Cloud hosting promises several benefits. However, the advantages are subject to selecting the best hosting plan for your requirement. There are a wide range of options available when choosing hosting plans. You can opt for shared hosting, VPS hosting or private and dedicated hosting. If it is a Linux operating system you have, you can opt for a Linux shared hosting plan.

Before you can start off with a shared hosting plan, it is important to assess your needs and requirements and evaluate the plan in all fairness. Remember, the plan you have chosen should fulfill and satisfy your needs, without which the entire process of plan selection goes for a toss. Here are some questions to ask.

Need Assessment

First begin by asking yourself a few questions.

• Why do you need hosting?—It could either be for storage purposes or for ensuring that your customers can access data more easily. Hosting can also be sought for convenient mutual sharing.
• What is the kind of budget you have in mind?—Choices are largely defined by the budget you have in mind. Linux shared hosting could be one of the best choices to consider. VPS is a medium priced option and private and dedicated hosting is the most high end options available for hosting purposes.
• What kind of data do you deal with?—Well, if you are dealing in data that is largely private and confidential, you may, need an exclusive hosting plan like private hosting for instance. However, if the data is not private and confidential in nature, a shared hosting plan could well serve the purpose.

A Linux shared hosting plan is best suited for Linux based systems and for companies that do not deal with private data and needs to keep to a thin budget.

Assessing a Linux Shared Hosting Plan

A shared hosting plan should be assessed on the following parameters:

The stability of the server platform: Always choose a reputed and stable server platform. Considering that a lot would depend on the nature of server you have chosen, it is wise to associate with a good brand name.
The Number of Users: Knowing the number of users you are sharing your server platform with would also help. Although this information is not mandatory, it is always good to know.
The Nature of Support: In most cases, you will need very little support for your Linux shared hosting plan. The entire server platform would be managed by your service provider. However, in an event of a problem like not being able to log into your cloud server account, you should be able to access help as soon as possible. It is important to have service numbers handy with you so that you can reach out in a jiffy.

Whether you opt for Linux shared hosting, virtual private hosting plans or private hosting, it is important to choose a good hosting service provider for the same. Remember, cloud server hosting is all about convenience. And it all depends on the nature of service extended to you by hosting companies.