What Is The Difference Between Cloud Servers and Traditional Servers?
With the advancement of technology now in the hosting world, you will come across two different types of web Website Hosting.
One is Cloud Hosting in India, which works on cloud technology, and the other one is Traditional Servers like a dedicated server, which is physically placed and requires in-house maintenance and management.
Many businesses are now confused about whether they should invest in cloud hosting or Traditional Servers. However, both hosting options are equally important and serve the users to fulfil their specific needs.
So how to choose between them? Choosing between will be easy only when you know both concepts in brief and explore the various aspects of the difference between them.
So in this article, we will learn about them and their differences and which will better help you to understand which one is the right choice for your business.
Cloud Server
A Cloud Server refers to a consolidated and centrally managed server resource, which is hosted and provided over a network, often the internet. It is accessed as needed by numerous users.
- Access
- Cloud Web Hosting can be accessed on demand by multiple users.
- It delivers processing power, storage, and applications.
- Location
- It can be located anywhere globally.
- Services are delivered remotely through cloud computing.
- Comparison with Traditional Servers
- Cloud Server Hosting performs all the functions of a traditional physical server.
- It contrasts with dedicated server hardware, which is typically on-premises for exclusive organisational use.
Traditional Server
The Traditional Server is those hosting servers which are the physical setup within the premise, and it is exclusively dedicated to the single client and the organisation
- Access:
- Traditional Servers are accessed locally within the organisation.
- Location:
- Typically located on the organisation’s premises.
- Functionality:
- It performs processing, storage, and application functions.
- Comparison with Cloud Servers:
- This contrasts with Cloud Servers, which are centralised, pooled resources accessible over a network.
- It lacks the flexibility and scalability of cloud-based solutions.
Table: Cloud Vs Traditional Server
| Aspect | Cloud | Traditional Server |
| Infrastructure | It works in a Virtualised environment managed by a third party. | It has a physical infrastructure that has a fixed capacity for resources. |
| Cost Model | It works on a Pay-as-you-go modal in which the expenditure on hosting totally depends on your business operations. | It is counted as the capital expenditure as you must make the upfront investment to acquire it. |
| Resource Scaling | It is easily scalable up or down according to the needs of the user. | It requires manual scaling. |
| Management | Outsourced to the cloud provider | In-house management |
| Accessibility | It is accessible from anywhere with the internet | It is limited to a physical location |
| Redundancy | It is built-in redundancy for high availability | It is dependent on the server setup. |
| Maintenance | The cloud provider manages it | It requires in-house maintenance |
| Security | In this, the security responsibilities will be shared with the Cloud Hosting provider. | It is entirely managed in-house. |
| Deployment Speed | In this, you leverage the benefit of rapid deployment of resources | In this, you may have experienced longer lead times for procurement |
| Flexibility | It is highly flexible and supports various services | It has limited flexibility and set up for the specialised roles |
Conclusion – Traditional Server Vs Cloud
If you are wondering whether the cloud and Traditional Servers are best for your business, then it is better to evaluate your specific needs first.
- If you require the rapid scalability of the resources in your fluctuating workloads and do not want to maintain the server in-house, then go with the Cloud Server.
- If you have businesses with stable and predictable workloads and manage the server in-house with the help of a team of experts, go with the Traditional Server.
However, you can also adopt the hybrid approach, combining both cloud and Traditional Servers for a balanced solution.