Hashtags are what we use to label and categorize information on online platforms. A hashtag is the pound/number key, followed by a series of letters, words, or phrases that have no spaces in between. They can be used to tag and post relevant information to an online platform like Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and many more. When they are posted, the information is tagged and is easily searchable within that social platform.

Where should I be using hashtags?

You can use hashtags on most social media sites but they work differently depending on which platform you use. Twitter is the most well-known social media site that utilizes hashtags because it is an easy way to categorize information within 280 words. You can use them in any tweet or comment, as well as in your bio. They can be a great way to join the conversation about people, things, movements, or ideas that you or your business may follow. Twitter also allows its users to search via hashtag and keeps a list of the hashtags that are currently trending. 

Instagram is another social media platform where hashtags are almost always implemented when uploading something new. Hashtags can be used on Instagram Stories, bios, and searched for on the explore tab. What’s different about Instagram in comparison to Twitter is that you can actually follow specific hashtags instead of just accounts. This means that you will receive content from multiple different creators that post something with that specific tag under it.

Hashtags on other social platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, etc. function similarly to those mentioned above. They may differ slightly, but the act of tagging content in order for users to find it is all relatively the same. Hashtags are important on any social platform, but Twitter and Instagram arguably utilize them the most. 

Finding your audience

As mentioned before, users can easily search for specific content through hashtags, so this is a great way to reach new people! It is important to find the right balance between trending tags and niche tags. For example, if you only tag things that are trending right now, your content has a good chance of getting lost with all of the other posts under the same tag. Finding somewhat niche and specific tags could help to target people who are specifically interested in what you are promoting or selling. 

Don’t overdo it

One of the biggest unspoken rules about hashtags is to not overdo it! Don’t include too many tags in a post, or else it starts to look cluttered and not as professional. Twitter has a character limit, but Instagram does not. This makes it really easy for users to over-tag their content. Five to ten hashtags on an Instagram post are more than enough to be found online. Another thing to keep into consideration is that you should caption posts on Instagram before tagging them. No one wants to read hashtags as the caption. They should come after.

Resources to improve your hashtags

You may be wondering how to find what hashtags are trending right now, so here are some resources! RiteTag and Hashtagify.me are both websites that analyze what is trending right now. They both are free to an extent, but some content is restricted to paying customers only. Regardless, if you need help with creating hashtags, these are a great way to see what people care and are talking about online right now.

The Cloud and its technologies can help companies save a ton of cash by taking away the burden of acquiring servers, software, and the people required to provide enterprise services. It also helps with the deployment of shared technology solutions, which are very important in supporting the mission of the business. 

Most vendors use infrastructure, software, and servers to provide specialized services to the organization. Cloud computing helps organizations by providing scalable and dynamic computing resources over the Internet. These computing services are delivered virtually through online servers and data centers to anyone who can access the network. Listed below are seven different things that you can accomplish y switching to the Cloud!

1. It allows you to implement new things

Cloud computing provides many benefits that include email, file storage, calendars, documents, and more! Some cloud computing providers like Google provide a tool that can help you to compare Google mail costing versus Microsoft Exchange. Others like Astadia will provide a basic tool used for calculating your return for investing in cloud services. If you are planning to introduce something new, you can use social media as a platform to raise awareness.

2. Protects your company’s data

This is an incredibly important function that comes with cloud computing and is provided by your service provider. A good example is when you use a meeting management tool that is available online and it provides a low risk. Users have little control over where the provider stores their data. The storage could be in a different country that has different privacy laws. This function is a deal-breaker for organizations that work with vulnerable communities such as asylum seekers and refugees.

3. You can stay connected 

Cloud computing encompasses social media tools that include Twitter and Facebook, which help users to stay connected. This impacts every business that uses social media as a marketing tool or as a way to connect with customers. Social media is a proven method of improving and growing a business’s online presence. It would be hard to operate without one! 

4. Recover Data

The cloud is very successful when it has been pre-configured for disaster recovery. The cloud recovery plan is an important application that works automatically when data or a server crashes. Because of this, it helps to recover the data at the earliest time possible. By incorporating these applications, this can be an efficient platform to manage PaaS, SaaS, and IaaS competitively.

5. Optimize the Existing Resources

If your company is facing a tough time managing software and hardware, or your servers are running low and there is limited space left, then look for cloud services. With cloud services, your existing servers will get a rest from being overloaded and your company’s work environment will be synchronized. Utilizing the cloud for your business also allows you to cut the cost of infrastructure maintenance or repair if something were to go wrong. 

6. Enhancing Device Independence

Cloud service helps to reduce the worries of tracking your software and hardware devices. The cloud enables you to move from a physical world into a new virtual world, and you won’t have to think about what is going on at the in-house IT department. You can let a cloud manager do the hard work of getting rid of that expensive software and hardware.

7. Cut Cost

Don’t lag behind when everyone is quickly moving to cloud technology and starting to enjoy a cost-effective business environment. This technology will promote device independence and automatically reduce the cost of physical software and hardware.

Cloud computing is currently the most promising IT technology in the world today. Most companies are now using cloud services and are achieving a multitude of desired goals. Cloud computing provides many applications to businesses that are beneficial in the long run.

Cloud computing is a revolution in the world of Internet technology. It has made a variety of new things possible and much more efficient, such as saving time, energy, and costs!

However, there are positives and negatives to this revolutionary technology. Although the cloud has opened up all of these “never-before-seen” opportunities, there are several concerns by clients – especially when it comes to the issue of safety. Since the mechanisms of the cloud are controlled by people in unknown locations, there is genuine fear about the safety and security of personal data.

What are the safety concerns?

There are two major concerns when it comes to cloud safety. The first is the thought of hackers having access to your information by illegal or unauthorized persons. This can lead to a compromise of classified or private information. Hackers can actually capitalize from your data or use it to cripple your business. The second concern is the malfunction of the infrastructure by the cloud storage service provider. There are a few companies out there that have collapsed and lost vital client data forever because of this. While there is a very small chance of this happening, many are still wary about the potential it has to collapse a business.  

There is no question that these concerns are real. However, the answer to safety lies with the cloud service provider. Before you register a free account or hire the services of a cloud storage company, read about their terms and conditions. In fact, ask about these safety concerns. 

You will be amazed at some of the safety policies out there. Just in case data was compromised or lost, the company must have a cause of action that is supposed to remedy your problem. Many companies will state that their safety policies are top-notch and that there is no fear whatsoever of such happenings. 

How do I protect myself?

Obviously, it is not enough to just hear the words; you need to be protected in writing. So yes, the fears pertaining to safety are very real – make sure you are covered in the contract or agreement you sign just before you get access to their services. 

You want to work with a cloud service provider that stores a backup copy of all your data. In addition, you need to know what procedures to follow in case something bad were to happen and your data was compromised. With this assurance and knowledge, it is much better to operate in a cloud. It is always wise to work with companies that have been seen to perform better in this area, though. Not every cloud storage service is worth considering. With that being said, we’ll make the decision easy on you and refer you to our services! Our services and staff are the BEST!

In life, there are no guarantees and in this regard, you need to be prepared with an assurance from the cloud service provider. Also, be very keen and conduct thorough research and know what the law in your area says about cloud safety. Don’t stop there! The country where the dedicated private servers are stored will have certain laws governing the operations; seek to find out whether you can find proper reprieve if anything goes wrong in a different location. 

Is cloud computing safe?

To answer the question: yes, cloud computing is absolutely safe. While there might be some flaws and drawbacks, the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the bad. If you’re nervous about something going wrong, be proactive and have a plan. Cases of hacking and loss of databases in the cloud are very rare, but they can happen. So, if it does, be prepared! You most likely won’t need to worry about any of that happening, especially if we are your cloud provider!

A VPN, or a Virtual Private Network, is exactly how it sounds! In its essence, a VPN helps you create a secure and private connection between your computer or device and another network over the Internet. It uses encryption and other technologies to help you ensure that your Internet activity is safe from hackers and cybercriminals who may be lurking around when you’re using public wifi. Using a VPN to connect to the Internet allows you to surf websites privately and securely, as well as have access to restricted websites and overcome censorship blocks. In very simple terms, a VPN connects your PC, smartphone, or tablet to another server on the Internet and allows you to browse using that computer’s Internet connection.

Think about your home computer and its connection to the Internet. In most cases, there is a direct connection between your home computer and the Internet. Because of this, it’s very easy for cybercriminals to find you and attack your personal data. This is where the VPN comes in. A VPN connects your computer to a server located anywhere else in the world before making that connection to the Internet. Because there is no direct line between your computer and the Internet, cybercriminals don’t have a place to locate you and cannot attack your personal data. 

How does it help me?

No matter your purpose, having a VPN can be more than worthwhile. There are a variety of different things that you can achieve with them. 

You can use a VPN to: 

1. Bypass geographic restrictions on websites or streaming audio/video
2. Watch streaming media like Netflix and Hulu 
3. Protect yourself from snooping on untrustworthy WIFI spots 
4. Gain some anonymity online by hiding your location
5. Protect yourself by torrenting 

Many people nowadays use a VPN for torrenting or bypassing geographic restrictions to watch content in a different country. VPNs are still a great way to protect yourself when using public wifi, but that’s not its only use anymore! While the examples above are all very relevant, VPNs capable of so much more. VPNs can allow you to access a business network while traveling, access your home network while traveling, hide your browsing activity from your local network and ISP, access geo-blocked websites, bypass Internet censorship, and download files.

When you connect to a VPN, you have a large choice of servers to connect to and each of those servers are located in different cities and countries. Once you’re connected, your computer will assume that you are connected to whichever city or country you have chosen the server from. For example, if there is Netflix series only available in Canada, you can connect to a server in Canada and watch the series without having to leave your house.

How do you get a VPN?

Depending on your needs, you can either use a VPN from your workplace, create one yourself using a service, have one created for you (we can do that for you) or even host one out of your house. If you want a way to create a VPN quickly and easily, there are a ton of websites out there that allow you to make one on your own. Websites like ExpressVPN, StrongVPN, and Tunnelbear are some of the most popular places that you can create a VPN. If you would rather have a physical piece of equipment that you can connect to your computer, just give us a call! We would be happy to create one for you.

There are so many options nowadays: food options, transportation options, education/work options, and much more! On a daily basis, we are bombarded with ads and media pulling us every which way. It makes the decision-making process a million times more difficult, leaving us to wonder if we are making the best decision. Technology is no exception.

Whether you are running a business or using it for personal purposes, you may be wondering where you should store your data. Well, you have a few options to choose from: the cloud, a data center, or a hybrid solution. I know, I know! All of these options are enough to drive someone crazy. But, don’t worry. Once you understand the differences, you will have a better understanding of what will work the best for your business and needs. 

Let’s first compare the cloud and a data center. The main difference between a cloud and a data center is that a data center refers to on-premise hardware and infrastructure while the cloud refers to off-premise computing. The cloud stores your data in the public cloud while a data center stores your data on hardware. A hybrid solution is a hybrid of the cloud and a data center. It’s a situation where your data is stored on both platforms, for different reasons. You may still be confused about these options, so let’s check out their benefits. 

Benefits of a data center 

Owning an in-house data center or having hardware in a provider’s data center is often a good solution, but it depends on your needs. Maintaining an in-house data center can get pretty expensive, as well as time-consuming if you don’t know what you’re doing. Data centers are true powerhouses of the modern technical world! They are incredibly secure, efficient, and reliable. They can also be a very cost-effective option. If you have hardware in a local provider’s data center, you don’t have to worry about a thing! Most, if not all, data centers have staff in the buildings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year if you were to call or walk-in with a question. You also have access to your hardware and the opportunity to build relationships with that local company. To operate correctly, businesses require high levels of performance, security, capacity, storage, and much more. It’s a great route to go if you like the idea of having physical hardware!

Benefits of the cloud 

Many businesses have turned to the cloud (not all, but many)! According to a recent study from International Data Group, nearly 69% of businesses are using cloud technology and 18% say they plan to implement cloud computing solutions at some point. It is very much a growing trend among businesses to ditch the hardware and jump on the cloud. Large companies with limited budgets and startup businesses with a lack of resources may find that the cloud is a good option because it provides immediate capacity without the need for an upfront investment. Other organizations find that the cloud is awesome for disaster recovery purposes. Another benefit of the cloud is its ability to scale or add and reduce capacity as needed. Most cloud computing services run on a pay-as-you-go system, saving you money in time and costs. The cloud also allows for businesses to have mobility and access to corporate data on-the-go and reliable security! There are many benefits of the cloud that will benefit your business in many ways. 

If you are unsure about what you need, compare and contrast the two based on the needs of your organization. Overall, your flexibility, workload, and security needs will dictate whether a data center or the cloud is the best fit for your organization.

If you aren’t a teenager right now, you may not know how huge the video-sharing social media platform, Tik Tok, has gotten over the past two years. Not only that, but it has grown exponentially during the pandemic and has been extremely influential in a multitude of ways. There are plenty of opportunities to utilize the app as a means of driving business big and small, no matter what industry you’re in. Here are four reasons to make that account and just go for it!

1. Tik Tok is a massive platform that continues to grow daily

In November of 2020, Tik Tok had 4 million downloads and was the second most downloaded app in the U.S. Today in the U.S. alone, there are over 80 million active users, 90% of which access the app multiple times a day. With numbers like these, there is no way that only teenagers use Tik Tok.  In fact, only about 60% of users are between the ages of 16-24. Even if your target audience doesn’t fall within that 60%, think about the other 40% of 25-44-year-olds that use the app just as frequently! There is a good chance that your business is overlooking the additional sales that Tik Tok could bring in.

Tik Tok is not only in the U.S.; it’s worldwide! The app is available in 154 countries, as well as 75 different languages. If you’re looking to reach an international audience Tik Tok might be the best way to do that.

2. Tik Tok has paid advertising opportunities

Tik Tok ads can be used to send users to your website, the app store, or even to promote branded AR lenses, filters, and stickers that others can use for their own content. The price range depends on what your business specifically wants, but ads can start off at as little as $50 a day. Another benefit of their advertising is that you have little to no commitment to continue running ads. So, if you find that it’s not working for your business, you can stop at any time. 

Have little to no budget for advertising on social media? That’s not an issue! Your business can always create organic content on Tik Tok to be shared with users. Organic reach actually may be more successful than promoting ads, if you can build a big enough following.

3. Your business has the opportunity to build its brand image and awareness

Creating organic content that gives users a behind-the-scenes look at your business has the potential to do extremely well on Tik Tok. If users see this content and like it, they are more inclined to purchase from your business because they enjoy knowing more about your brand and having that personal connection.

This is a great way to build your brand image and awareness! Unlike any other platforms, Tik Tok users actually prefer unpolished content. This could be something as simple as showing users around the workplace or the packaging and shipping of your product.  What’s the story behind your business? Why should Tik Tok users be interested in purchasing from you? If your business comes across as being genuine & has a backstory/behind the scenes look at what you do, chances are users will be interested in what you have to offer.

4. You might already have Tik Tok content at your disposal

Knowing now that there are a ton of different ways to create content for your business, you might be surprised to know that you might already have some on your hands! If you want to promote something like a podcast or a YouTube channel, you could easily take short clips from the existing content and move them to Tik Tok. This gives more people the opportunity to be exposed to what your business does in bite-sized pieces. In turn, this will help to bring more Tik Tok users over to your full-length podcast, YouTube channel, or whatever your business entails. In creating those short Tik Tok clips, you are giving users a glimpse into what your business does and getting new customers and or listeners! 

Given all of this information, and because Tik Tok is in its infancy, now is the perfect time to create an account for your business. The earlier that you create an account, the more established that your business will be on the platform as time passes. Also, Tik Tok has not been oversaturated with ads and branded content yet, like other social media platforms. So, the sooner you create an account, the better! What are you waiting for?

One of the most challenging aspects of owning a website is figuring out how to turn those web visitors into paying customers. You may receive hundreds or even thousands of visits and clicks per month, but if you haven’t optimized your website accordingly, those visitors will stay just that. There are always going to be things you can do to improve your business or website. But, in this case, there are several things you need to be doing to show your visitors that you have what they need and that you can be trusted. Below are five tried and true methods of converting those who peruse into those who pay.

1. Convince your visitors that they need your product

The idea is to convince your visitors that they do not need to continue looking at other sites; your site has it all, and your product is exactly what they need. Remember: The goal is to show your visitors that they need you. Make your visitors feel like you are addressing them and not just bragging about yourself. For example, instead of listing testimonials, try describing various situations and how you helped the client. You want the client to recognize him/ herself in the scenarios!

2. Take advantage of home page sign-ups

The more convenient your contact information, the more likely your visitors are to actually use it. Many people only view a site once, so grab their attention early on and start the relationship right away. Remember: Many people are wary of new relationships, even if it is a simple web presence. By circulating a weekly or monthly newsletter or magazine, you can maintain contact without seeming overly pushy.

3. Give your visitors something of value

Give your visitors something they can use immediately. Whether this is a free gift incentive, a fantastic Top-10 List, or downloadable forms, provide every visitor with a takeaway resource. Remember: Don’t forget to put your name on these documents! Publicizing yourself, your site, and your product is vital. Every pdf or downloadable document your visitors print is one more piece of advertising.

4. Show that you are invested

If you portray yourself as invested, your visitors are more likely to think you are invested in them. Be direct. Make it personal. Above all, make it crystal clear that you can help solve their problems. Remember: Position yourself as an invaluable resource and make your contact information accessible and easy to locate. This brings you one step closer to gaining a new client.

5. Don’t be afraid to pay extra for a high-quality site

When it comes to your actual website, you get what you pay for. While it may seem expensive in the beginning, think about how much money will be generated from a professional website. Remember: Website maintenance is extremely involved. Not only does the content have to be exact, but the design, development, and usability must also be exceptional. It is usually beneficial to contract with a designer who can transform your product ideas into a credible and professional website.

Cloud Computing has been providing numerous benefits for nearly two decades. Many businesses are using this technology to better serve their customers, efficiently run their organizations, and increase overall profit margins. Despite the research and testimonials of success that show cost benefits, unique advantages, and proven business efficiencies, many businesses are still not operating with this technology. 

Cloud computing is a term that has gained much popularity over the years. While companies are increasing their data usage as technology continues to advance, it is becoming more and more difficult for those individuals to keep their systems up and running on in-house computer servers. What most businesses don’t realize is that the solution to this issue has been around for a long time, but it has only recently gained popularity with businesses.  

Cloud computing allows its users to access files and features without having to keep a majority of that data on their computer. Many businesses may even be using cloud-based applications without even knowing it. Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox, Facebook, Instagram, and Turbotax are all examples of cloud-based applications. While these services are great for personal use, they are an incredible opportunity for businesses to access massive amounts of data over a secure network connection. Although there numerous benefits to cloud computing, there are still many businesses that are unaware of its various rewards. Listed below are 10 advantages of cloud computing. 

1. Cost-effective and Efficient

By using cloud infrastructure, you don’t have to spend tons of money on purchasing and maintaining equipment. Cloud computing eliminates the need for hardware, facilities, utilities, and a large data center to grow your business. Because you won’t have extra hardware and physical equipment to maintain, you will be saving tons on expenses. With the cloud, you won’t even need to worry about having a large IT team to fix any issues. Your cloud provider will already have their own staff that you can use and enjoy! You also would not have to worry about costs related to downtime. Downtime is very rare in cloud systems, so just by using the cloud, you will be avoiding money spent on fixing issues related to downtime. 

2. Data Security

Business data, no matter the industry or size, is extremely valuable. It is very important that companies keep their files, programs, and other data safe from the outside world. Things like data breaches and security scares can devastate a company’s brand, customer loyalty, and revenue. Unfortunately, if you can remotely access your data, then what is stopping a cybercriminal from accessing it? Businesses need to rely on something much safer: the cloud! The cloud offers various security features that assure safety, trust, and reliability when you store your data. Cloud storage providers have basic protections on the data they process, like authentication, encryption, and access control. From there, most organizations increase those measures with their own boost of cloud protection! 

3. Mobility 

Resources in the cloud can quickly and easily be stored, retrieved, recovered, and processed with only a few clicks! With the cloud, users can access their files and data on the go, on any Internet-connected device, anywhere in the world. Now that’s mobility! Cloud computing allows mobile access to important data via smart devices. Not only is it time-efficient, but it is a great way to access your data on the go! All updates and upgrades are completed automatically and offsite by service providers. This saves tons of time and effort in maintaining the systems and reducing workloads. The cloud is such a great way to access your information quickly and easily.

4. Control 

Every company would benefit from having control over their own sensitive data. This is a vital piece to every organization! Access to the cloud gives businesses complete control and visibility over their data. Businesses can now decide the level of access that they have to the data. They can also decide who in their staff has access to that data. This opportunity allows the company complete control over their data and how they access that data. This control will make collaboration within staff a much easier task. Team members are able to view and share information, easily and securely across a cloud-based platform. There are really no limits to what you are able to do once you have that control. 

5. Disaster-Recovery

Losing data is a nightmare for every company. Nobody in their right mind wants that to happen! Data loss is actually a major concern for most companies, especially if their data is stored on in-house equipment. With the cloud, you won’t need to worry about it. While there may be no way to anticipate or even prevent disasters that could potentially harm your organization, you can do something to speed up your recovery. Cloud-based services are known for quick data recovery in all different kinds of situations, ranging from natural disasters to power outages to malware. With in-house equipment and hardware, you are taking your chances of losing data if your equipment is damaged. But, if you upload your data to the cloud, it remains accessible from any device with an Internet connection. Even if something happens to your personal computer, files and data on the cloud will remain safe. 

This list covers only a few of the many benefits of cloud computing. Even with this small list of benefits, it may be easy to see why so many businesses have switched from operating on their own in-house hardware to the cloud! It may also cause you to wonder why all businesses haven’t hopped aboard! Cloud infrastructures maintain environmental proactivity, improve energy efficiency, reduce computer-related emissions, power virtual services, and it also cuts down on paper waste! Using the cloud is a great way to improve your business, keep your data secure, save money and contribute to a clean environment. 

Scope

Hostirian will be working with an electrician to hook up a backup generator at our Borman Drive location while the production generator is in maintenance.

When

Start: Monday, 02/08/2021, 09:00 AM central
End: Monday, 02/08/2021, 05:00 PM central

Impact

There will be a one-hour window during the transition of generators where we will not have a generator hooked up to the building. During this time, there is a very small chance that a power outage could occur while we are hooking up the backup generator. Though, the chance of that happening is very slim. If there is any inclement weather in the area, we will reschedule maintenance for another date to ensure a smooth transition.

Reason

Hostirian is completing this maintenance to ensure the reliability of your service. We pride ourselves on clear communication, speed, accuracy, and reliability when it comes to what we do. We are committed to maintaining the undeniably remarkable customer service that we have provided for 20 years. Your satisfaction is very important to us! Thank you for your unwavering trust and patience as we complete this maintenance.

When deciding on cloud infrastructure, there are many aspects that IT managers should consider, such as cost, security, performance, availability, and reliability. While the magnitude of these aspects is extremely important when it comes to cloud infrastructure, there are a few other areas that have become increasingly important: cloud elasticity and cloud scalability. Oftentimes, people interchange these words as if they mean the same thing, but they possess very distinct differences. 

Elasticity was meant to match the sources allocated with the actual amount of resources needed at any given point in time. Scalability controls the changing needs of an application within the confines of the infrastructure by adding and removing resources to meet application demands if needed. In many cases, this is handled by scaling up or scaling out. Elasticity works well in environments with ever-changing demands, such as e-commerce, retail, SaaS, mobile, and Dev Ops. Businesses with a predictable workload may be better off using scalability. 

What is Elasticity? 

Elasticity is the ability to grow or shrink infrastructure resources dynamically as needed. This is to adapt to automatic workload changes and maximizing the use of these resources. This can result in tons of savings in infrastructure costs. Cloud elasticity is most associated with scale-out solutions (horizontal scaling). This allows for resources to be added or removed when necessary. Although this may sound great, this type of cloud asset isn’t great for every business. Businesses that do not experience sudden changes in demand may not benefit from elastic services. Basically, elastic services mean that all resources, such as hardware, Qos, software, and other resources in the infrastructure are elastic. 

Elasticity is generally associated with public cloud resources. It’s more commonly featured in pay-per-use services. This means that IT managers are not paying for more resources than they are using at a given time. 

A great example of a business that would need cloud elasticity would be retail with fluctuating seasonal activity. Think about Black Friday, Christmas, and other holidays that shoppers spend in their favorite stores. During those specific times of the year, there are sudden spikes in demand in retail stores all across the world. Instead of these retail stores spending money on permanent infrastructure capacity to hold a couple months of high load out of the year, they would benefit more by using an elasticity solution. Those stores would need that elastic infrastructure to be able to shrink and expand during those points of high demand. Investing in elasticity also allows the IT managers limitless headroom if needed. While any cloud can be made elastic, the practice is most common in a public cloud space. 

What is Scalability?

Scalability refers to the ability to increase workload size within an existing infrastructure, such as hardware or software, without impacting performance. In cloud terms, scalability can refer to the creation of additional machines. The resources allocated to support this are typically pre-determined capacity with a limited amount of headroom built in to handle maximum demand. Scalability also has the ability with additional infrastructure resources, and sometimes without a limit. 

Scalability can either be vertical (scale-up within a system) or horizontal (scale-out multiple systems). Because of this, applications have room to scale up or scale-out to prevent anything from hindering performance. Of course, there are cases where the IT manager knows that they will no longer need resources, and scale down the infrastructure statically to maintain a smaller environment. For example, a small business has a small database application supported on a server. As the business grows, so will the database and the resource demands. If a business or IT manager is able to predict the business’s growth rate, they can purchase provisioned infrastructure (network, compute, and storage) so that the database application has room to grow to its maximum capacity. Scalability is truly a steady pay-as-you-grow solution. It’s also generally delivered more readily in private cloud. 

Cloud Elasticity Vs. Cloud Scalability 

Most cloud providers solve the problem of having to choose between the two, as any cloud is capable of having elasticity and scalability. They are highly desired, after all! There are distinct differences between elasticity and scalability. When deciding which cloud service to use, it ultimately depends on your business needs. A good rule of thumb is to remember that cloud elasticity is generally delivered more readily in public cloud environments, while scalability is delivered more in private cloud environments. Hostirian allows you to effectively manage and optimize both scalability and elasticity. Not only do we optimize our infrastructures for performance and efficiency, but we also operate with our data centers on-premises so that any technical problem can be tackled immediately. If you have a cloud question or you’re interested in getting started with a private cloud environment, let us know! We are here to help!