for technology and businesses, but for people around the world as well.
Popularity of the United States for hosting & bigger possibilities
The United States is chosen by most American companies for web hosting, but also by many organizations worldwide. In fact, the performance monitoring company Pingdom conducted analysis in 2012, using Alexa and its own software, to determine locations of servers for the top 1 million websites. More than 2 out of every 5 sites in that group were hosted in the United States, upwards of 430,000 of them. Amazingly, the US was more than five times higher than any other nation; with Germany coming in second, followed by China and the UK.
Pingdom conducted the study via an analysis of big data, checking and statistically processing IP addresses for all of those sites. Notably, because big data offers such incredible possibilities for businesses to better understand user behavior, and interaction with and within their own systems, cloud hosting and VPS in the cloud are frequently used to conduct analyses such as this.
As our own Brett Haines described in a guest post for the Cloud Advisory Council, Dr. Michael Cunningham of Seattle was able to analyze data related to the childhood disease craniosynostosis, a study that would not have been possible prior to the advent of the cloud (because all the data was stored in the cloud, allowing the physician to take advantage of resources beyond the scope of his hospital’s physical infrastructure).
You can see why cloud and VPS in the cloud are extremely popular for hosting. The United States has firmly embraced these models due to increased efficiency and scalability, and web hosting services operating in the US offer high-level security and stability to ensure safe operation and strong performance. Atlantic.Net offers VPS in the cloud, via our SSAE 16 (SOC 1) TYPE II (Formerly SAS 70) certified datacenter in Orlando, Florida.
By Kent Roberts
The post VPS Hosting Without Borders appeared first on Atlantic.Net.