Managed
Hosting: What is that all about?
Managed Hosting: What is that all about?
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 I need managed web hosting?
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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
About the Author By: Candice Humbley
- http://m6.net : Fast, reliable and affordable Windows 2000 web
farm hosting.
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