This guide is here to help business owners learn all there is to know about hosted vs self-host software.
What Is a Host?
A host is a business that owns and runs software, technology or service. Specifically, one that ‘hosts’ a platform or software, which means that they own the code and servers that are needed to make the solution run and function. So, for example, if you are using a hosted website, then you are, essentially, renting space on a platform that is created by a hosting company.
What Is a Hosted Platform?
A hosted platform or software is an all-in-one solution that provides businesses with technology and or services that can be downloaded or accessed over the internet. Hosted software is installed, hosted and accessed from a remote server. This software is both hosted and managed by the software company or third-party vendor that owns the rights to the software.
Hosted software is otherwise known as software as a service, or SaaS and is a type of cloud computing model. Hosted software usually comes in the form of a subscription model, meaning that businesses will pay a monthly fee to use the service.
The service can be updated when the host company comes out with new upgrades, but businesses can’t edit or alter the software they are using independently. This inability to alter a software is one of the major complaints that business owners have with hosted software.
What Is Self-Hosted?
The idea of self-hosting is nothing new, in fact, it has been around for many years now, but major advancements have been made in recent times. Businesses that use self-hosted software don’t access the software via the cloud, but instead, maintain their own infrastructure.
There are many reasons why companies choose to use self-hosted software. Using self-hosted software can help you to save your business money as self-hosting solutions are usually much more cost-effective than their hosted alternatives.
Using self-hosted software also allows you to be much more flexible. You can manage the whole platform end to end, which means that you can transform your solution to meet your needs and increase security and data privacy.
Using a Self-Hosted Software
Many businesses are choosing to make the switch from using hosted to self-hosted software due to the many benefits of using self-hosted software. If you are new to the concepts of hosted and self-hosted software then it is unlikely that you are aware of the self-hosted alternative to popular software.
There is a self-hosted alternative to all of the most popular software that is currently being used by businesses today. Each self-hosted software offers distinct benefits, for example, the self hosted Slack alternative offers increased security and configuration, whereas, the self-hosted Microsoft Office Suite is the most cost-effective solution.
The terms hosted and self-hosted might at first seem confusing, but once you understand a little more about the technical side, the concepts become much easier to comprehend. What becomes clear, as you learn more about hosted and self-hosted software is the distinct advantages self-hosted software offers to businesses.