I’ve been in the hosting industry for over 15 years and my relative’s eyes still glaze over when I try to explain what I do.
People use the internet every day to check email, look at websites, and consume online videos but the underlying infrastructure is still a mystery. Throw in the overhyped term “cloud” – which is used to describe practically anything that is hosted – and things become even more confusing for everyone.
My go-to way to describe what we do has always been to use a housing analogy, and during the //BUILD 2014 conference Scott Hanselman used the same method to describe the differences between Cloud Websites and Virtual Machines as the difference between staying in a hotel room vs. owning your own home.
In this post I’m going to use a housing analogy to explain conceptually the differences between shared hosting, VPS, Dedicated hosting and our Everleap cloud.
Shared Hosting
Traditional shared hosting is what we do at DiscountASP.NET. You can think of it like living in a dormitory. You get your own room that you can furnish however you’d like, but you share the bathroom, lounge and hallways with other people. If one of your neighbors is playing loud music then that could keep you up at night!
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting is similar to living in a condominium. You get your own bedroom, kitchen and bathroom and you can design your space to fit your lifestyle. But you are still surrounded by neighbors. You’re responsible for your condo maintenance – if your plumbing springs a leak, you have to fix it. And you can still have that noisy neighbor who keeps you up at night or one that throws a lot of big parties making it hard for your guests to find a parking spot.
Dedicated Hosting
Hosting on a dedicated server is like owning your own home. Of course it’s more expensive but you can design your space however you like. But like any homeowner, you are fully responsible for the maintenance and security of your home. And if you need to move, it’s not easy.
Everleap
Hosting at Everleap is like staying at a boutique hotel. Whenever you show up at Everleap, we have a room for you. If you need a suite, no problem, there’s one ready for you right now. If you will be having guests, we can give you two or three rooms. If you’re feeling cramped and crave more square footage than our standard rooms, you can move to a grand suite. Hosting a really big party? Here, take the keys to the penthouse suite. Oh, and whenever you move to a new room, we’ll take care of all the luggage.
We know that a boutique hotel isn’t for everyone. It’s not as inexpensive as the dorm, and you can’t rearrange the walls or plant apple trees in the yard the way you can in your own house. But if you’re looking for ease, flexibility and luxury, we’re open all night. Drop by and check the place out.
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