TL;DR – Hosting migration without headaches
- Hosting is an underrated success factor: even one minute of downtime costs on average over €12,000—and more for large shops.
- Typical issues: slow load times during peaks, lack of e-commerce focus, poor resilience, limited scalability, and weak support.
- A switch is worth it as soon as your current provider slows you down more than it helps.
- Risks like downtime, data loss, or misconfigurations are real—but can be minimized with clean planning, test runs, and joint preparation.
- With maxcluster the migration is structured: Planning → Preparation → Migration → Test run → Go-live → Monitoring.
- Result: more stability, performance, security, and personal 24/7 support.
Why Hosting Is a Success Factor — and When a Switch Makes Sense
Your shop is performing and your marketing is humming—but the tech is holding you back? The culprit is often the hosting. It can make the difference between success and frustration in e-commerce, yet it’s far too often underestimated.
Reality check: technical issues don’t just fray nerves—they burn cash. A recent analysis shows that a single minute of downtime averages around €12,000—and up to €20,400 per minute at large companies (source: SiteQwality).
Other sources confirm the scale of the problem: according to a New Relic report, better monitoring reduces not only downtime but also damages by millions—up to €1.6 million per hour for high-impact incidents (source: New Relic).
The takeaway: outages aren’t a mere inconvenience; they’re a real business risk. If you notice your hosting is limiting your application’s performance and stability instead of strengthening them, a switch isn’t just an option—it’s a strategic move to protect your competitiveness.
When Is a Hosting Switch Really Worth It?
Not every hosting provider will keep up with your online shop’s needs forever. What worked at the start can quickly become a bottleneck as traffic grows, your catalog expands, or new requirements emerge. A switch is especially worthwhile when your current provider slows you down more than it helps.
Typical vulnerabilities in everyday hosting
- Poor performance – especially during traffic peaks
When pages load slowly, users bounce. This is not only annoying, but also costs you money. It becomes particularly critical during sales promotions or seasonal peaks when the hosting system does not scale and loading times skyrocket. - No focus on e-commerce
Many hosting providers offer “everything for everyone” – and are therefore quickly overwhelmed by the specific requirements of Magento, Shopware, or WooCommerce. A lack of expert knowledge then leads to incorrect settings, poor performance, or even failures in live operation. - Lack of reliability
Without active/passive setups, redundancy mechanisms, or monitoring at the application level, you are on your own in an emergency. Even a single server failure can lead to hours of downtime – with a corresponding loss of revenue. - Limited scalability
Do you want more RAM, faster storage, or additional resources for a campaign at short notice? With many providers, that means downtime, new contracts, or long waiting times. That's not what flexibility looks like. - No real support
All you can reach is ticket systems or first-level support that doesn't understand your problem? That's not an option, especially for e-commerce projects with individual requirements. What you need is personal help—ideally from experts who know your environment.
Decision criteria for changing hosting providers
Warning signal | What's behind it | What matters now |
|---|---|---|
| Loading times increase significantly | Infrastructure is overloaded or incorrectly configured | Check performance analysis & server capacities |
| Failures are on the rise | Lack of redundancy, lack of resources, or configuration errors; lack of automatic remediation | Ensure high availability and proactive monitoring |
| Support responds slowly or inappropriately | The provider does not know your setup or is overwhelmed. | Rely on expert support with personal assistance |
| Scaling only possible with effort or downtime | Lack of flexibility in resource allocation | Evaluate cluster solution with real-time scaling |
| Many tools and workarounds required | Hosting no longer fits the system landscape | Consolidate infrastructure & build a specialized environment |
| High cost of troubleshooting | Complex or faulty infrastructure, lack of standards and processes | Switch to a provider with a focus on e-commerce and an efficient setup |
Tip: If several of these points apply, it's high time to think about making a change – before your shop really slows down.
What are the risks and how can you avoid them?
Changing hosting providers can solve many problems—but before you take this step, you should be aware of the potential risks. The more complex your setup, the more can theoretically go wrong. The important thing to remember is that with good preparation and the right partner, these risks can not only be reduced, but usually avoided altogether.
Downtime: when the shop is temporarily unavailable
The biggest fear factor when changing hosting providers is downtime—the time during which your shop is unavailable. In e-commerce in particular, even an hour of downtime can mean significant losses in sales. Although it is rarely possible to completely avoid a short period of downtime during the final go-live, it can be planned. If you prepare for the move professionally, you can keep the duration to a minimum and schedule it for times when there is little traffic on your shop.
Data loss: rare but serious
Another often underestimated risk is the loss of important data. This applies not only to product information, but also to customer data, orders, payment status, and logins. Data loss is usually caused by faulty exports, incomplete backups, or sloppy data migration. It becomes particularly dangerous when different systems (e.g., ERP or payment providers) are connected that have not been properly transferred. Here, too, the same applies: those who approach data migration systematically and test it in advance minimize the risk considerably.
Security vulnerabilities and configuration errors
A change always involves interference with the existing infrastructure. If configurations are overlooked—for example, in firewalls, SSL certificates, or rewrite rules—this can lead to security gaps or unexpected behavior. The same applies to cron jobs, APIs, or caching strategies. The result: the shop still works, but not as desired, or it is no longer adequately protected.
Loss of reputation due to faulty relaunch
If the move is not communicated clearly or is poorly implemented from a technical standpoint, it's not just your customers who will notice. Search engines are also sensitive to outages, broken redirects, or slow loading times after a move. Without coordinated SEO measures and technical monitoring, a poorly planned change can also have a negative impact on your visibility.
Risks are real—but controllable
Yes, changing hosting providers involves risks. But the real risk arises when you ignore these risks or choose a provider that leaves you to deal with them on your own. If you plan ahead, define clear test scenarios, and seek professional support, you can manage the risks and benefit from improved performance, security, and control in the long term.
From analysis to go-live: How to plan performance, scaling, and security when switching providers | Source: Canva
This is how the hosting migration with maxcluster works
You want to switch – but are wondering how complicated the whole process really is? Don't worry: with the right preparation and an experienced partner at your side, moving your shop will not be a risk, but a clearly structured process. Important: Migration is a joint process – we take care of the technical implementation, you provide the necessary information, coordinate tests, and give approvals. This is how the hosting change with maxcluster works – step by step.
Planning
It all starts with a short questionnaire that you will receive from our technical support team. This helps us get to know your existing infrastructure:
- Which applications need to be migrated?
- What access data (SSH, FTP, database) is available?
- Are there any cron jobs or supervisor processes?
- Which domains and DNS settings need to be taken into account?
We use this information to create a customized migration plan tailored to your requirements.
Preparation
Your personal contact will check the environment and coordinate the preparations. This also includes:
- Shortening the TTL values of your domains
- Coordinating the go-live date
- Setting up the new cluster
The aim is to reduce downtime to a minimum and make the migration as predictable as possible.
Migration
Now your application will be transferred to the new cluster – either you deploy it yourself or you leave it to us.
- We transfer web applications and databases.
- We make any necessary special configurations.
- We set up services such as cron jobs or supervisor processes.
From this point on, no further changes should be made to the live system to ensure that the final synchronization runs smoothly.
Test run
Before the shop goes live, check that everything is working properly in the new environment:
- Is the front end working as usual?
- Are interfaces such as ERP, payment, and shipping services working correctly?
- Are the shopping cart, checkout, and tracking working properly?
We support you with sample scenarios and checklists—and are always available to answer any questions you may have.
Go-live
Once everything has been tested, we will agree on a date together:
- You activate maintenance mode
- We synchronize data and files one last time
- You adjust your DNS entries with your provider
- The shop goes live
The downtime? In many cases, less than 1 hour—depending primarily on the size of the database and the DNS setup. For very large databases, it may take longer, but it remains predictable because the exact time is determined in advance of the migration.
Completion & Monitoring
After the successful migration, we will take over your system for 24/7 monitoring:
- Over 80 parameters are continuously monitored.
- Problems are detected early and reported automatically.
- You can focus on your business again.
Tip: You can find a detailed technical description of the migration process in our knowledge article: External migration to maxcluster.
Less risk, more revenue: Hosting that grows with your shop | Source: Canva
Practical, personal, high-performance: Why switching to maxcluster is worthwhile
High availability, support, tools, security, and more at a glance
A smooth migration process is just the beginning. What you can expect from maxcluster in the long term goes far beyond that: a hosting platform that is not only powerful, but also uncompromisingly reliable, secure, and personally supported.
Why our platform can do more than standard hosting
- Technology that thinks for itself: Our infrastructure is designed for high availability – with active/passive setups, redundant SSD storage, and over 80 monitoring checks that proactively respond to errors. This means your shop stays online even when others go down. You can find out more about high availability at maxcluster in our blog article – High availability for hosting online shops.
- 24/7 support from real experts: With us, you won't get stuck in a ticket loop, but will be able to speak directly to people who know what they're doing – around the clock. And we think along with you. Instead of standard answers, you get individual solutions.
- Performance that scales: Resources such as RAM or CPU can be adjusted at any time – without downtime. This means you remain fast and stable even during traffic peaks.
- Security as a basic principle: From firewall management and encrypted backups to secure access, your data is not only stored with us but also protected.
- Full control with maximum convenience: You can configure all important hosting parameters yourself via our interface – or leave it to us. Flexible, secure, and efficient.
Bonus tip: Hosting is also a security issue
High-performance hosting is only half the battle—security is just as important. Cyberattacks on online shops have long been an everyday occurrence. Shops with inadequate security, outdated infrastructure, or a lack of patch management are particularly vulnerable.
At maxcluster, security is not an add-on but a fundamental principle. Our hosting platform not only offers state-of-the-art firewall and monitoring mechanisms but also:
- Encrypted backups & fail-safe infrastructure
Regular, encrypted backups and redundant systems ensure that your data is always securely available. - 24/7 monitoring of security-related processes
More than 80 parameters are continuously monitored. This allows us to identify risks early on and respond immediately. - Secure data transmission & SSL management
All connections are encrypted—including comprehensive SSL management, which makes administration easier for you.
You can find out more about technical and organizational measures in our free e-book “IT Security in E-Commerce.”
There you will learn how to protect your shop from attacks—with checklists, examples, and practical recommendations.
For whom maxcluster is particularly worthwhile
Our hosting platform is ideal for:
- E-commerce companies using Shopware, Magento, WooCommerce, or custom frameworks
- Agencies that want to run multiple client projects with high performance and scalability
- SaaS providers and platform operators with high availability and compliance requirements
Are you looking for a partner who truly understands your setup and doesn't get in your way—but rather speeds things up? Then you've come to the right place.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions about switching hosting providers
How long does the migration to maxcluster take?
Depending on the complexity of your setup, a migration usually takes 10 to 20 business days—including planning, testing, and go-live. Important: This timeframe is based on experience and requires your active cooperation and quick feedback.
Will there be any downtime during the migration?
There may be a short period of downtime during the final go-live – usually less than an hour. Through careful preparation and the support of our team, we keep downtime to a minimum.
Do I have to carry out the migration myself?
No. You can deploy your application yourself or leave the migration to us. On request, our team will take care of the entire transfer – including configuration and monitoring.
How much does the migration cost?
The cost is €120.00 net per shop instance. For an individual quote, please contact our technical support team at beratung@maxcluster.de.
Is there a minimum contract term?
No. At maxcluster, there are no binding contracts. You remain flexible and can decide each month.
Conclusion
Unstable hosting costs more than just your nerves—it slows down your business. But switching to a powerful provider doesn't have to be risky. If you realize that your current host no longer meets your requirements, now is the right time to make a change.
With maxcluster, you not only get a highly available infrastructure, but also personal support, scalable performance, and maximum control. The move is accompanied step by step – so you can concentrate on what matters: your success in e-commerce.
Are you planning to switch but don't want to take any risks?
Our technical consulting team will show you how to move your shop safely, quickly, and stress-free: beratung@maxcluster.de
