If you are running your own website then it can sometimes be tricky to define exactly how much traffic you expect to get and predict spikes in demand from consumers. This is especially true for businesses where sudden changes to your usual engagement levels from consumers can really catch you out. Being able to respond quickly to this situation is key and something that you need to think about seriously. If not, then it could really impact on your businesses long-term performance.
What is auto scaling?
For many businesses, reacting to spikes or drops in site traffic is a manual process. You would first have to predict or wait for it to occur and then manually adjust your hosting set-up as required in terms of factors like CPU and memory usage. While this is fine, it does give you an extra job to do and relies on you reacting quickly enough to do it in time.
The latest solution to this issue for any virtual server you may have is auto scaling. It is actually quite simple and does what it says on the tin! It is a cloud computing development that allows your virtual server to automatically scale its requirements up or down. As it does this automatically within pre-defined parameters, you do not have the hassle of doing it yourself every time. Auto scaling also allows for instances that are new to be easily dealt with for a more consistent performance.
Why should you think about using auto-scaling?
If you are wondering if auto scaling is a good choice for your virtual server, there are certainly some great reasons to recommend it. Firstly, it can take away the unpredictable nature of web hosting in the cloud and the guesswork around what demands you may need covering. Your server will simply scale up or down to exactly what it needs at the time. It will also make your business far more agile and able to respond quickly to changes in your market or customer demand.
The added bonus of this is that it will save you money in the long run too! As you only pay for what you use, you will probably end up paying less than on a rigid contract where you spend the same each month. Any business owner will know how vital it is to cut costs where possible and this is a great way to do just that.
What else does it offer?
A major plus point for auto scaling on your virtual server is that it will save you having to waste precious working time on manually adjusting your requirements every time you notice a spike or drop in your web traffic. It is also especially great for one man band style businesses where you may not have an IT person to make any manual changes for you. With auto scaling, you can easily make sure your hosting is exactly how it needs to be without needing to know any complicated IT processes.
In essence, auto scaling is a great tool for making things that little bit easier and simpler for managing your web hosting. This not only saves you getting stressed out from having to monitor traffic all the time but also frees you up to spend more time on your core business or role.
Let catalyst2 help out
Here at catalyst2, we offer auto scaling for your virtual server as part of our services. If you would like to know more about this or have any questions, please give us a call today. As experts in the field of web hosting, our award winning customer service team can answer any questions in this area you may have.
