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SEO Web Hosting

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

When launching a website that you wish to aim at a large audience, SEO is likely to be one of the biggest parts of your marketing campaign in order to get your new website well known to your target audience across the internet. Search engine optimization is the task of preparing a website for indexing by search engines; it is done in such a way to achieve the highest ranking possible with particular target keywords so that the website itself appears high in search engine listings for the desired keywords. There are quite a few different SEO methods that you can take advantage of to benefit your website. Web hosting providers are able to offer web hosting services that are specifically targeted at those who wish to carry out large scale SEO campaigns since there are also changes that you can make to the way that your website is hosted in order to gain a higher search engine ranking. Although SEO web hosting services are slightly more expensive due to the extra features that they have to offer, if you wish to conduct a successful SEO campaign then you will find an SEO web hosting package to be highly beneficial in allowing you to achieve this.

The first part of any SEO campaign is identifying the keywords that you wish to target with the result being gaining a higher placing in search engine results for those particular keywords. Part of this will also be identifying your main target audience. Once you have identified your target audience, you will want to identify them by location so that you can choose the correct location for your SEO web hosting services. It is important to remember that the closer your website is hosted to your target audience physically, the faster your website will load for them when they visit any of your web pages. Loading speed can be seen as an important factor as if your website doesn’t load in around 3 seconds, your visitors are likely to move on to another website that can provide them with the information that they require.

The main benefit of using SEO web hosting, which is usually based around dedicated server hosting, is that you can come to expect a high level of reliability from your SEO web hosting service meaning that your website or websites will always be available for indexing by search engine robots. Since robots only crawl a website on the rare occasion in its early stages of existence, it is important for your website to always be available so that there is something there for the robots to index and this will allow for your website to appear in the search engine listings for the specific keywords that you wish to target easily and quickly. The higher level of reliability is aided by the isolation offered as if you don’t have to share your website hosting environment with anyone else, you won’t have to worry about the overall reliability of your hosting service as you will only need to monitor your own website.

An SEO server will also be able to provide you with a dedicated IP address for your website, something that search engines will also favour as it shows to them that you are using a dedicated server for your website hosting services which will help to aid uptime and reliability. When using a dedicated IP address you are also provided with the facility to set reverse DNS on your IP addresses to any hostname of your choice; this will allow you to air an extra level of professionalism if you set the reverse DNS on your main dedicated IP address to be the domain name of your main website. Although such measures may only seem small, it is important that you put in all the effort you can in order to make your SEO campaign successful.

In conclusion, SEO web hosting services are ideal for businesses that wish to conduct large sale SEO campaigns in order to increase the effectiveness of their online presence in bringing in new customers in. Although SEO web hosting services are more expensive because they are usually based around dedicated servers, they are highly effective meaning that the cost is usually justifiable as they represent good value for money.

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Reseller Hosting vs. Server Hosting

Monday, August 16th, 2010

When starting your own web hosting business, you are likely to have to make the choice between reseller web hosting and server hosting in order to provide your web hosting clients with the web hosting services that they purchase from you. Reseller web hosting is a form of shared web hosting whilst server hosting will be able to offer you your own dedicated web hosting environment; this key difference means that server hosting services offer very different features when compared to reseller hosting services thus enforcing the idea that you should carry out a lot of research if you are stuck with deciding between the two. If you are going to be offering web hosting services to others then you will want to be sure that you can offer your web hosting clients the best in terms of reliability and security since these are the two main expectations that people are going to have of you and your web hosting business. The pricing points of both forms of web hosting are also incredibly varying with reseller web hosting being the cheapest, but at the end of the day it is going to be the choice between a web hosting package that is easier to manage and a web hosting service that can offer you a lot for the price.

A reseller web hosting service is effectively a shared web hosting account that allows you to create other shared web hosting accounts based on the resources that you have assigned to your account and any pre-prepared web hosting plans that you have put together yourself. The main benefit of using a reseller web hosting account is that you won’t have to worry about the maintenance of the hosting server as this will be taken care of by your web hosting provider; however, at the same time this can also be a disadvantage since it means that you have to share the hosting server with standard shared web hosting users and in most situations there will be quite a few of them.

Server hosting on the other hand will be able to offer you a lot more as you will be providing with a dedicated web hosting environment. Dedicated web hosting environments provide you with a basic on which you can install any applications of your choice, thus allowing you to customize your VPS server or dedicated server so that it meets your requirements properly; however, you should still bare in mind that you are going to be offering your own web hosting services meaning that you should make the most of this benefit by securing your server to an acceptable level. The main disadvantage to using server hosting is that you are going to have to pay more for a VPS server or dedicated server than you would have to for a reseller web hosting package; this may be a problem if you have little starting capital, but you do need to consider the long term benefits of using server hosting over reseller web hosting.

At the end of the day you will also need to consider how often you wish to upgrade your web hosting service as reseller hosting packages are going to have a more frequent upgrade cycle over VPS servers or dedicated servers. Reseller web hosting packages do come with reasonable resource allocations that will allow you to host a good number of web hosting clients under a single web hosting package. VPS servers and dedicated servers on the other hand will come with much larger resource assignments that will allow you to host a greater number of users and with larger resource assignments. In any situation the likelihood is that you are going to need to upgrade a reseller hosting account sooner than you would with a VPS server or dedicated server.

A server hosting service may be able to provide you with a higher level of uptime than a reseller web hosting service and after all, you will have more control over the reliability of a VPS server or dedicated server than you would with a reseller web hosting package. A server hosting service will provide you with the facilities that will allow you to fully manage all of the web hosting accounts hosted on your server; if there is a web hosting client of yours that is compromising the reliability of your server then you can simply suspend or terminate their account to prevent further inconvenience to your other web hosting clients. When using a reseller hosting package, your clients’ web hosting services as well as your own reseller hosting account are going to be hosted alongside other reseller web hosting account and shared web hosting accounts, none of which you will have any form of control over; this means that if another account on the same server as yours is causing high loads, you can’t do anything about it.

The security of reseller web hosting services can’t always be guaranteed either because of the number of users that your web hosting provider is going to be hosting per single server although for the most part there are likely to be good levels of security in place. If you choose to use a server hosting service then you take advantage of the isolation that is offered by securing your VPS server or dedicated server to a level that is acceptable to both you and your clients – you need to consider that if any of the data that your clients are hosting is compromised through means other than them leaking their password, you will be held responsible.

In conclusion, reseller web hosting may be at the cheaper end of the scale but it does come with its disadvantages and you will need to weigh these up against the benefits to see if reseller web hosting really is for you. Server hosting on the other hand can be provide you with an isolated, dedicated web hosting environment albeit at a higher price, but in the long term you are unlikely to need to upgrade a server as often as you would need to upgrade a reseller hosting account.

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Advantages of VPS Hosting

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

A VPS server is seen as the form of web hosting that falls in between reseller web hosting and dedicated server hosting when you consider the features and resource assignments that a VPS server will be able to offer. The price that you pay for a VPS server will vary greatly depending on the specifications of your chosen server; the good thing is that more web hosting companies will allow you to customize the specifications of your VPS server during the order process resulting in a VPS server that will suit your requirements perfectly meaning that you won’t end up paying for resources that you don’t really need as this is a problem that can sometimes arise when using dedicated web hosting. A VPS server will be able to provide you with a higher level of uptime than you may be use to if you are using shared web hosting or reseller web hosting as a VPS server will provide you with your own dedicated web hosting environment; this means that the actions of others are unlikely to influence the reliability of your web hosting environment that much meaning that you will only need to keep an eye on your own resource consumption.

A VPS server will be able to provide you with your own dedicated web hosting environment meaning that you will be able to install any applications of your choice on your VPS server without having to worry about affecting the performance of anyone else’s websites; furthermore shared web hosting services won’t allow you to install your own applications. If you have chosen a Windows VPS hosting service then you will be provided with Remote Desktop Access whilst SSH access is provided if you have a Linux VPS server; in either situation access to your server using either method will provide you with direct access to the heart of your VPS server hosting service.

Reliability is another benefit of using VPS server hosting as the dedicated web hosting environment coupled with your own guaranteed resources will allow you to come to expect a higher level of uptime from your new web hosting service than would be achievable when using a lower end form of web hosting. High uptime is something that most businesses are now coming to expect from any web hosting service that they use and so it is important for web hosting providers to be able to meet this demand. However, it is important to note that in some situations where the hosting node’s CPU is shared between all of the VPS servers, you may have problems with regards to a single VPS server overloading the entire hosting node.

If you are currently using a shared web hosting service then you can be sure that you will be able to achieve a more acceptable level of security when using a VPS server hosting service. The dedicated web hosting environment that you are provided with will allow you to install any security applications of your choice on your VPS server meaning that you will be able to secure it to a level that suits your requirements. Furthermore you will also be able to take any additional security measures that you see as appropriate as you won’t have to worry about affecting the performance of anyone else’s servers.

The performance of a VPS server is related to the dedicated resources that you will have available to use on your VPS server. Every VPS server hosted on a node will have its own guaranteed resources that are in fact part of the hosting node’s overall resources; however, the point is that no other VPS servers will be able to make use of these guaranteed resources.

In conclusion, a VPS server will be able to provide you with many advantages when compared to what lower end forms of web hosting because of the features that are on offer, although you can also benefit when using a VPS server instead of a dedicated server because of the price of a VPS server when compared to that of a dedicated server. VPS server hosting is only useable to a certain extent and when you find that your requirements start to outstrip what your VPS server can offer, you may wish to upgrade to a dedicated server.

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Linux Web Hosting

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

The most basic form of web hosting offered by most web hosting providers is going to be Linux shared web hosting services, and even then web hosting providers offer Linux distributions as an optional web hosting platform with most other forms of web hosting. Linux is seen as the most secure and most reliable web hosting platform available and will allow you to host a large number of websites on a low to mid-specification server without having to worry about the uptime or stability of either the server or the websites. Linux web hosting services are very cheap and can offer you many benefits; Linux can be used on VPS servers and dedicated servers meaning that if you are looking for a low-cost dedicated web hosting service, you should consider using the Linux operating system over a version of the Windows operating system.

What are the advantages of using Linux web hosting?

There can be many advantages to using Linux web hosting, although this will depend on exactly what your requirements are and what you are plan on using your Linux web hosting service for. Some of the main advantages of using Linux web hosting services include:

  • Cost – the price of most Linux web hosting services is the main attraction for mot since they are able to offer excellent value for money and Linux shared web hosting packages are ideal for those who are after web hosting on a shoestring budget – the main reason for Linux web hosting services being so cheap is the fact that web hosting providers don’t have to pay for the Linux operating system as it is open source and therefore free to use – all Linux web hosting services can be found for a very low price regardless of whether you are looking for a shared web hosting package or a dedicated server, but at the end of the day you do need to consider that the prices of web hosting services will go up with the higher the form of web hosting you choose to use
  • Security – a Linux web hosting environment will be able to offer you a higher level of security than a Windows web hosting environment and this is one of the reasons why most people tend to consider Linux web hosting services over Windows web hosting services – there are many security measures that can be taken on Linux servers to help ensure the security of both the server and the websites that the server is hosting with most tools allowing you to stop attacks that are aimed directly at the server as well as any that may be attempted through hosted websites that have been coded insecurely – however, these applications and modules need to be installed and configured correctly if they are going to be of any use which means that if you choose a Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server, experience with server management would be ideal
  • Reliability – the reliability of a web hosting service is an important factor for businesses these days as they want to be sure that their website will always be available to use when it needs to be – Linux is probably the most reliable server operating system available as the operating system itself and most of the applications available make good use of the server’s resources – open source operating systems and applications can also have their core modified so that they are optimized to make more effective use of the resources that they have available, leaving some available for when the server suffers load spikes.

The advantages of Linux web hosting show that a Linux web hosting package will be able to meet the needs of most users, but it is important to consider that Windows web developers will only be able to use Windows web hosting services therefore meaning if your website has been developed using Microsoft technologies, you shouldn’t consider Linux web hosting.

What are the disadvantages of using Linux web hosting?

There can also be disadvantages to be aware of when considering Linux web hosting, although the low cost means that they are unlikely to impact you greatly if you are using a Linux shared web hosting package. The main disadvantages that you could face when using a Linux web hosting service include:

  • Microsoft services support – a Linux web hosting server will not be able to support popular Microsoft technologies such as classic ASP and ASP.NET, nor will you be able to host databases that have been created in Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL Server – as both ASP scripting frameworks and Microsoft database systems have commercial value, websites that have been developed using either will only function correctly on Windows web hosting servers and this can be an added cost since Windows web hosting services are generally more expensive than Linux web hosting services – if any Linux web hosting service claims to support any of the aforementioned technologies then the chances are that the support offered is either very limited or it is just a selling gimmick
  • Security restrictions – in some situations, the security measures that are put in place by web hosting providers actually have a negative impact and instead affect the performance of the websites that are hosted on the server concerned – if you find that the security restrictions put in place by your web hosting provider affect the performance of your website then you may wish to consider another web hosting provider for your requirements since in most situations web hosting providers are unwilling to back down over the security measures that they implement.

In conclusion, Linux web hosting can be highly effective for those who are on a budget but wish to be able to make the most of what web hosting has to offer. You can purchase anything all the way from a Linux shared hosting service all the way up to a Linux dedicated server meaning that whatever your level of requirement may be, there will be a Linux web hosting service available for you.

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Server Hosting Service

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Server hosting services are able to provide you with many benefits over traditional shared web hosting services, the main one being that you will be provided with your own dedicated web hosting environment meaning that you are offered greater flexibility. Most web hosting providers are able to supply you with a wide variety of VPS servers and dedicated servers, all of different specifications meaning that there will always be something available to fit your requirements. You will also be offered the choice between Windows servers and Linux servers in most situations meaning that you will always be able to find a VPS server or dedicated server that uses the operating system that you require; it is important for there to be that choice there since the requirements of some businesses may mean that they are only able to use one particular operating system.

What are the advantages of using server hosting services?

A VPS server or dedicated server will be able to provide you with a number of different benefits, although it is important for you to be able to justify the cost of a server hosting service if you wish for it to represent good value for money. The main advantages of using server hosting include:

  • Dedicated web hosting environment – a VPS server or dedicated server will be able to provide you with your own dedicated web hosting environment that will allow you to install any applications of your own choice on your server – this helps to ensure that you are able to configure your server hosting service to function in the way that you want it to, granted that you have root or administrator access to your server – if you choose to go for a Windows server hosting service then you will be able to access your dedicated hosting environment via Remote Desktop, but if you have chosen a Linux server hosting service then you will be able to do the same using SSH instead
  • Reliability – a server hosting service will be able to provide you with a higher level of reliability which will lead to greater uptime, thus meaning that the high price of server hosting services is justified – high uptime web hosting services are highly beneficial to businesses that rely on their websites for a source of income in one way or another as it means that they can then maximize their chances of making good money from their website – the fact that you are provided with your own resources means that you won’t have to worry about other users affecting the uptime of your website
  • Security – the dedicated web hosting environment provided by a server hosting service will allow you to achieve a higher level of security since you will be able to secure your VPS server or dedicated server to a level that matches your requirements – you will also find that you won’t have to share any portion of your server with anyone else meaning that you won’t have to worry about the security of any other web hosting accounts or websites, just the security of your own.

The advantages of server hosting services show that businesses stand to benefit greatly from the use of a dedicated server or VPS server. It is important to note that in order to make the most of a VPS server or dedicated server you will need to be able to manage it properly, or have the provisions in place to ensure that it is managed properly.

What are the disadvantages of using server hosting services?

There can also be disadvantages to using server hosting services that you need to be aware of since you may find that after reviewing the situation, another form of web hosting may be more suitable for your requirements. The main disadvantages of using a VPS server or dedicated server can include:

  • Price – using any server hosting service is going to be expensive as you are paying for resources that aren’t supplied with cheaper forms of web hosting such as shared web hosting packages – a VPS server can be seen as a cheaper alternative to a dedicated server but it is important to note that a VPS server is only a virtual form of web hosting whereas with a dedicated server you will be provided with your own physical server that you won’t have to share with anyone else
  • Server management – with a VPS server or dedicated server it is important for you to be able to manage it properly so that you are able to make the most of your server hosting service – if you feel that you don’t have the skills required to be able to manage a server properly then you may wish to consider a managed server hosting service – although managed server hosting will cost you more, it does provide you with an opportunity to ensure that your server is managed properly meaning that everything will function correctly.

In conclusion, a server hosting service will be able to offer you a higher level of uptime which is what most businesses require. A secure hosting environment will also aid you if you are going to be using your website for the processing of personal data such as credit card information.

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Linux Server Hosting

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

VPS servers and dedicated servers that have Linux installed are available from many web hosting providers as Linux is a popular option for those who are on a low budget and require the biggest bang for the buck from their dedicated hosting service. Linux server hosting is a good place to start if you are going to be using a VPS server or dedicated server for the first time since Linux servers can be fairly easy to manage. Linux servers have also been proven to be much more reliable and secure than Windows web hosting servers meaning that for a much lower price you will get a web hosting environment that will provide you with far less worry than a Windows server would.

What does the term ‘Linux server hosting’ refer to specifically?

Linux server hosting is a term that generally covers the two following forms of web hosting:

  • Linux VPS server hosting – Linux VPS servers are the cheapest option for those who require low-cost Linux server hosting – you are provided with the same advantages of a Linux dedicated server to a good extent, just for a lower cost
  • Linux dedicated server hosting – a Linux dedicated server will provide you with levels of security and reliability that aren’t achievable with any other forms of Linux web hosting – on top of this you will also be offered your own physical server meaning that you won’t have to share any of your resources with anyone else.

What are the advantages of using Linux server hosting?

Linux server hosting can provide businesses and individuals who require powerful web hosting services with a secure web hosting environment capable of effectively meeting their requirements within their budget. The main advantages of Linux server hosting include:

  • Cost effective – Linux VPS servers and Linux dedicated servers are usually very cost effective since they can provide you with good resource assignments for a relatively low amount of money – the fact that Linux is an open source operating system means that it is free to use and can help you to save on certain costs, and most of the system applications that you are likely to be using daily such as PHP and MySQL Server are also open source
  • Flexible hosting environment – Linux servers are much more flexible and easier to manage than Windows servers meaning that you can easily create a web hosting environment that will function precisely in the way that you want it to – the open source nature of Linux and many of the applications available for the platform means that you can edit the source code of a particular application or part of the operating system so that it runs exactly how you want it to meaning that you can tweak performance if you wish to
  • Resource usage – Linux distributions are generally much more aware of the resources allocated to the server that they are installed on at the time meaning that they use them much more effectively – this is going to be of benefit to you if you have a low specification Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server because it will mean that you have more resources free to use, but if you have a high specification Linux VPS server or dedicated server then the chances are that you are going to have plenty of spare resources anyway.

What are the disadvantages of Linux server hosting?

You are going to be paying a considerable amount of money for any VPS server or dedicated server regardless of the operating system that you are going to use meaning that it is important for you to be aware of the disadvantages of your chosen hosting platform. The main disadvantages of using Linux include:

  • Management – a Linux server may prove to be hard to manage if you aren’t familiar with command line interfaces since for most the only way to manage a Linux server is going to be via SSH – if you feel that managing your Linux VPS server or Linux dedicated server is going to cause problems then you can always consider managed server hosting
  • Compatibility issues – if you are planning on using a Linux server for the hosting of classic ASP or ASP.NET based web pages then you may wish to reconsider your decision since scripts and web pages created using either will only function correctly in Windows web hosting environments.

In conclusion, Linux server hosting can provide businesses and individuals with a low cost and highly effective form of web hosting. Linux servers are best used for the hosting of PHP and MySQL based websites since both applications function best on Linux servers; however, other applications available for Linux VPS servers and Linux dedicated servers include the popular cPanel control panel which will allow you to offer your own web hosting services.

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Managed Web Hosting

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Managed hosting services are recommended for businesses who need to be sure that their web hosting services will be handled properly but don’t have a dedicated IT department as well as for individuals who may require a certain form of dedicated web hosting but don’t have the necessary experience that would allow them to manage their hosting service properly. Managed web hosting services have become more popular recently as web hosting providers increase the size of their support teams to cope with the added level of support that is required; however, this addition of highly knowledgeable support teams who are available 24×7 has meant that even those capable of managing their own web hosting service have chosen to use managed web hosting purely to save them time.

What are the advantages of using managed web hosting?

Managed web hosting can provide you with many advantages, especially if you choose to go for a VPS server hosting service or a dedicated server hosting service. The main advantages of using managed web hosting include:

  • Flexibility – managed web hosting services can provide you with the flexibility to focus on tasks that are more important to you such as the running of your business since you will be able to leave the management of your server hosting service in the hands of your web hosting provider – if you choose a web hosting provider that can offer you 24×7 web hosting support then you are also offered the added flexibility of being able to contact a knowledgeable support tea when you want to
  • Professional support – a managed web hosting service will also mean that your web hosting provider can offer you a high level of professional support that you will be able to rely on – when dealing with a VPS server or a dedicated server it is important to ensure that you receive a high level of technical support so that you can be sure that your server is being managed properly, but when using lower forms of managed web hosting it is equally important so that you can be sure that you are receiving good value for money
  • Simplicity – using a managed web hosting service can also provide you with simplicity since it means that you will not need to have any previous experience of using web hosting as it can all be left to your web hosting provider’s support team – as a managed hosting customer you will be able to rely on your web hosting provider’s support team for any issue that may arise with your managed web hosting service.

The main advantages of using managed web hosting show that it may be worth investing in a managed web hosting package if you are going for a VPS server or a dedicated server but won’t have the time to manage it properly. Similarly, if you just require assistance with setting up your web hosting account then managed web hosting may also be beneficial.

What are the disadvantages of using managed web hosting?

Managed web hosting services also come with their disadvantages that you should be aware of so that you are able to make an informed choice as to whether managed web hosting is the right form of web hosting for you. The main disadvantages of using managed web hosting include:

  • Cost – a managed web hosting service is going to cost you more than an unmanaged web hosting service since you need to take into account the cost of having support staff available when you require them – managed web hosting services are generally cost effective for individuals and smaller businesses who are unable to afford to have dedicated personnel managed their web hosting services
  • Unnecessary in some cases – managed web hosting may not always be necessary if you feel that you already have the technical knowledge that will allow you to manage your chosen web hosting package properly – if your are a larger business then the likelihood is that you will be able to use your existing IT department for the management of your web hosting services.

In conclusion, managed web hosting is worth the investment if you are going to be using a fairly expensive web hosting package such as a high end VPS server or a dedicated server. However, if you are already capable of managing a server then you may wish to save yourself some money by choosing an unmanaged web hosting service.

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Secure Web Hosting

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

A secure web hosting service will be able to provide you with a fully flexible web hosting environment that is capable of meeting your requirements but can provide you with the security to ensure that hackers are unable penetrate or view any of the data contained within your web hosting account. Many measures are taken by web hosting providers to ensure the security of their customer’s web hosting accounts; as data security is becoming more important the security of web hosting servers is increasing, and most web hosting providers are now able to offer levels of security to a point where it is almost impossible for hackers or malicious attackers to gain entry to web hosting servers.

What factors help to guarantee the security of a web hosting service?

There can be several factors that will affect the security of your chosen web hosting service, although the affect that these factors will have is going to be dependent on the form of web hosting that you have chosen. Such factors could include:

  • Server security – there are many server-side measures that a web hosting provider can take to help ensure the security of both the server and the web hosting accounts hosted on that server – security measures are normally in place to ensure that attacks can’t be carried out using weak scripts that have been poorly coded although there are normally other much more basic security applications such as firewalls in place to help guarantee server security in Windows web hosting environments and Linux web hosting environments
  • SSL certificates – any reputable web hosting provider should be able to provide SSL protection for any web based services that you may be using for the management of your web hosting account – the encryption of information that is transferred between your machine and the servers that you are using to manage your website is important since if this information is unencrypted then it won’t take much for a hacker to intercept this connection which in turn would allow them to inject or read data
  • Form of web hosting – some forms of web hosting can be more secure than others and it is important for you to remember this if security is one of the main factors that you wish to receive from a web hosting service – dedicated web hosting services that will be able to offer you your own web hosting environment are going to be the most secure since you will be able to secure these to a level that suits your requirements whereas a shared web hosting service is likely to be less secure since you are sharing the web hosting environment with other users.

By considering the above factors in a web hosting service, you will be able to deduce the security of a web hosting package.

Does my choice of web hosting platform affect the level of security that I’ll receive?

There are many different views on the levels of security that Linux web hosting environments and Windows web hosting environments can offer; the bottom line is that the level of security that you are offered will be dependent on how well the web hosting server is managed.

In what situation should I consider a dedicated web hosting service for the sole purpose of website security?

Dedicated web hosting services are the best web hosting packages for you to consider if you are after a web hosting service that will be able to offer you a high level of security. A VPS server can provide you with the same type of web hosting environment as a dedicated server for a lower cost; dedicated server hosting on the other hand will allow you to have your own physical web hosting environment which could be beneficial for larger businesses.

In conclusion, secure web hosting services are an important part of the web hosting industry since they are there to meet the requirements of larger businesses whose websites will be handling high levels of personal data. Although shared web hosting packages can offer a certain level of security, if you wish to be sure that your data is going to be safe then you should consider VPS server hosting or dedicated server hosting for your requirements.

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Managed Server Hosting

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Managing a server can be a hard task for some people, and in other situations users simply don’t have the time to manage their own VPS server or dedicated server; if you fall into this category then you may wish to consider managed server hosting services for your requirements. Managed server hosting services provide you with a VPS server or dedicated server that is of a specification that suits your needs but takes away the complicated addition of server management and hands that over to your web hosting provider’s experienced support team. Managed VPS servers and managed dedicated servers are available from most larger web hosting providers who are able to offer the support agents to deal with any issues that may arise.

What are the advantages of using managed server hosting?

Managed server hosting can provide you with many benefits since it can take away the stress that is associated with server management, regardless of whether you choose to go for a Linux server or a Windows server. Some of the main advantages attributed to using managed server hosting include:

  • Higher level of security – if you choose to go for a managed server then your web hosting provider should be able to provide you with certain services such as securing your server on your behalf – although securing a Windows server or a Linux server can be easy, by having it done professionally you can be sure that it will be done to a high level that will be able to guarantee the security of your server for a long time to come
  • Higher level of performance – as part of the server management package your web hosting provider should also be able to optimize the applications that you have installed on your VPS server or dedicated server so that they use less resources – if the overall resource consumption on your server can be reduced then this will be of benefit to you since it will reduce the risk of your server crashing primarily because it was overloaded
  • Professional support – any web hosting provider that is offering managed server hosting services should be able to provide you with professional support which is what you require for managed server hosting to represent good value for money – the support provided should also be 24×7 as to ensure that any problems with your server hosting service are rectified quickly.

The advantages of managed server hosting mean that it is a worthy investment if you lack the experience or knowledge needed to manage a VPS server or dedicated server correctly.

What are the disadvantages of using managed server hosting?

There can also be disadvantages to using managed server hosting services; it is a good idea for you to be aware of these disadvantages when you consider the amount of money that you are likely to be investing in VPS server hosting or dedicated server. Some of the disadvantages that you could encounter may include:

  • Cost – managed server hosting services can be very expensive when compared to how much you would pay for an unmanaged server for a similar specification – in some situations it can be hard to justify the cost of a managed VPS server or managed dedicated server when all you need to do is learn certain skills yourself which could save you some money for the most part
  • Value for money – in some cases managed server hosting services may not always represent good value for money which is something that you will need to carefully consider if you wish to make the most of managed server hosting – in order to receive the best value for money from managed server hosting it is a good idea for you to consider a web hosting provider that has the most experienced support team that will be available 24×7.

The disadvantages of using a managed server hosting service show that it pays to shop around if you wish to receive the best results from your VPS server or dedicated server. The key fact is that if you really do require a VPS server or dedicated server but don’t have the necessary skills to manage it properly, you will be more than willing to invest in a managed server hosting service.

In conclusion, managed server hosting services are ideal for those who have little or no experience with server management. Although you are going to have to pay extra in order to receive full support, for most the benefit of not having to worry about the security or performance of their VPS server or dedicated server makes the cost justifiable.

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Server Monitoring

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

In order to provide a high level of service it is important for web hosting providers to monitor their web hosting servers so that they are notified of any issues that could potentially cause or are causing downtime. Similarly, as a VPS server or a dedicated server hosting customer you may also find it beneficial to use a server monitoring service to make sure that your own server is available and that you are provided with a web hosting experience that meets the minimum uptime level guaranteed by your web hosting provider. Server monitoring services are best purchased from third-party companies that aren’t linked to your own web hosting provider in any way in order to avoid any bias in the results provided; however, many web hosting providers do offer server monitoring as a free extra with many of their server hosting services.

What are the purposes of server monitoring?

The monitoring of your VPS server or dedicated server will be of benefit to you if you are paying a lot for your server hosting service since it allows you to ensure that you are receiving what you are paying for in terms of uptime; other purposes for using server monitoring services could include:

  • Your own hosting customers – if you are using a VPS server or a dedicated server to offer your own web hosting services then you will appreciate the importance of being able to offer your own hosting customers a high level of uptime – the best way to achieve this is to use server monitoring services so that you are able to make use of an accurate measure on the reliability of your server
  • Downtime notices – a server monitoring service will notify you using various methods if your server happens to be unreachable for one reason or another – this means that if the downtime is being caused by a factor that is within your control you will then be able to take the necessary action as soon as possible to help rectify the problem and put your server back online
  • Service Level Agreements – if you have a high end dedicated server with a web hosting provider then the likelihood is that you will have an SLA in place with your web hosting provider regarding the level of service and uptime that you can come to expect from your dedicated server – in most cases you are entitled to a certain level of compensation if your web hosting provider fails to meet the uptime level guaranteed, although this will depend on the terms of the contract.

Server monitoring is highly recommended the more you are paying for your web hosting service since you want to be sure that you are getting good value for money from your VPS server or dedicated server.

What are the main factors for me to consider in a server monitoring service?

As is the case when choosing a web hosting package, you want to be sure that you consider all the correct factors in a server monitoring service so that you are able to choose a service that will monitor your server effectively and can provide you with the results that you require. The factors that you should consider in a server monitoring service include:

  • Gap between tests – if you wish to be informed of downtime quicker then it may be an idea for you to choose a server monitoring service that can provide you with small gaps between test points – most server monitoring service providers are able to offer time gaps ranging from 1 minute to 15 minutes with longer gaps being the cheapest to use
  • Testing methods – you should also consider the methods that a server monitoring provider uses to test servers to see whether they are online or not – most providers will ping a port specified by yourself at the interval that you have chosen to use, although third-party applications can provide a more detailed analysis of your server by continually sending results back to a master node.

By considering the above factors you should be able to find a server monitoring service that will be able to monitor your VPS server or dedicated server in the way that you want it to at a price that suits you.

In conclusion, server monitoring services are a useful extra if you have a VPS server or dedicated server. By purchasing a server monitoring service from a third-party provider you will be able to ensure that you receive unbiased results detailing the uptime of your server hosting service.

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