Cloud Hosting in Nigeria: Best Guide 2022

cloud hosting in Nigeria

Hosting , also known as storage or web hosting, is the place that your site will be occupying on the network . It incorporates a physical space that you will rent on a server, which is where your information is actually hosted and which will provide you with different resources so that you can have your site visible to any Internet user.

If you plan to have a blog or build the page for your company, this service is essential. You will be able to store all your information, such as images, emails or videos, and make your site available 24/7 anywhere in the world. It works like a computer: if you want to have files, such as text documents or presentations, you need to create and save them.

What types of hosting exist in the market

Like other types of services, web storage has different modalities that meet needs of all kinds. You can find the most basic service — for personal or small projects — to professional services that provide as many benefits as you can imagine. The important thing is that you know what you can expect from each of them.

The “Cloud Hosting” is a type of hosting that saves the data of your website in “the cloud”. To clarify the picture, the cloud is a storage technique that uses a system of several centralized servers to store information, so that if one server fails there is no problem because there are others that take action.

This type of web hosting is indicated for those more advanced users on a technical level. Also for those looking for a good value for money thanks to the scalability of the services, that is, the possibility of increasing or decreasing them as needed. It is not recommended for beginners because administration can be complicated.

Hosting WordPress

hosting in nigeria

WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for managing web content due to various reasons, including its ease of use and its versatility. Thanks to this growing popularity, dedicated storage systems have been developed exclusively for these platforms.

It offers services designed exclusively for this format and bandwidth configurations designed for these sites. This hosting is ideal for those who have projects related to websites whose content will be mostly articles and text.

The best hosting providers : our recommendations

BlueHost is one of the 20 largest web hosts in the world today, which also positions it as one of the most used. Its prestige is supported by its 16 years in the market and its great diversification.

With this company you can get web host , WordPress hosting , VPS hosting , dedicated servers and many other offers. It is a company that provides high security and services of the best category.

Mail hosting

We usually have our personal email accounts with providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, iCloud, or even Yahoo, and they are responsible for the operation of their platforms. However, when our interests are a bit more business-oriented, we can opt for another service.

  • Utility. The Mail Hosting service is ideal for creating business accounts. These project seriousness and show that your business has its own identity.
  • Advantages. It allows you to take your business email to another level, establishing particular authentication schemes. In addition, you will be able to register a domain name, in this way your email will be completely personalized.
  • Disadvantages. The service does not include the possibility of having an active website, so you will only have access to your email accounts. In addition, there are also certain restrictions regarding the number of email accounts and their storage capacity.

Is it worth hiring a specialized hosting ?

In short, yes. As new tools emerge, everything speeds up and it is necessary to take advantage of these tools so as not to be left behind.

The particularities that, for example, a WordPress hosting can offer a website on this platform are greater than those offered by a generic hosting.

Are spaces like Wix, Squarespace or WordPress.com any good?

These platforms are sites that function as a base from which you can design and manage a web page. They are known as the Website Building Platform and are really useful for users who do not know programming.

Generally, small or time-limited projects are managed from them, since they do not require too many resources and they will not be online for a long time. Making your website from them entails numerous disadvantages, which are worrying for long-term projects.

Hiring criteria

We know that choosing the “best” hosting option is a complicated task. Even more so because there is no ideal one for everyone, since the ideal service can only be determined by each client, depending on whether or not it covers their basic needs. What is a fact is that there are certain factors that you must analyze carefully:

  • Uptime or performance
  • control panel
  • Security
  • Technical support
  • Server location
  • Resources
  • SSH
  • Hard disk performance (IOPS and inodes )

Uptime or performance

domain types

Have you ever tried to access a page and instead of being able to navigate, a legend appears that says “site not available”? We hope not, but in case you have experienced it, you will understand why considering “uptime” will be crucial in your decision making.

The uptime tells you how long your website is online , that is, if it is visible or not. Check that the hosting service offers you at least 99% uptime . On the Internet there are many tools to verify the uptime and it is one of the aspects that must be checked when choosing a hosting .

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Due to maintenance issues or problems with the servers, our site may no longer be visible on the Internet. This has serious repercussions, especially as your site grows, as it can mean a significant financial or reputational loss. Therefore, it requires a minimum of 99% uptime or performance.

control panel

The control panel of a hosting service is a system that is managed with a certain operating system and that offers access to the functions of the web host. Its main mission is to give the user the ability to manage certain aspects of the server, such as databases, access statistics or web and mail services.

There are various control panels available to the user and in turn offer various services and features. Some have a friendly and easy to digest interface, while others focus on making it easy for the user to get the most out of their hosting service . Here are two very popular dashboards:

CPanel

It is the most popular control panel, since it has a very friendly user interface. Its ease of use allows even “newbies” to be able to effectively manage their servers. For example, it automatically includes the standard installation of the minimum functions that are needed.

On the other hand, it also allows you to configure the web service controller from its interface, while in other control panels you can only do this by writing commands. Unfortunately, it is not effective when working with multiservers.

H-Sphere

This is one of the most effective control panels on the market and its main benefit is that it is capable of working with multiple servers. This means that you can manage the functions of multiple servers from the same software , which is especially useful in multi-platform businesses.

It is compatible with Linux and Windows (2000-2003), so there are options for both those who prefer free and paid software . In addition, the interface is easy to use while offering you advanced configuration options. The only drawback is that the most novice users will not know how to get the most out of it.

Security

Security refers not only to the fact that no hacker enters our system, but also to whether the provider’s infrastructure ensures that only authorized users access it, that our files cannot be altered, deleted, damaged or destroyed or that they are eliminate the possibility of identity theft, among other possibilities.

The truth is that in recent years there has been a considerable increase in the theft of personal data. To avoid any type of cyber attack and guarantee the safety of users, most companies that offer hosting services integrate an SSL certificate into their packages. Let’s see its characteristics:

SSL Certificate

  • What is? It is a tool used to encrypt the information that is exchanged between computers, so that if it is intercepted by a third party it will be impossible to decrypt it.
  • Verification. We recommend that before hiring you make sure that the packages of your choice integrate an SSL. It must be indicated in the description of the package. If not, contact a sales advisor, either by chat, phone or mail.

Technical support

What would happen if you start seeing bugs in your service and you don’t have anyone to help you fix it? To tell the truth, although this factor may seem somewhat irrelevant at first glance, over time you will thank yourself for having considered it before hiring.

Technical support does not only refer to whether or not the company has any means of communication with experts on the subject. It is also important to know if the communication is in english, through what means and for what countries.

Customer service must be “24/7”, that is, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Try to find a provider that attends you and that offers chat and telephone service for urgent questions.

Server location

What influences the location of the servers in my hosting service ? Easy: on your loading speed. Although there are tools that can help you speed it up, the main factor that will determine how fast or slow your site loads will be the location of your server.

This is mainly due to the distance that the transmitted data must travel. For example, if you are in Peru, your loading speed will be better if your provider has servers in Peru or the US (which is more common). Our recommendation is that you lean towards the providers that have servers closest to your location.

Resources

Comparing the quantity and quality of resources offered in the different packages offered by providers can be easier if you have elements to compare. The resources included are almost always broken down in the description of the package and for shared hosting (which is the most contracted), this is what is required:

  • Space. This factor refers to the amount of data that we will be able to store on our site. Although all are measured in GB, the market offer is so wide that you can find those that give from 500 MB to “unlimited” space. In general, it’s not very important when you don’t want to store extreme amounts of data.
  • And you, how much do you need? It is difficult to make a precise calculation, but our recommendation is that you contract a provider that offers at least 1 GB with the option of an upgrade (change to a higher plan). Thus, if your project grows, you will not be limited in this resource.
  • RAM. Surely you have heard about it and it is essential for the good performance of your hosting . One of its main functions is to help your website load quickly, but providers often omit this information. Our recommendation is that you opt for a service that offers at least 500 MB of RAM.
  • CPUs. The CPU is basically the server’s processor and, as such, is in charge of executing all the actions indicated by the programming. Due to the important work it performs, it is essential to have a powerful CPU, capable, among other things, of handling good visitor traffic.
  • What should I pay attention to? In the case of shared servers, a few processor cores are usually allocated for each user. This usually means there are CPU usage limits, so you should keep an eye on the scripts to work well and avoid uploading resource-intensive items.
  • Bandwidth. It is the total Internet data that you can consume on your website in a given time, usually expressed in seconds. The more bandwidth, the more speed.
  • Data transfer. It is the data that you can transfer in a specific period, generally monthly. For example, 10 GB of transfer may seem like a lot, but if you consider that a video is 1 GB, ten downloads will be enough to consume the data. You should opt for an “unlimited” data transfer so you don’t have a nasty surprise at the end of the month.
  • Storage (SSD vs. HDD). The information is virtual, but it needs physical hosting to be protected, that’s why hosting services use storage devices to store data. There are two types of devices, which are the most common and effective.
  • Hard Drives HHD The HDD, by its name in English Hard-Drive Disk , are storage units that consist of several overlapping disks that rotate at high speeds and use magnetism to record information. They provide high capacity (up to 10 T) at low cost, but the data transfer speed is not the best.
  • Solid State Disks SSDs ( Solid-State Disks ) store information on microchips with interconnected memories. This provides higher transfer speed and better stability in the information structure. Their only disadvantages are that they have less storage capacity (up to 4T) and are more expensive. Our recommendation is that you opt for an SSD because it is an investment that pays off in security and performance.
  • Database. This is undoubtedly one of the aspects that has to condition your decision, since it represents the fundamentals of the information on which the website is built. And the more complex and elaborate the website is, the more databases it will need to feed off of.
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There are hosting services that offer small businesses a single database, or even none. This would be a limit for your company, so when purchasing databases consider the potential for expansion that your business offers.

SSH

Secure SHell ( SSH) is a security protocol that provides a secure and effective communication bridge between two different systems. Its strong point in terms of security lies in the fact that it makes it impossible for an outsider to access non-encrypted passwords during the connection, since it encrypts the connection session.

This protocol offers 128-bit encrypted authentication, as well as all data shared during the session, and verification of connection to the correct server through digital signatures. With this, it allows you to prevent third parties from interfering with your connection.

Hard disk performance (IOPS and inodes )

These are aspects that directly intervene in the operation of the hosting and, consequently, in that of your website. Both IOPS and inodes refer to the performance of hard drives and are related to storage and the structure of files and data, so special attention must be paid to them.

  • IOPS. For its acronym for English Input / Output Operations per second , it is the unit with which the performance of a storage unit such as HDD or SSD is measured. The indicators used to determine the transmission speed are: random read, random write, sequential read and sequential write.
  • inodes. In simple words, they are any type of file hosted on the hosting , be it a script , a log or a record. Actually, they are the indexes that direct the data and file structures inside a disk (be it HDD or SSD). They keep regular files and directories, so they are a go-to tool when in the process of data recovery.
  • And you, how much do you need? In hosting there is a limit of inodes that each user can take advantage of for their website. This determines the number of emails you have, the variety and the number of files you can host. So, you should look for a service that gives you a wide enough margin so that your site does not become stagnant.

The appropriate amount will depend on the initial expansion you have projected and future expansion. While your business is growing you can opt for few inodes , (some use as few as 4). But keep in mind that you will have to be constantly watching to remove the obsolete directories.

Closing Thought

Being on the Internet implies being part of the world and its absence is the new way of going unnoticed. But if you are an entrepreneur, you have a brand or you need promotion, you are not looking to hide and spread a thick veil, quite the opposite, so a website is like getting a billboard on the largest highways in the world. And there is no website without hosting .

From this perspective, it is possible to understand the importance of hiring a hosting service that is suitable for your needs. The main thing when you are considering a service is to define what your requirements are and be on the lookout for offers. Remember that acquiring a hosting is not an expense, but an investment.

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