A new trend, appearing in the Web Hosting industry, is the
concept of Managed Web Hosting. Web hosts have been offering
dedicated servers for a while now, however, because dedicated
servers can be difficult to operate technically, there has been
a demand for web hosts to provide extra services such as:
reporting and monitoring; managed load balancing; managed
security; managed storage; and, managed databases. These extra
services are referred to as 'managed hosting'.
Do you need it?
Before you think about managed hosting you will first need to
decide whether or not you need a dedicated server. You will need
a dedicated server if you have a high-traffic web site. If you
only have a small web site with low traffic levels then a shared
hosting arrangement should be fine. A dedicated server is more
expensive to rent and more difficult to operate than a shared
hosting solution but if your business depends on a steady
service then you should seriously consider renting a dedicated
server.
The only disadvantage with dedicated web hosting is that you
will have to do a lot of the server administration yourself, and
to do this you will need to possess some technical skills; hence
the demand for managed hosting. If you fall into this category
of needing a dedicated server but you need your host to provide
system administration services such as security, firewalls,
monitoring and reporting services, and data backup then most
likely you will need managed hosting.
How do you find Managed hosting packages?
Many web hosts who once provided only shared and dedicated web
hosting are now beginning to offer managed services too. A good
place to start looking for managed hosting is through web
hosting directories and search engines, by doing a search for
managed hosting you should receive a good list of managed
hosting providers. Another key place to start is by contacting
hosts who are offering dedicated hosting and ask them if they
can provide a managed hosting arrangement as well.
Companies providing managed hosting will either offer managed
hosting per item or in a pre-configured plan. Per-item managed
hosting gives you the freedom to pick and choose what services
you need or do not need; on the other hand, a pre-configured
plan will include the dedicated server and the managed hosting
services at a monthly fee.
What should I look for in a managed hosting provider?
When choosing a managed hosting provider it is a good idea that
your host provides the following qualities:
· Reliable and fast support - a good way to find out the
response rate and the quality of the services offered by a web
host is to send them an email before you sign up with them. If
you receive a good response from your web host then this should
give you a good indication of the services they are offering.
· Freedom - its important to have as much freedom as possible
and having the ability to choose from a wide range of services
is essential. With managed hosting you might decide that you
don't require firewall support, its important that your web host
will provide you with the option of selecting exactly what you
need and what you don't need. Also having the ability to pay
monthly is a huge advantage. It will be less of a drain on your
budget and you can avoid any expensive yearly contracts.
· Fast and reliable connection - You should find out exactly
what sort of connection the web host has to the Internet. By
asking the web host they should be able to send you their
network and connectivity details, you might even be able to find
this out on their web site. Also find out where the web hosts
Network Operations Center (NOC) is located, it is an advantage
for the web host to have its NOC located in the USA as the USA
has the fastest and most reliable internet connection in the
world.
· Competitiveness - When searching for a managed hosting
provider it is important to do your research. Each web host will
be offering different managed hosting services all at different
rates, you might find that one web host may offer one attractive
managed hosting service while another doesn't. However, as many
more web hosts are beginning to offer managed hosting, a new
competitive market is developing and the prices for managed
hosting are becoming much more affordable with many more
services being offered.
Managed hosting is ideal for the new online businesses person,
looking to build a large online business, and wanting to avoid
the extra time and resources spent in-house on managing their
dedicated servers. In-turn, managed web hosting has provided a
profitable outcome to many online businesses by preventing a
waste of valuable resources spent on high skilled employees;
months of staff training; and, costs of hardware and software.
Written by Candice Humbley
http://m6.net
Fast, reliable and affordable Windows 2000 web farm hosting.
About the author:
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