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Let’s take one step back and make sure everyone shares some common ground, in terms of terms. 'Servers' are the hardware that holds and distributes information to people via the Internet. A small site may reside on a server with a number of other sites, a large site may require hundreds of separate servers in a variety of physical locations, all connected together and running as one cohesive system. Servers can handle a wide variety of functions, from housing websites, to running mailing systems. For a quick rundown of server terminology check out the Webopedia server listing. While some firms are interested in owning and feeding their own equipment, most firms these days choose to outsource all, or at least part, of the task. Outside of firms with special needs, it is hard to make a case for purchasing hardware in the current market. Like a new car, a server depreciates massively the moment it is taken from the dealer. Add to the equation the maintenance of the hardware and the software, and you have a cost center that not only becomes more expensive over time, but less functional relative to the newest technology. A web hosting company (sometimes called an 'Internet Data Center' or 'IDC') will offer a variety of packages, including the rental of hardware. The low monthly costs associated with hosting these days tips the hardware scale firmly toward the decision to rent, rather than buy hardware. Let the web host’s staff worry about changing disk drives, updating the operating system with the newest security patch and keeping the electricity and Internet connection going 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Outsourcing lets you focus on your core competencies, and the fact is that most IT departments weaned on office networks are in no position to support a real time data center-type operation. When we talk about outsourcing hosting, another term you are likely to hear frequently is “collocation”. Co-location facilities physically house hardware and equipment in a secure location. The facility generally offers some degree of security against physical intrusion, fire, and power or bandwidth interruption. The quality of the physical facility and staff is generally related directly to the price and a site visit is appropriate where high-reliability installations are required. If you are in the e-commerce business, or providing support services through your website, down time can be very expensive. Larger hosts will provide redundancy for drives, power supplies and bandwidth. If your site produces revenues, don’t scrimp on the host. Security of your data and your customers’ data is a sensitive issue. While your host is unlikely to guarantee security of any system, they should have in place adequate assurances that their environment does not contribute to the risk. They should also be willing to guarantee turn-around time on installation of patches and security fixes as they are released by vendors (like Microsoft!). Selecting the right host for your company requires taking a hard look at your needs. Issues that must be resolved and prioritized include your need for ongoing maintenance and physical support services, network quality and speed, contract terms, and of course the value for money. Let’s not forget that the current market, with its slough of bankruptcies, has also taught us that the financial stability of the firm is a factor. For most clients, the level of the host’s customer service is the key to satisfaction. Poor customer service is commonly cited as a reason for moving from one host to another, so make an effort to assess any firm’s abilities in this area. Several sites now focus on rating web hosts and these should serve as a good starting point for your investigations. Try Hostsearch.com, with its wizard interface, and Web Host Directory. Make a point to ask around - word of mouth is a strong persuader in the customer service game. Other issues that will inform your decision include your preferred operating system – Windows, Linux or Unix -- and your database needs. The additional services area is where a lot of firms distinguish themselves, offering incentives in the form of unlimited email addresses, or free domain name re-directs. Look carefully at the fine print and add up the cost of additional services. You may well find that the more expensive package bundles a lot of items marked as additional expense in the budget packages. But, also never forget that the company will be more than happy to let you upgrade to a bigger package if your needs change in the future. author: Ric Shreves, www.waterandstone.com
Here's your daily hosting industry news briefing for Tuesday, July 11, 2006 Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
More Articles:1. How to Set Up Your Hosting in 5 Minutes Flat Once you've chosen your web hosting, you'll often find that you're given a set of passwords and technical details, before being left to more-or-less figure it out on your own. If you haven't started a website before, that can be a daunting experience. Point Your Domain at Your Host. The email you received should have contained the addresses of some nameservers. Nameservers look like this: ns1.yourhost.com. If you can't find it, take a look at the help section of your host's website. Once you kno… 2. It is time to become a web hosting reseller As we know the web hosting industry is a multi billion dollar market that has became easy and automated which enables anyone to offer high quality web hosting services without spending a lot money so if you buy a reseller hosting package today then you will be running your own web hosting company overnight in the same time estimating the sure profits that you will make. Everyday people from all over the world start new hosting companies by buying a reseller hosting package from a hosting company… 3. How to Analyze Your Web Site Traffic (Part 3) How to Analyze Your Web Site Traffic (Part 3 of a 3 Part Series)Copyright 2002 by Herman Drost In Part 2 of this series, we discussed some of the ways to track your web site visitors. Now we will take a look at: 4. Web Traffic Analysis SoftwareThese are programs that analyze your server logs and then create traffic reports accordingly. The quality of the reports generated will depend on what software you actually use. Some log analyzers are free and come preinstalled on many hosting accounts, wh… 4. Web stats - Where its at! Web statistics are one of the surest ways of tracking down a poor webmaster – because under no circumstances will that webmaster let you see them. He or she will offer you “digests” (Heavily edited needless to say), will regret that your server does not have statistics installed (highly improbable), or will just say “I’m sorry?” and change the subject.The excuses for sitting on this crucial source of data are many and various because Webstats alias web server statistics are the only cast-iron … |
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