Cloudways vs SiteGround 2024 – Don’t waste your money

Security Features

When it comes to keeping your website safe, understanding how different security features work and why they matter can make a huge difference. Below, I’ll break down each key security feature offered by Cloudways and SiteGround, explaining how they work and what benefits they provide for your website.

Cloudways Security Features

1. Regular OS Patches

• What It Is: Cloudways automatically applies updates and patches to the server’s operating system (OS). This helps prevent any vulnerabilities that hackers might exploit.
• Why It’s Important: Keeping the OS up to date is crucial because outdated systems can have security holes. By patching these holes regularly, Cloudways ensures your server is protected from known exploits.
• Benefit: You don’t have to worry about manually applying updates or patches, and your website stays protected against new security threats.

2. OS-Level Firewalls

• What It Is: A firewall acts like a gatekeeper between your server and the internet. Cloudways uses OS-level firewalls to block malicious traffic from reaching your website.
• Why It’s Important: The firewall helps prevent unauthorized access to your server and protects against cyber attacks, such as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks or brute force attacks.
• Benefit: By filtering out harmful traffic before it even reaches your server, your site is more secure and less likely to be attacked.

3. 1-Click Free SSL Certificates

• What It Is: Cloudways offers free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, which encrypts the data exchanged between your website and visitors. You can easily install an SSL with just one click.
• Why It’s Important: SSL certificates ensure that all data sent between your site and users is encrypted, meaning it’s unreadable to anyone who might intercept it. This is especially important for protecting sensitive data like login information or credit card details.
• Benefit: Having an SSL certificate is also a ranking factor for Google, so it helps your website’s SEO while providing users with trust signals (they’ll see a padlock icon in the browser bar).

4. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

• What It Is: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security when you log into your Cloudways account. After entering your password, you also need to verify your identity through a second method, like a code sent to your phone.
• Why It’s Important: 2FA makes it harder for hackers to gain access to your account even if they manage to steal your password. Without the second factor (like your phone or email), they can’t log in.
• Benefit: It’s a simple yet highly effective way to add an extra layer of protection to your account, making it much safer from unauthorized logins.

5. IP Whitelisting

• What It Is: With IP whitelisting, Cloudways lets you control which IP addresses can access your server for activities like SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) or SSH (Secure Shell).
• Why It’s Important: It restricts access to only trusted devices or networks. If someone tries to access your server from an unapproved IP, they won’t be able to connect, which blocks potential intruders.
• Benefit: This provides extra control over who can access your server, preventing unauthorized access even if someone knows your credentials.

6. SafeUpdates

• What It Is: SafeUpdates is a feature that lets you test software updates on a staging server before applying them to your live site. This ensures that any updates (plugins, themes, etc.) won’t break your site.
• Why It’s Important: Updates are essential for security, but sometimes they can cause compatibility issues or conflicts with your website. SafeUpdates gives you a chance to test updates before pushing them live.
• Benefit: It reduces the risk of downtime or site errors caused by faulty updates, keeping your website running smoothly and securely.

SiteGround Security Features

1. Regular Software Updates

• What It Is: SiteGround ensures that all software, including server-side software (like the operating system) and popular applications (like WordPress), is regularly updated with the latest security patches.
• Why It’s Important: Like Cloudways, keeping all software updated helps close security holes. Old, unpatched software can have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
• Benefit: SiteGround takes care of software updates, so you don’t have to worry about manually keeping everything secure.

2. Web Application Firewall (WAF)

• What It Is: A Web Application Firewall is a filter that monitors and blocks malicious traffic that tries to interact with your website. SiteGround uses a WAF to protect your website from common attacks such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting (XSS).
• Why It’s Important: The WAF helps protect your site from harmful visitors by blocking known attack methods before they can do any damage.
• Benefit: It keeps your site safer from common hacking attempts and ensures the security of your data and visitors.

3. Virtual Patches

• What It Is: When a security vulnerability is discovered, SiteGround uses virtual patches to protect your website even before an official fix is released. These patches act like temporary shields against threats.
• Why It’s Important: Virtual patches can quickly address known vulnerabilities, so your site remains protected while waiting for a proper update.
• Benefit: It’s an extra layer of security that keeps your website safe even if a bug or vulnerability is discovered and hasn’t been fully patched yet.

4. Data Access Restrictions

• What It Is: SiteGround limits access to sensitive data to only trusted personnel. They also maintain logs of who has accessed what, for better security and monitoring.
• Why It’s Important: Restricting data access helps protect sensitive information from unauthorized users, and logs provide a way to track access in case something goes wrong.
• Benefit: It prevents internal security breaches and allows for better accountability and traceability.

Verdict: Cloudways vs. SiteGround Security

Both Cloudways and SiteGround offer solid security features, but after testing both, I find that Cloudways provides a more comprehensive set of security tools. Here’s why:

• Cloudways gives you more advanced features like two-factor authentication, IP whitelisting, and SafeUpdates, which make it more hands-on when it comes to securing your website.
• SiteGround provides strong basic security tools, but it doesn’t have the same level of customization or extra layers of protection as Cloudways.

If security is your top concern and you want more control and peace of mind, I’d recommend Cloudways. It goes above and beyond to ensure your website is safe from various threats, making it the better choice for anyone who values robust security.