About CloudHosts
Additional services
Business continuity
Network infrastructure
Scalability
Security
Software
Who or what is CloudHosts?
CloudHosts focus is primarily on the provision of cloud hosted server solutions. We offer solutions on both Windows and Linuux operating systems and all cloud solutions are hosted on enterprise Dell, EqualLogic, Cisco and Microsoft technologies.
As a reseller of industry leaders UKFast, we deliver you a competitive advantage by leveraging the speed of their network and quality of their support. These products and services are aimed primarily at the UK market place and all solutions are hosted in the UK.
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What is the CloudHosts Cloud?
The CloudHosts cloud allows on-demand access to a network of shared computing resources.
Though shared, your resources are your own and as such they are easily configurable for each individual user. You are able to choose the resources you want (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and services) and they can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
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Which IT activities are suitable for the CloudHosts Cloud?
You can run any application or service on the CloudHosts Cloud computing environment that would otherwise be deployed on standard physical or virtualized infrastructure.
Applications and infrastructure from e-mail to line of business applications like CRM, can all be deployed in the cloud infrastructure. Workloads that need high volume resources for a short period of time benefit from the dynamic scalability of the cloud environment.
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What is Cloud hosting and how is it different from traditional web hosting?
Cloud hosting describes a novel way of providing server resources to customers. It is a common application of virtual hosting: unlike dedicated hosting which provides one or more servers for a single website, virtual hosting enables multiple websites to share a single server. Cloud hosting is an application of virtual hosting; it uses this sharing of servers to provide on-demand resources to customers as needed.
With traditional web hosting, a customer purchased dedicated space on a server for their a website, and this space was strictly theirs whether used or not. Cloud hosting, however, is on-demand, where virtual server space is shared among a group of users. No customer owns specific space on a server; instead, resources belong to a large pool and are distributed as needed. This has several advantages.
Virtual hosting is very cost effective. Customers avoid capital expenditures, since they are not buying physical hardware or software. Instead, server space is provided as a service, rather than being rented out. Customer pay for hosting either on a utility-based plan, where the price depends on what they used, or on a subscription, where the price is determined by the time which the customer uses virtual server space. Additionally, there are rarely setup costs up front, since server maintenance costs can be shared by all users of the space. Customers are also often able to end their hosting contracts at any time they wish.
Virtual servers are also very reliable. To ensure that customers always have access to resources as they need them, multiple redundant sites are a necessary part of cloud hosting architecture. A side effect of this is that, in the event of an outage on one server, the customer's computing needs can be redistributed to another server which has the resources they need.
Additionally, scalability improves, since cloud hosting helps prevent servers from remaining idle. Space that is not being used can easily be redistributed to a customer who needs it. A customer who needs more resources at a given moment can have them, reducing the need to engineer websites for peak load capacities. Plus, with performance monitoring and distributed grid computing available, website performance is greatly enhanced, and much more scalable.
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What hardware is used in the CloudHosts Cloud?
To ensure reliability and for your peace of mind, CloudHosts use trustworthy 'big brand' partner names including Dell and Cisco for our infrastructure:
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What Technical Support is there for the CloudHosts Cloud?
Full, 24 hour, technical support is available for servers on CloudHosts and for the operating system running on the servers as long as it has been purchased through CloudHosts.
CloudHosts also support the Plesk control panel when procured through CloudHosts. We guarantee support for you and your server 24/7/365 via ticketing system.
Speak to our team on 0800 542 2703 for more information on our award-winning support.
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What backup is available for CloudHosts solutions?
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Is there the option for periodic solution performance reporting with CloudHosts?
Every CloudHosts resident will receive a monthly performance report as standard to allow you to monitor your solution and prevent any future issues.
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What, if any, tools and options exist for monitoring with CloudHosts?
At CloudHosts we offer two forms of monitoring - Capacity Threshold Monitoring and Proactive Uptime Monitoring.
Capacity Threshold Monitoring allows you to track all threshold parameters of your server solution from CPU and memory consumption to disk utilisation. This monitoring system can be tuned deliver automatic notifications to you and the CloudHosts support team when a pre-defined threshold is reached. As part of the Silver Lining package this costs £15 per month.
CTmonioring covers:
Proactive Uptime Monitoring, when enabled, is carried out every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in 3 locations in the UK.
CloudHosts can monitor:
Alerts to the client cost £15 per month, alerts to the client and CloudHosts Support Team are only available as part of the Silver Lining package. Contact our team to find out more 0800 542 2703.
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Do CloudHosts provide DNS services as an option
SafeDNS is the domain name management facility included as standard with any CloudHosts solution. SafeDNS enables you to control what you host and where, with a user-friendly control panel.
Choose to host an unlimited number of branded domains, change MX, A-name and C-name records, carry out unlimited updates and much more. SafeDNS is designed to make DNS management simple.
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What anti-virus options exist on CloudHosts solutions?
CloudHosts protects their residents from the threat of attack with McAfee's quality, branded active virus defence. For £15 per month, per server this facility is comprehensively managed by the CloudHosts support team. We update patches in-line with releases and alerts from McAfee to ensure your security is up to date.
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Is it possible to conduct Security Audits of CloudHosts solutions?
To keep your applications and solutions on complete lock-down against cyber-crime CloudHosts offers a quarterly security audit at a cost of £15 per month.
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What kind of redundancy can CloudHosts provide for the Cloud infrastructure and any proposed solution?
Every component part of the CloudHosts Cloud has failover capability. Switches, firewalls and power supplies are paired, providing failover redundancy for your server solution.
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What would happen in the event of a physical server failure?
Automated alerts inform CloudHosts engineers of a predicted or potential server failure. The CloudHosts engineers may then initiate a live migration of clients' solutions from that physical server to other physical server(s) with no or little affect (slowing of services or no service for a couple of seconds)to the workings of client solutions.
In the event that a physical server did fail - client solutions will auto-failover to spare capacity elsewhere in the CloudHosts Cloud. In this event clients may experience up to 2 minutes (although testing so far has yielded a maximum time of only 25 seconds) downtime as a new server automatically 'powers-up', the data is transferred and the server comes back online.
Call for more information on 0800 542 2703.
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What type of resiliency can CloudHosts provide for the infrastructure and any proposed solution?
Infrastructural resilience is achieved via:
Innate Cloud ability to auto-failover to spare capacity elsewhere in the CloudHosts Cloud.
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What would happen in the event of a power failure?
Dual power supplies to all racks ensure built-in resilience. A & B feeds ensure that should power be disrupted to one feed then a continuation of service will be provided by the other.
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What would happen in the event of a failure in connectivity?
Multiple switches provide resilience of connectivity to an enormously resilient network.
Aggregated bandwidth from multiple tier 1 providers allows UKFast and CloudHosts to offer a 100% network uptime guarantee (as specified in the UKFast Cloud SLA).
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Can you provide details of data centre security including the physical/remote controls of access to staff?
Access controlled at all times.
All access authorised and recorded by designated Management.
Visitor access justified, authorised and supervised.
24x7 on-site security guards at all locations.
CCTV monitoring of external perimeter and external access points.
No externally facing windows for computer facility or sensitive processing areas.
Sensitive processing areas segregated with additional access controls.
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What are the network provisions for the data centres in which the CloudHosts Cloud resides? Who are the network carriers?
UKFast, with whom CloudHosts partner to provide the fastest network in the UK, aggregates bandwidth from the multiple tier 1 bandwidth providers. This guarantees our ability to offer 100 per cent Network Uptime.
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What is the standard bandwidth allowance for a CloudHosts Solution?
Bandwidth allowance is 'in line' with server offerings:
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Is it possible to purchase additional bandwidth?
Yes, at a cost of £1.50 per Gigabyte. Or as part of the additional service package offerings.
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How scalable are CloudHosts solutions?
Scalability is a priority in CloudHosts solution design. The inherent business continuity capabilities of cloud mean that scaling a solution at any review point is straightforward and will not impact on the operation of your solution.
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How would a client set about up-scaling or down-scaling their CloudHosts solution?
All revisions to clients' solutions should be processed via the Sales Team at CloudHosts in the first instance.
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Will a DDoS attack on one Cloud client affect all in the same environment?
Other clients may be affected by such attack. However, alerts to the CloudHosts engineers will allow the team to isolate the IP or client being attacked and move others rapidly and via live migration to spare capacity elsewhere in the CloudHosts Cloud.
In the event of some DDoS attacks the shared firewall may be rendered 'unserviceable'. This does not mean that client's data would be insecure but does mean that other clients' solutions may be denied any service.
The solution to mitigating against such attacks/effects is the employment of a dedicated firewall. If this is a concern to clients they should consider migrating to our reseller partner - UKFast; where the inclusion of dedicated firewalls as part of a solution is an option.
Call CloudHosts for more information on 0800 542 2703.
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What software does CloudHosts use?
To keep you at the forefront of the internet technology innovations, CloudHosts utilise the newest wave of R2 products from Microsoft (MS) including:
To order or get more information, go to www.cloudhosts.co.uk or call us on 0800 542 2703.
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