Features and Ease of Use
Cloud4Y offer a series of cloud-based services including cloud hosting, cloud storage, and cloud services like corporate email, cloud backups, and more.
In terms of hosting, its packages include the following core features:
- 99.982% uptime service level agreement
- Automatic backups available at additional cost
- Multiple tier III data centers
- From 1 – 246 CPU dependent on configuration
- From 1GB to 512GB memory, dependent on configuration
- Choice of Linux or Windows operating system
It has servers located in two data centers in Moscow, one in Amsterdam, and one in Germany. The data centers in Moscow are both Tier III, which means at least n+1 redundancy and an uptime above 99.982% per year. While Cloud4Y doesn’t own the data center, which can mean slower website speeds, the customer service team advised me that its staff is on-site 24/7 to manage the servers, which results in a fast response time for any technical issues.
The other really unique feature of Cloud4Y is its truly customizable plans. Using a sliding scale, you can easily configure the plan to meet your needs. Choose from 1 to 255 CPU’s, 1GB to 512GB of memory, hard drive type, 20 to 10,000 IOPs, and one to 50 dedicated IPs, as well as add-ons like email hosting, antivirus, and automatic backup. Naturally, each add-on increases the monthly price, however, it’s a really flexible way to build a plan which meets your financial situation and business goals, all the while enabling you to scale as needed.
One slight consideration is that there does not appear to be support for PHP or advanced scripting languages, which is odd because there are a lot of developer-friendly features such as terminal access, remote reboot, and SSH access.
Pricing and Support
Unfortunately, when compared to international and local companies, the pricing for their services is high. It’s important to exercise caution when customizing the base plan, as the additional add-ons and extra resource quotas can significantly increase your overall cost. However, for customers who specifically need a server located in Russia with top-quality hardware, the additional cost is deemed acceptable.
The only contract term is month-to-month and while there is no money-back guarantee on offer, there is a free trial provided for the hosting services. Prices do not include 18% VAT, which is added upon checkout.
The customer service is excellent. There is telephone, email, and live chat for sales. For technical support, there is 24/7 support for all but the cheapest plan. One small caveat – there are limitations on the support provided, which is capped at one, two, or four hours per month, dependent on your plan. If you exceed this cap, you are billed at an hourly rate. To their credit, there is a great knowledge base and the live chat operator always picks up very promptly.
