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An Overview of Web Hosting Services

This article presents an overview of the different types of web hosting services.

Shared Hosting

Shared web hosting is a type of hosting service where multiple websites are hosted on a single web server. Implementing shared hosting lowers hardware cost because there are fewer servers to maintain. Since it costs less to maintain hardware in a shared hosting platform, the hosting service price is also cheaper compare to the others. In fact many shared hosting packages have better discount offers, an example of a great one is available on this page about Hostgator promo codes, go here to see it. One major disadvantage with shared web hosting is that a server failure can take down all the websites. However, there are several things providers can do to minimize this impact. Providers can create a separate server partition for each website. If a single partition fails, it will only impact one website. Providers can also create a daily backup of all the websites so that in the event of a hardware failure, providers can quickly reinstate service using the backups. With shared hosting, providers are responsible for all hardware setup, software setup, and server maintenance. This includes installing the operating system, applying security updates, and performing hardware maintenance. Providers usually use free open source software to create their shared hosting platform. As a result, many providers offer free shared hosting service because of a lower up-front cost required for hardware and software. However, the free ones usually come with ads.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller Web Hosting targets people that want to start their own web hosting company. Resellers buy large amounts of web hosting space and bandwidth from providers. Then they create smaller packages, that they resell to make a profit from. Providers usually give resellers permission to set the price, create customized packages, and sell it under their own brand. The ability to buy and resell web hosting solutions using their own identity is attractive because resellers will appear as a web hosting provider, not as a reseller. This is an affordable way for resellers to start their own company because of the lower overhead cost. Resellers only need to focus on advertising and selling, while the providers take care of all the technical aspects of running and maintaining the web hosting platform. However, if there are technical issues with the web hosting platform, resellers will have to rely on the providers to fix it. A technical glitch can cause many inconveniences for their customers. Resellers should choose the providers that have power generators at their data center and a solid backup and recovery plan. More importantly, their hosting platform should have a 99.9% uptime. Reseller web hosting business can be profitable, but the first step is to choose the right providers.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting refers to a type of web hosting that runs on dedicated virtual servers. A virtual server emulates the hardware of a physical server. It has its own hard disk, memory, network and operating system. By installing multiple web servers on multiple virtual machines, providers create a powerful hosting solution. Since less hardware is required, providers can save money on hardware purchase and maintenance. Energy cost will also be less since there is less power consumption for fewer servers. In addition, if a virtual server crashes, it will only affect one web server. Reinstalling virtual server and recovering web service is also easier than the physical counterpart. Setting up and maintaining virtual servers, as opposed to physical servers, is easier because it can be done remotely. The one main drawback is the limited amount of system resource that can be assigned to a virtual server. System resource refers to CPU, memory, hard disk capacity, and network bandwidth. This limitation prevents VPS hosting from being able to handle web sites with higher traffic. However, the advancement in hardware and virtualization technologies may one day allow providers to create more powerful VPS hosting platforms. Today, many companies are using the VPS hosting platform for their intranet websites.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a type of hosting where providers lease an entire physical server to their customers. The packages offered by the dedicated hosting providers can sometimes be confusing. In general, providers offer a base package that includes operating system installation, physical server installation and maintenance, and limited server administration. Customers pay extra fees for the operating system license, additional software, and additional server administration. Without an understanding of what these options mean, customers would have a hard time making the decision. To make it easier for customers to choose their option, most providers follow this fee structure: fully managed, managed, self managed, and unmanaged. For customers that do not want to deal with anything on the server side, the fully managed option is recommended. With this option, providers handle all server administration tasks. This includes all monitoring, updates, patches, upgrades and reboot of the server. Customers who are technically savvy can choose the unmanaged option. Unlike the fully managed option, customers handle every tasks related to server administration. Managed and self managed options are loosely defined among providers. Generally, these last two options are recommended for customers who have some server administration skills. Customers need to understand their needs, and choose an option that is best for them.

Colocation Hosting

Colocation hosting providers provide data centers for many different companies to house their critical server and telecom equipments. By using a shared data center, companies can save since they do not have to maintain their own data center. Colocation service providers use state of the art technology to protect their customers’ equipment from fires and hazards. Colocation data centers maintain a safe and secured environment by having uninterruptible power supply (UPS), fire controls, and proper air conditioning. In addition, their network also provides redundancy to ensure their customers’ equipments are always available on the network. Many web hosting providers also use collocation hosting services. Web hosting providers require fast and reliable network because they are dealing with higher bandwidth for web hosting services. Colocation data centers are safely guarded using the best security to prevent unauthorized access. Customers who need to access their physical machines require prior authorization. To gain access inside the data center, customers need to have secure cards. Some data centers have higher security measures that require their employees to escort their customers at all times. Colocation hosting is an effective solution for companies that do not want to incur the cost of maintaining their own data center, which can be very costly.

Clustered Hosting

Traditional web hosting services run on a single machine. Using clustered hosting, web services are installed across multiple physical machines, called nodes. One important feature that this hosting environment provides is high availability. High availability is achieved through the use of a load balancing software. Load balancing software automatically detects a failure of the nodes, and re-directs http requests to the available node. Http requests are protocols understood by web browsers and web servers to display web pages properly. The load balancing process is streamlined, and appears unknown to website visitors. In addition, load balancing can also help increase the performance of the hosting services by distributing http requests across the different nodes. This process help prevents one node from being overloaded with http requests, which can result in web pages not loading properly, or not loading at all. In addition to handling web services, clustering can also be used for other hosted services that include database, email, FTP, and DNS. In a clustered environment, maintenance of the nodes is easy. One node can be taken offline for a hardware repair or upgrade without affecting other services. That is because load balancing will do the proper re-directs to the nodes that are available. Clustered hosting has been one of the most popular choices because it offers many advantages.

Ecommerce hosting

Ecommerce hosting is a type of web hosting that provides website ecommerce solutions to brick and mortar businesses that want to sell their products online. It typically includes an online store that has products for sale, a shopping cart, and a checkout feature. Customers add items to the shopping cart, and then use the checkout feature to pay using some payment options. The checkout feature is implemented using some form of payment processing services, such as Paypal or Google checkout. Ecommerce solutions include a database to store product data and customer information. More importantly, most ecommerce hosting solutions are equipped with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to encrypt all transactions. This security feature help protect customers’ information from being compromised. Most providers provide simple solutions to help customers create an online store within minutes. In addition, most providers include free technical support. All ecommerce providers give their customers the option to purchase different packages depending on their business volume. For example, the least expensive package allows customers to list up to 100 products with some limited bandwidth. Businesses with higher volume can buy packages that allow more product listings and unlimited bandwidth. In general, when customers shop around for ecommerce solutions, they should know their expected sales volume. They should also try out the free demo offer by the providers, to see if they like the features.

Cloud Hosting

One of the latest advanced growing technology is cloud computing. Cloud computing technology enables the sharing of computing resources over the Internet. Some examples of computing resources include word processing applications, email, games, and storage space. To access the resources in a cloud, users do not need an advanced computer with a powerful CPU, and a lot of memory. Instead, users will only need a basic computer and a Web browser because the processing power is provided by a network of powerful computers. This network of computers that made up the cloud is called a cloud computing system. Cloud hosting is a type of hosting that provides hosting services using the cloud computing technology. Businesses that consider using cloud services should understand both the benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing. The main advantage for using cloud hosting services is cost saving and convenience. Businesses that use cloud services have access to their data and applications from anywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection and a Web browser. Businesses can eliminate the need for expensive hardware because all they need is a simple computer with a Web browser to access their applications in the cloud. Another benefit is that companies will not need to buy and maintain their own storage device, which can be expensive. However, security and privacy are the main issues in cloud computing. Cloud providers say they are using state of the art security to protect their customers’ data. They use authentication and authorization techniques to ensure their customers’ privacy is not compromised.

Managed hosting

Managed hosting lets customers decide who is to manage the hosting platform: providers or customers. The first option is called fully managed, and the latter is called unmanaged. Some web hosting providers offer only fully managed solution. For fully managed hosting, the providers take complete control over managing the hosting platform. In other words, providers perform the setup and maintenance of the hosting platform. This includes installation and maintenance of the hardware, operating system installation and maintenance, securing the server, and setting up the web hosting platform. This option is the most expensive. However, it is the best option for those who do not have the expertise to manage the hosting platform. Compared to the managed option, the unmanaged option is where providers let their customers take complete control over managing the hosting platform. In this case, the providers are only responsible for basic operating system installation, and physical maintenance of the server. The customers will need to perform advanced setup and securing their servers. Either way, providers let the customers choose the type of hardware for their hosting platform. Customers decide how much memory, CPU speed, hard disk capacity, and bandwidth to have. Some providers offer add-on services such as storage, backup management, firewall security, intrusion detection system (IDS), secure socket layer (SSL), server monitoring, database, load balancing, and clustering for an additional fee.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller web hosts use the resources of a hosting company to sell it as their own by purchasing the services wholesale before selling those services to a third party at a profit. This is particularly profitable to businesses that provide website design and offer hosting as an extra service or as part of the design package.

Some web hosts contract with reseller hosts to charge just for each client, so that a certain rate is paid when another client is acquired. There are also various packages that can be chosen from, as well as many possible features that benefit both the reseller and his or her clients. These can include but are not restricted to disc space and bandwidth, domain hosting, e-mail services, monitoring.

Many people who provide internet technology products and services use reseller hosting to bring in a bit more money as well as a new section of clients who want all of their internet needs met by the same business. Graphic designers, website designers and developers, database programmers, and people who consult on internet marketing often use reseller web hosting to offer their clients hosting beside their regular services. They buy the web space in bulk, allowing them to sell it at a good discount.

While there are scammers in any business, most reseller hosts are very reputable and provide their clients with high quality services. When dealing with reseller web hosting, it often takes a bit more time to get help during an outage or website malfunctions because the reseller has to go back to the parent company for assistance and customer support. Some do decrease offered features or increase the cost of hosting to turn a greater profit, though.

It is important to take care when dealing with a reseller, especially since they control the web sites that are hosted through them. While it does not happen often, it important to be aware that this control means that they can refuse access to files. In the event that this happens, the parent hosting company can be contacted for assistance.

Those interested in becoming a reseller web host are often looking for a simple, affordable way to start a business and market themselves to prospective clients, or to add a new feature to the services that they already provide. Hosting companies that offer reselling now make it very easy. It is important to research hosting companies that offer reselling opportunities to find the best deal and widest selection of features. Comparing will help to determine which is best for the business’ budget and needs. A business that is already established should know about how many of its future customers will desire hosting through them as well as how many current clients might be willing to switch web hosts. This will influence the variety, size, and cost of hosting packages that are offered to clients. Determining price is key – overpricing can drive away clients, while a price that is set too low might cost the business income. The parent hosting company should provide instructions that aid in easy setup for each type of package that will be sold. When everything has been arranged with the parent company, the reseller can begin providing clients with hosting services immediately.

Reseller web hosting is extremely convenient for people who do not know how to set up their own sites. They can have everything – from purchase of a URL to graphics creation and every necessary step in between – conveniently performed through a single business and with one transaction, instead of being forced to keep track of a dozen services to fulfill their needs. It is also a great, profitable way for a business that is already providing internet-based services to increase its income and bring in new clients without having to train employees in new areas or buy new equipment and expensive software.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) Hosting

A virtual private server, or VPS, is one of many hosting solutions that small, medium, or enterprise sized businesses may be interested in when seeking to increase their online profiles. Virtual Private Servers VPS hosting can be advantageous to these businesses because it offers them a level of control that is similar to that they would receive through a dedicated server solution without requiring hosting prices that are too far from those present in affordable shared hosting.

In the current web market, it will typically cost around $75 for 80 gb of online storage. For that money, you are also likely to receive 1000 gb of bandwidth per month and a number of dedicated IP addresses. Alternatively, if you only need 40 gb of online storage, you can obtain such a setup through virtual private servers for around $55 with a similar amount of bandwidth in addition to one or more dedicated IP addresses.

As stated above, Virtual Private Servers VPS hosting is designed to illustrate the up and coming generation of web hosting that goes beyond traditional hosting solutions with physical servers. Through virtual hosting, a single computer server is partitioned to simulate a number of servers. Through this setup, each server will have the physical and electronic appearance of true physical server. It will have its own operating system and it will be able to be rebooted without interference from other servers.

The practice of virtualization of servers has been put into place with a number of mainframe computers for several years, but the advent of virtualization with web hosting is a relatively recent enterprise. These days, VPS hosting has become a mainstream solution for web hosting as a high performance yet cost efficient alternative to traditional dedicated server hosting.

There are a number of ways for small and medium sized businesses to benefit from VPS hosting when seeking to expand their profiles on the internet. Virtual private servers are a rather effective way to provide end users with the ability to save financial resources without sacrificing security, performance, and flexibility.

In a way, virtual private servers VPS hosting is an efficient compromise between hosting through a dedicated server and hosting through shared server options. This option allows you to have a larger amount of freedom than you would expect for a given budget while paying a reasonable price in comparison to other options available on the web hosting market.

As discussed, one of the primary reasons to invest in a virtual private server is the startling value they provide. While you would expect to spend at least $100 per month in dealing with a dedicated server, when you work with virtualized platforms, you can expect to spend not much more in the process than you would if you dealt with shared hosting. Because of the inherent configurations present within VPS technology, there can be a more efficient distribution of costs in network connectivity, maintenance, hardware, and software without a resultant compromise in uptime, bandwidth, server space, or overall network quality.

However, as with every other technology in hosting, there are some disadvantages to remain aware of. For example, you should be aware that when working with VPS solutions, you will still have to actively maintain your server in much the same way you would if you were dealing with a physical dedicated server. For example, you will usually have to apply a number of security patches and system updates to your system, depending on the degree to which your operating system is up to date and which operating system in particular you are using. Having to do this will naturally take time and focus away from other elements of your small business.

Similarly, when you have problems within your virtual environment, you will naturally have to resolve them through some sort of remote administration, as you will not be able to directly visit your virtual server. These are issues to consider before committing to any hosting solution.

An Overview of Web Hosting Services

This article presents an overview of the different types of web hosting services.

Shared Hosting

Shared web hosting is a type of hosting service where multiple websites are hosted on a single web server. Implementing shared hosting lowers hardware cost because there are fewer servers to maintain. Since it costs less to maintain hardware in a shared hosting platform, the hosting service price is also cheaper compare to the others. One major disadvantage with shared web hosting is that a server failure can take down all the websites. However, there are several things providers can do to minimize this impact. Providers can create a separate server partition for each website. If a single partition fails, it will only impact one website. Providers can also create a daily backup of all the websites so that in the event of a hardware failure, providers can quickly reinstate service using the backups. With shared hosting, providers are responsible for all hardware setup, software setup, and server maintenance. This includes installing the operating system, applying security updates, and performing hardware maintenance. Providers usually use free open source software to create their shared hosting platform. As a result, many providers offer free shared hosting service because of a lower up-front cost required for hardware and software. However, the free ones usually come with ads.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller Web Hosting targets people that want to start their own web hosting company. Resellers buy large amounts of web hosting space and bandwidth from providers. Then they create smaller packages, that they resell to make a profit from. Providers usually give resellers permission to set the price, create customized packages, and sell it under their own brand. The ability to buy and resell web hosting solutions using their own identity is attractive because resellers will appear as a web hosting provider, not as a reseller. This is an affordable way for resellers to start their own company because of the lower overhead cost. Resellers only need to focus on advertising and selling, while the providers take care of all the technical aspects of running and maintaining the web hosting platform. However, if there are technical issues with the web hosting platform, resellers will have to rely on the providers to fix it. A technical glitch can cause many inconveniences for their customers. Resellers should choose the providers that have power generators at their data center and a solid backup and recovery plan. More importantly, their hosting platform should have a 99.9% uptime. Reseller web hosting business can be profitable, but the first step is to choose the right providers.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting refers to a type of web hosting that runs on dedicated virtual servers. A virtual server emulates the hardware of a physical server. It has its own hard disk, memory, network and operating system. By installing multiple web servers on multiple virtual machines, providers create a powerful hosting solution. Since less hardware is required, providers can save money on hardware purchase and maintenance. Energy cost will also be less since there is less power consumption for fewer servers. In addition, if a virtual server crashes, it will only affect one web server. Reinstalling virtual server and recovering web service is also easier than the physical counterpart. Setting up and maintaining virtual servers, as opposed to physical servers, is easier because it can be done remotely. The one main drawback is the limited amount of system resource that can be assigned to a virtual server. System resource refers to CPU, memory, hard disk capacity, and network bandwidth. This limitation prevents VPS hosting from being able to handle web sites with higher traffic. However, the advancement in hardware and virtualization technologies may one day allow providers to create more powerful VPS hosting platforms. Today, many companies are using the VPS hosting platform for their intranet websites.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a type of hosting where providers lease an entire physical server to their customers. The packages offered by the dedicated hosting providers can sometimes be confusing. In general, providers offer a base package that includes operating system installation, physical server installation and maintenance, and limited server administration. Customers pay extra fees for the operating system license, additional software, and additional server administration. Without an understanding of what these options mean, customers would have a hard time making the decision. To make it easier for customers to choose their option, most providers follow this fee structure: fully managed, managed, self managed, and unmanaged. For customers that do not want to deal with anything on the server side, the fully managed option is recommended. With this option, providers handle all server administration tasks. This includes all monitoring, updates, patches, upgrades and reboot of the server. Customers who are technically savvy can choose the unmanaged option. Unlike the fully managed option, customers handle every tasks related to server administration. Managed and self managed options are loosely defined among providers. Generally, these last two options are recommended for customers who have some server administration skills. Customers need to understand their needs, and choose an option that is best for them.

Colocation Hosting

Colocation hosting providers provide data centers for many different companies to house their critical server and telecom equipments. By using a shared data center, companies can save since they do not have to maintain their own data center. Colocation service providers use state of the art technology to protect their customers’ equipment from fires and hazards. Colocation data centers maintain a safe and secured environment by having uninterruptible power supply (UPS), fire controls, and proper air conditioning. In addition, their network also provides redundancy to ensure their customers’ equipments are always available on the network. Many web hosting providers also use collocation hosting services. Web hosting providers require fast and reliable network because they are dealing with higher bandwidth for web hosting services. Colocation data centers are safely guarded using the best security to prevent unauthorized access. Customers who need to access their physical machines require prior authorization. To gain access inside the data center, customers need to have secure cards. Some data centers have higher security measures that require their employees to escort their customers at all times. Colocation hosting is an effective solution for companies that do not want to incur the cost of maintaining their own data center, which can be very costly.

Clustered Hosting

Traditional web hosting services run on a single machine. Using clustered hosting, web services are installed across multiple physical machines, called nodes. One important feature that this hosting environment provides is high availability. High availability is achieved through the use of a load balancing software. Load balancing software automatically detects a failure of the nodes, and re-directs http requests to the available node. Http requests are protocols understood by web browsers and web servers to display web pages properly. The load balancing process is streamlined, and appears unknown to website visitors. In addition, load balancing can also help increase the performance of the hosting services by distributing http requests across the different nodes. This process help prevents one node from being overloaded with http requests, which can result in web pages not loading properly, or not loading at all. In addition to handling web services, clustering can also be used for other hosted services that include database, email, FTP, and DNS. In a clustered environment, maintenance of the nodes is easy. One node can be taken offline for a hardware repair or upgrade without affecting other services. That is because load balancing will do the proper re-directs to the nodes that are available. Clustered hosting has been one of the most popular choices because it offers many advantages.

Ecommerce hosting

Ecommerce hosting is a type of web hosting that provides website ecommerce solutions to brick and mortar businesses that want to sell their products online. It typically includes an online store that has products for sale, a shopping cart, and a checkout feature. Customers add items to the shopping cart, and then use the checkout feature to pay using some payment options. The checkout feature is implemented using some form of payment processing services, such as Paypal or Google checkout. Ecommerce solutions include a database to store product data and customer information. More importantly, most ecommerce hosting solutions are equipped with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to encrypt all transactions. This security feature help protect customers’ information from being compromised. Most providers provide simple solutions to help customers create an online store within minutes. In addition, most providers include free technical support. All ecommerce providers give their customers the option to purchase different packages depending on their business volume. For example, the least expensive package allows customers to list up to 100 products with some limited bandwidth. Businesses with higher volume can buy packages that allow more product listings and unlimited bandwidth. In general, when customers shop around for ecommerce solutions, they should know their expected sales volume. They should also try out the free demo offer by the providers, to see if they like the features.

Cloud Hosting

One of the latest advanced growing technology is cloud computing. Cloud computing technology enables the sharing of computing resources over the Internet. Some examples of computing resources include word processing applications, email, games, and storage space. To access the resources in a cloud, users do not need an advanced computer with a powerful CPU, and a lot of memory. Instead, users will only need a basic computer and a Web browser because the processing power is provided by a network of powerful computers. This network of computers that made up the cloud is called a cloud computing system. Cloud hosting is a type of hosting that provides hosting services using the cloud computing technology. Businesses that consider using cloud services should understand both the benefits and disadvantages of cloud computing. The main advantage for using cloud hosting services is cost saving and convenience. Businesses that use cloud services have access to their data and applications from anywhere, as long as there is an Internet connection and a Web browser. Businesses can eliminate the need for expensive hardware because all they need is a simple computer with a Web browser to access their applications in the cloud. Another benefit is that companies will not need to buy and maintain their own storage device, which can be expensive. However, security and privacy are the main issues in cloud computing. Cloud providers say they are using state of the art security to protect their customers’ data. They use authentication and authorization techniques to ensure their customers’ privacy is not compromised.

Managed hosting

Managed hosting lets customers decide who is to manage the hosting platform: providers or customers. The first option is called fully managed, and the latter is called unmanaged. Some web hosting providers offer only fully managed solution. For fully managed hosting, the providers take complete control over managing the hosting platform. In other words, providers perform the setup and maintenance of the hosting platform. This includes installation and maintenance of the hardware, operating system installation and maintenance, securing the server, and setting up the web hosting platform. This option is the most expensive. However, it is the best option for those who do not have the expertise to manage the hosting platform. Compared to the managed option, the unmanaged option is where providers let their customers take complete control over managing the hosting platform. In this case, the providers are only responsible for basic operating system installation, and physical maintenance of the server. The customers will need to perform advanced setup and securing their servers. Either way, providers let the customers choose the type of hardware for their hosting platform. Customers decide how much memory, CPU speed, hard disk capacity, and bandwidth to have. Some providers offer add-on services such as storage, backup management, firewall security, intrusion detection system (IDS), secure socket layer (SSL), server monitoring, database, load balancing, and clustering for an additional fee.

Ecommerce Hosting

For companies venturing into ecommerce, it is essential to determine the right ecommerce web host. Below are the most important factors to consider before choosing a host.

What is ecommerce hosting?

Ecommerce hosting is an abbreviation of electronic commerce hosting. This type of hosting is designed for merchants, also known as emerchants or etailers, to do business over the Internet as opposed to conducting business within a brick-and-mortar storefront. Ecommerce is a cost-effective way of doing business because there are no costs needed to run an actual store plus businesses can potentially reach more customers.

The host provides a business with web space to host one’s website, email support and technical support. In addition, the host also equips a business or entrepreneur with the functionalities needed to operate a commercial website. These functionalities include database support, payment processing services, shopping cart software and security.

How does it work?

First, the business purchases computer space from an ecommerce host. Then, the company gets billed monthly for computer software leasing, the processing of online orders and the space on the host’s computer server.

If the company expects to get a lot of traffic to their site, then they might consider a dedicated host. However, for many companies, it is more financially practical to share a server with other clients. Sharing the cost of high-priced equipment and Internet connections is a common practice.

The providers will usually help the companies set up Internet merchant accounts. These accounts are created to process credit card transactions.

What does it usually include?

Since ecommerce encompasses many different industries with varying purposes and needs, providers typically have a lot more solutions than any one business will ever need. Businesses have a diverse range of services and products that they sell. Through ecommerce, businesses can sell digital downloads, products that physically need to be shipped, services, online software licenses and more.

Ecommerce hosting firms take care of the technical activities that are needed to create and maintain a commercial website. Packages include SSL, email, database support, different kinds of software, a system for payment and FTP. Some providers will even offer a client their own domain name, SEO tools, gathering of demographic data for marketing purposes, business-to-business transactions and tracking for inventory and delivery.

Ecommerce hosts may also provide website builders, blogs, video demos, articles, mailing lists, forums, surveys, password-protected directories, 24/7 phone support and live chat applications for client support.

What are the differences between hosts?

Providers have a wide range of prices and offerings. Operating systems of the servers, disk storage space and bandwidth, plug-in scripts, and the version of Perl and PHP that the provider uses can all differ from one provider to the next.

What are the concerns?

Perhaps the biggest concerns for a new business venturing into ecommerce are reliability and redundancy. A network’s uptime maintenance and security are important to any company. If problems arise, then a speedy resolution by the provider could help save sales. Some hosts guarantee uptime but that is not always the case.

Security is a concern for a growing number of consumers that hesitate to make online transactions due to recent increases of spyware intrusions, phishing attacks, virus infections and violations of personal and financial information.

What is the bottom line?

A savvy business will try to find the complete package when choosing an ecommerce host. However, that complete package will not be the same for a company in the office supplies industry versus a business in the music industry.

Before making the decision, a business should have some forethought and make a list of which functionalities and features are most important. Server reliability and speed, add-ons, customer support, tools and company longevity of the provider are important considerations for many companies. By determining business needs, researching web host reputations and comparing price points, a business can find the right ecommerce web host and become successful.

Colocation Hosting

Colocation hosting is an option in which clients normally rent rack space from a provider to house their own servers. However, colocation also includes renting a dedicated server and many providers additionally offer managed server services.

A colocation facility provides everything needed for server operation allowing clients to save on startup and overhead costs. Basically, clients simply rent as much rack space as they need for their servers and everything else is handled by the provider.

With most colocation accounts, clients use their own hardware and software.

Colocation facilities
A provider will generally use office or warehouse space to house client servers. The facilities are normally first rate with high security and redundant power and other backup systems.

The site will have 24/7 security monitoring that can include armed guards, closed circuit TV (CCTV), infrared monitors, exterior fencing, automated access control and even very high tech equipment such as biometric security devices. Normally only staff and clients will have free access to the building with guests requiring security clearance and escort.

Very high security colocation sites may have multiple layers of security access starting with the outer gate — again at the building entrance — with the server area having the highest level of security. Access to individual servers is protected by passwords and in some cases there may be protected physical access to each server.

Most providers use state of the art fire detection and suppression equipment. The walls and doors of the facilities may be highly-rated for fire protection to prevent conflagrations from spreading too quickly. Often the automatic fire suppression equipment uses special chemicals that are selected so as not to damage computer hardware.

The location may also provide multiple water sources for cooling equipment including the local municipal water source along with backup artisan wells.

Power supply
In order to ensure that the servers and other equipment are running 24/7 even during power outages and natural disaster, the colocation site must have redundant power sources. Generally, in addition to connection to the local grid, each site will have at least two backup sources.

The traditional backup is an onsite generator that uses a fuel source like diesel, and in most cases significant amounts of backup fuel will be stored onsite. The tertiary power source is usually some type of storage device or battery.

At the best facilities, there may even be battery backup supplies for all the systems in the facility and for each server. The batteries used at these sites for individual servers are UPS or uninterruptible power supply batteries that are specially designed to maintain a consistent flow of electricity to computer devices.

Dedicated servers and managed servers
Although most people choose colocation hosting to have the capability of physically accessing and managing their own equipment, other options are also available. A dedicated server is hardware that is provided by the colocation company.

Clients are able to install, and change at any time, whatever operating systems or software applications they desire on the dedicated server. With the dedicated server account, the facility provides the hardware, but the client is responsible for managing the server. This option still allows the client to save money by using the entire infrastructure offered by the provider.

Managed server services involve the colocation staff operating the hardware and software systems for the client. Each site has technical staff present on a 24/7 basis to manage all the technical systems at the facility. The staff also handles the managed server accounts for the company, so that there is always someone present who can deal with hardware or software problems.

Advantages of colocation
The main advantage of colocation is that it allows clients to use top of the line technology and backup systems without having to invest their own money for in-house setups of the same caliber.

The colocation option also allows clients to physically access and manage their hardware.