So you have designed a fantastic website and registered a domain name. If you think that’s enough o start an online business, think again. All this is worth nothing until you find a good web hosting company to provide support for your website. Online users should be able to access your website before you can attract them with the website’s features and services.
Web hosting providers house your website on a server to provide continuous connectivity between users and the website. This makes it essential for you to find a reputable web host which offers a reliable server for storing your website’s information.
Virtual web hosting is the best alternative for small businesses and individual websites. This implies purchasing a part of the server space from a web hosting provider. This is much cheaper than a dedicated server which will be quite expensive but provides services to your website alone.
Shared hosting is another name for virtual hosting. As the name implies, many sites are housed in the same server under shared hosting. Apart from being an inexpensive option, shared web hosting has various other benefits too.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the management of a dedicated server can be overwhelming. A server must be regularly updated for technological advancements, website changes and customer demands. All this is done by a web hosting company when you purchase a hosting plan from them.
There is also the issue of downtime, which the amount of time your website remains inaccessible by users and customers. More the downtime, higher is the loss of sales, profits and most importantly, reputation of the website owner. To avoid such a problem, it is best to choose a good web host which offers adequate uptime (at least 99%).
If you are not technically skilled, virtual web hosting can help you setup and maintain a good website. This may not be possible otherwise. Most of the web hosting companies offer design templates, applications, email accounts, payment mechanisms, security systems, data backup, file transfer, statistics, etc. also, you can get technical support for troubleshooting any problems that your website faces.
All these features make virtual web hosting a much more realistic and advantageous option for beginners in the online world. Moreover, this type of hosting is very easily available and affordable by most businesses. Surely, this is the best way to run your website initially and have a rewarding online experience.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Get Ready For Self-Service with Server Colocation
If you are ready to take over the reigns of your website completely, colocation web hosting is the best way to do that. Web hosting companies provide you the space to keep your hardware, give access to security systems and provide connectivity. However, the responsibility for website maintenance rests with the website owner.
You should prefer this sort of web hosting only if your website has:
• Advanced hardware/software configuration requirements
• Need for total control
• Particular hardware specifications which require the business’ own setup
Selecting a web hosting provider
ideally, you should visit the physical office of a colocation provider to ensure the authenticity and quality of service promised by them. If you are hiring a host online, you can ask various questions about the location of the warehouse, storage capacity, security, connectivity, etc.
While colocation provides more user control than other forms of Web hosting, you will still lack control when it comes to connectivity. You still face downtime should your colocation provider suffer a network outage. Some colocation providers offer "network neutral colocation," which allows you to make your own peering and bandwidth arrangements with other providers.
It is very important that your web hosting provider allows flexibility in operations as well hardware configurations. It will be very difficult to upgrade your hardware and software if there is restriction on hardware movement or configuration. Also, you should be able to add various applications as and when required to customize your website. Compare various web hosting companies before you choose the best one for your website.
Selecting a colocation host is not a very difficult task. However, you need to ensure that you have the expertise and trained staff required to operate a website themselves. As the web host will not be responsible for the administration of your site, you need to be well-equipped with the technical aspects of the website. Even though this may prove to be time-consuming and resource-intensive initially, you can earn great financial rewards later on.
You should prefer this sort of web hosting only if your website has:
• Advanced hardware/software configuration requirements
• Need for total control
• Particular hardware specifications which require the business’ own setup
Selecting a web hosting provider
ideally, you should visit the physical office of a colocation provider to ensure the authenticity and quality of service promised by them. If you are hiring a host online, you can ask various questions about the location of the warehouse, storage capacity, security, connectivity, etc.
While colocation provides more user control than other forms of Web hosting, you will still lack control when it comes to connectivity. You still face downtime should your colocation provider suffer a network outage. Some colocation providers offer "network neutral colocation," which allows you to make your own peering and bandwidth arrangements with other providers.
It is very important that your web hosting provider allows flexibility in operations as well hardware configurations. It will be very difficult to upgrade your hardware and software if there is restriction on hardware movement or configuration. Also, you should be able to add various applications as and when required to customize your website. Compare various web hosting companies before you choose the best one for your website.
Selecting a colocation host is not a very difficult task. However, you need to ensure that you have the expertise and trained staff required to operate a website themselves. As the web host will not be responsible for the administration of your site, you need to be well-equipped with the technical aspects of the website. Even though this may prove to be time-consuming and resource-intensive initially, you can earn great financial rewards later on.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Are you confusing web hosting bandwidth with data transfer
So you thought bandwidth and data transfer are the same thing? Not really.
While bandwidth means the total data which can be transferred, data transfer is the data which is actually transferred. A lot of web hosting sites refer to bandwidth and data transfer as interchangeable words. Yet, there exists a significant difference between the two. It is important that you know how to differentiate one from the other.
How do they affect your website?
If your web hosting company provides low bandwidth, your website is bound to suffer from slow downloading. This will result in your website being inaccessible, leaving your customers unhappy.
Data transfer limits determine the amount of data which can transferred over a certain period of time. If exceeded, your website may be withdrawn or taken offline. There are options for upgrading your data transfer and bandwidth limits. You can also compare different web hosting packages to get more flexibility and bandwidth at lesser prices.
How much is enough?
Refer to your website statistics to estimate the amount of data transfer you need. If your site hasn’t been launched yet, you should keep a margin for growth in traffic before settling upon a particular package.
It is not easy to change bandwidth limits. You need to choose a good bandwidth offering package to avoid excessive traffic load making your site slow and unavailable to users.
Finding the solution
The best way of making your site efficient and keep it up and running is to work with simple web designs. This will reduce the amount of bandwidth and data transfer your site requires and help you accommodate well within your web hosting plan limits.
Try to use effective graphic formats like compressed images and CSS. Another way is to let your website be cached by web browsers. Such strategies will help you to save bandwidth and avoid the need for an expensive web hosting plan.
Always evaluate the various web hosting plans for the amount of bandwidth and data transfer available and purchase from good quality web hosting sites like PlanetOnline.net for reliable services.
While bandwidth means the total data which can be transferred, data transfer is the data which is actually transferred. A lot of web hosting sites refer to bandwidth and data transfer as interchangeable words. Yet, there exists a significant difference between the two. It is important that you know how to differentiate one from the other.
How do they affect your website?
If your web hosting company provides low bandwidth, your website is bound to suffer from slow downloading. This will result in your website being inaccessible, leaving your customers unhappy.
Data transfer limits determine the amount of data which can transferred over a certain period of time. If exceeded, your website may be withdrawn or taken offline. There are options for upgrading your data transfer and bandwidth limits. You can also compare different web hosting packages to get more flexibility and bandwidth at lesser prices.
How much is enough?
Refer to your website statistics to estimate the amount of data transfer you need. If your site hasn’t been launched yet, you should keep a margin for growth in traffic before settling upon a particular package.
It is not easy to change bandwidth limits. You need to choose a good bandwidth offering package to avoid excessive traffic load making your site slow and unavailable to users.
Finding the solution
The best way of making your site efficient and keep it up and running is to work with simple web designs. This will reduce the amount of bandwidth and data transfer your site requires and help you accommodate well within your web hosting plan limits.
Try to use effective graphic formats like compressed images and CSS. Another way is to let your website be cached by web browsers. Such strategies will help you to save bandwidth and avoid the need for an expensive web hosting plan.
Always evaluate the various web hosting plans for the amount of bandwidth and data transfer available and purchase from good quality web hosting sites like PlanetOnline.net for reliable services.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
How To Choose Web Hosting Operating System
Principally, you will find web hosting providers having two types of operating systems- WINDOWS NT and UNIX. As the operating system is an important determinant of the server’s performance, it would be foolish to ignore this factor while deciding upon a web hosting package.
Let us understand the essential features of a good operating system before discussing the various options and their respective merits and demerits.
1. Strength:
Stability in terms of ability to withstand heavy traffic load without breaking down, is very important for a reliable operating system.
2. Security:
the operating system should be have strong security systems to keep out hackers and avoid virus attacks.
3. Manageable:
the Operating system should have user-friendly management tools.
4. Features:
the operating system should have adequate software and applications to enhance the web server. If it doesn’t have such features, third party software should be available and be capable of easy integration.
5. Flexibility:
this means the ability of an operating system to accommodate upgradation.
The various web hosting operating systems include:
Windows
This operating system provides trouble-free integration of Microsoft applications. However, they are prone to virus attacks and hacking. There is also the issue of instability under heavy traffic load.
UNIX
UNIX and Linux operating systems are much more stable as compared to Windows. Even if your website has been developed using Microsoft FrontPage, you can easily integrate applications through UNIX and Linux servers.
As a beginner, you would be better off with a UNIX operating system supporting the web host. It has various benefits such as good uptime, stability, security and lesser price as compared to Windows OS. There is also a vast amount of online information for solving any problems you might face as well as smooth integration with third party applications. Do your homework and enquire about the available operating system before you choose the web hosting company for your website.
Let us understand the essential features of a good operating system before discussing the various options and their respective merits and demerits.
1. Strength:
Stability in terms of ability to withstand heavy traffic load without breaking down, is very important for a reliable operating system.
2. Security:
the operating system should be have strong security systems to keep out hackers and avoid virus attacks.
3. Manageable:
the Operating system should have user-friendly management tools.
4. Features:
the operating system should have adequate software and applications to enhance the web server. If it doesn’t have such features, third party software should be available and be capable of easy integration.
5. Flexibility:
this means the ability of an operating system to accommodate upgradation.
The various web hosting operating systems include:
Windows
This operating system provides trouble-free integration of Microsoft applications. However, they are prone to virus attacks and hacking. There is also the issue of instability under heavy traffic load.
UNIX
UNIX and Linux operating systems are much more stable as compared to Windows. Even if your website has been developed using Microsoft FrontPage, you can easily integrate applications through UNIX and Linux servers.
As a beginner, you would be better off with a UNIX operating system supporting the web host. It has various benefits such as good uptime, stability, security and lesser price as compared to Windows OS. There is also a vast amount of online information for solving any problems you might face as well as smooth integration with third party applications. Do your homework and enquire about the available operating system before you choose the web hosting company for your website.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Is it time to switch to dedicated web hosting?
Business is booming and every day brings much more traffic to your site. However, problems are booming too. You’re less than satisfied with a shared web host, but do you have an option? Yes, you do.
There’s no better time to switch to dedicated hosting than now. If your customer base is expanding along with your space requirements, you need to move to dedicated web hosting for supporting the increasing dynamics of your online business.
The main indicators for understanding your need to switch to dedicated hosting are listed below:
1. Check the tempo
if your customers can’t access web pages on your site due to high traffic load, you can surely blame shared web hosting for that. Web surfers don’t wait for too long at one site and you must be ready to meet their needs before they jump ship. Cut your losses by finding a good dedicated web hosting company.
2. Mission control
When problems arise, are you in control of your website or do you take a backseat? you need to have absolute control of the software, applications, design and content of your website. This can be easily achieved by using a dedicated server.
3. Revolutionize your business
For a rapidly growing online business, it’s very important to keep changing the various aspects of their website. This includes more disk space, bandwidth, faster connectivity, graphic and design updates, interactive add-ons and better inventory and backup systems. Shared hosting packages are not very flexible and may fail to meet your immediate needs. A dedicated server allows you to make as many changes as and when you want to.
In the end, you are the best judge regarding the hosting needs of your business. If you can run it smoothly with a shared web host, don’t go for a dedicated web hosting package which will give you control, albeit at a higher price. But for a fast growing e-commerce site, it will be disastrous to ignore the implications of an incompetent web host.
There’s no better time to switch to dedicated hosting than now. If your customer base is expanding along with your space requirements, you need to move to dedicated web hosting for supporting the increasing dynamics of your online business.
The main indicators for understanding your need to switch to dedicated hosting are listed below:
1. Check the tempo
if your customers can’t access web pages on your site due to high traffic load, you can surely blame shared web hosting for that. Web surfers don’t wait for too long at one site and you must be ready to meet their needs before they jump ship. Cut your losses by finding a good dedicated web hosting company.
2. Mission control
When problems arise, are you in control of your website or do you take a backseat? you need to have absolute control of the software, applications, design and content of your website. This can be easily achieved by using a dedicated server.
3. Revolutionize your business
For a rapidly growing online business, it’s very important to keep changing the various aspects of their website. This includes more disk space, bandwidth, faster connectivity, graphic and design updates, interactive add-ons and better inventory and backup systems. Shared hosting packages are not very flexible and may fail to meet your immediate needs. A dedicated server allows you to make as many changes as and when you want to.
In the end, you are the best judge regarding the hosting needs of your business. If you can run it smoothly with a shared web host, don’t go for a dedicated web hosting package which will give you control, albeit at a higher price. But for a fast growing e-commerce site, it will be disastrous to ignore the implications of an incompetent web host.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Get Server Smart with Colocated Web Hosting
Are you sure that your dedicated server is the best option to enhance your online presence? Welcome to the world of Colocated Web Hosting, where you can get all the features of a dedicated server at a lower cost. Instead of renting the server from a web hosting company, you can buy it yourself and keep it with the host.
Check out these smart tips to know more about colocated web hosting:
Lesser overall costs
If you’re buying the server on your own, there will be higher initial costs but your monthly charges to the web host will be much lower. A good quality server will provide you with superior service for a longer period of time.
Factors affecting the price of server include:
a. bandwidth
b. space occupied by your server
Finding a seller
There are various server purchasing options to choose from:
a. buy the server from a local supplier
b. get it from a mail order retailer
c. buy the server directly from the host
Understand your liability
You are solely responsible for the maintenance of the hardware and software. Unlike the replacement facility available with dedicated servers, you will have to organize insurance and software policies yourself.
Super control
With a colocated server, you can have supreme control and flexibility in operations and network configuration.
Paying the host
There are various element of the fees you pay to the host for colocating your server.
These include:
Rental charges:
this includes the rent you pay to a web hosting company for keeping the server. It varies according to the space taken up by a server on a rack, size U of the server, be it 1U, 2U upto 7U.
Connection charges:
these are costs of connectivity charged by providers in terms of ‘pipe’ ranging from 1 mbps to 1000 mbps.
Location
It is best for the server to be located near its targeted area. This will induce the response rate and enable faster connections due to shorter routes.
Infrastructure
Ensure that the host has reliable infrastructure. There should be provisions for data backups and additional facility for avoiding power breakdown.
Server security
Enquire about the safety mechanisms used by a web hosting company before letting them house your server. There should be limited and authorized access to the server or server room.
It may not be easy to find the perfect host for colocating your server but if you do your homework and be cautious about the various elements involved, you can get all the benefits of colocated web hosting.
Check out these smart tips to know more about colocated web hosting:
Lesser overall costs
If you’re buying the server on your own, there will be higher initial costs but your monthly charges to the web host will be much lower. A good quality server will provide you with superior service for a longer period of time.
Factors affecting the price of server include:
a. bandwidth
b. space occupied by your server
Finding a seller
There are various server purchasing options to choose from:
a. buy the server from a local supplier
b. get it from a mail order retailer
c. buy the server directly from the host
Understand your liability
You are solely responsible for the maintenance of the hardware and software. Unlike the replacement facility available with dedicated servers, you will have to organize insurance and software policies yourself.
Super control
With a colocated server, you can have supreme control and flexibility in operations and network configuration.
Paying the host
There are various element of the fees you pay to the host for colocating your server.
These include:
Rental charges:
this includes the rent you pay to a web hosting company for keeping the server. It varies according to the space taken up by a server on a rack, size U of the server, be it 1U, 2U upto 7U.
Connection charges:
these are costs of connectivity charged by providers in terms of ‘pipe’ ranging from 1 mbps to 1000 mbps.
Location
It is best for the server to be located near its targeted area. This will induce the response rate and enable faster connections due to shorter routes.
Infrastructure
Ensure that the host has reliable infrastructure. There should be provisions for data backups and additional facility for avoiding power breakdown.
Server security
Enquire about the safety mechanisms used by a web hosting company before letting them house your server. There should be limited and authorized access to the server or server room.
It may not be easy to find the perfect host for colocating your server but if you do your homework and be cautious about the various elements involved, you can get all the benefits of colocated web hosting.
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