Sunday 31 July 2011

Selecting The Best Server Hosting Provider

By Adriana Noton


Providing your own server hosting does not make sense financially for small and medium sized businesses. In fact, many larger companies do not host their own web servers, but instead outsource the work to save money. These same services are available to any business, but you need to first determine what type of system you will need to lease.

There are many different types of services available through the Internet. For a company that needs to have its website hosted, there are thousands of services available. For software as a service, or SaaS, there is a limited amount because it is more of a specialty type of service.

For SaaS, or software as a service, the provider will need to allow a different type of usage that includes secure logins, subscriptions, and possibly other services. If you are offering this as a service to your customers, the provider may need to setup a special virtual private server to handle the particular load that can occur. If it is for internal employees, the type of system will depend on the software and storage needs.

Dedicated and Virtual Private Servers are available from most web providers. These are typically for higher end users. There are several advantages to using these services. First, you do not have to share an IP address with other customers. If another customer is banned from sites for spam, the fact that they share your IP in a non-dedicated environment means you will be banned as well. You also do not have to share the load. Your customers will not be competing with other companies' customers to access the web server.

The uptime guarantee is not what it used to be. Most will offer a 99% uptime guarantee, however, they will only pay a percentage of your monthly fee. The problem is the amount of business you lose when your site is down does not compare to the credit you will received. It is important to search for a company that truly has a good uptime reputation. If there are ongoing problems with system outages, your site may be down more than expected. This has a very negative effect when customers are looking for your services.

The amount of traffic allowed should be scalable. If the host does not offer unlimited bandwidth, then you need to be sure that you can easily purchase more without interruption. In other words, if your traffic spikes suddenly, they should continue handling it for you while they bill you for the overage. Having a website stop service while they wait for payment is unacceptable because your site will go down at your peak service time.

If you are offering heavy media, you may want a dedicated server. The problem with offering video and other media hosting is that it will be a load on the system. If you are planning to offer video services, discuss this with your provider to be sure they have you on a system that can handle the extra load without interruption.

Finding a Virtual dedicated hosting provider is the easy part. Making sure they fit your needs takes some homework. First, make sure you have a good understanding of what your needs are. Then, take the time to search for a provider that can meet those needs and allow for expansion. Finally, check the company's reputation to be sure they provide excellent services.




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