Regardless of the size of your business, in today’s marketplace a website is a fundamental and indispensable mechanism if you are to move forward successfully, expand and prosper.  If you are a medium or smaller-sized company you are extremely unlikely to have an IT department who can build and host your data center and put up a complex website for you. For low-traffic low-bandwidth websites it is still possible to host your own website on just a single system at your office. However, you will need to be prepared to spend a lot of time administering and hardening the system against security attacks, keeping it up to date and living with any faults or problems that occur. Although this used to be a cheap option, the falling price of using professional hosting company services has probably meant that the true cost (time and effort as well as money) of running your own site in this way is really not worth it.  Most likely you will be looking at web hosting, and scratching your head over how to get it as cheaply as possible without compromising on quality or performance.

Charging for website hosting varies enormously, but is usually based on how much hard drive space your websites will occupy in the data center, how much Internet bandwidth your traffic uses, and what level of service you want.  A website that uses a lot of storage space invites users to download a lot of data and is contracted to be available for 99.999% of the year will be the most expensive option. If you can compromise on any of these areas (for example you might settle for 99.98% availability) then you are likely to get a cheaper deal from a hosting company. There is generally reckoned to be a glut of web hosting capacity in the world, and thus there is considerable competition for new business – so shop around.

Web hosting for commercial websites is typically offered by data management and IT outsourcing companies like HP Services and IBM Global Services – but some ISPs also use their considerable infrastructure to offer web hosting services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and if you are an existing customer of an ISP you may find that they will offer the best deal of all.

The recent purchase by Interland of the website publishing firm Trellix spells good news for small and medium-sized enterprise, giving this major SME-hosting provider a big advantage in this market by giving it control over a site-creation tool already in use by millions of consumers.

The efforts of Internet service providers like Yahoo! and AOL to strike out in a new direction and attract the attention and business of SME clients means the marketplace is getting friendlier than ever to smaller businesses, with the sheer familiarity of the Yahoo! and AOL brands giving them an edge with consumers and convincing other small-business hosts that they must keep up with the competition and deliver value-added services and tools at competitive rates.  It’s a good time to be an SME.

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Posted by admin on July 11th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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Pretty much all professional web hosting is done from large data centers, using computers and configurations that are far more complex and comprehensive than those we typically use at home. Such centers have a wide range of equipment, techniques and facilities because the security, availability and performance of commercially hosted websites has to be the best available. Consider a site like YouTube, with many tens of thousands of users all playing videos from its servers all day every day: play a video on your PC and watch the hard disc access light on the front panel flash busily as the video plays.  Now, imagine that multiplied, perhaps 10,000 times – as is the case on YouTube’s site – and you will see why the computers inside a hosting site are configured very differently from your PC.  Inside a web hosting data center data is spread, or “striped”, across many sets of hard drives (perhaps hundreds of them) so that the massive data delivery load is spread.

Similarly, commercial website hosting centers must provide reliability at every level.  If a hard disc fails, a backup disc must switch in seamlessly to continue providing data to website users. If the mains power fails a subsystem called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) will ensure that batteries and a large generator switch in to keep the power coming and keep the data centre ‘on the air’. Similar arrangements ensure that the air conditioning system has a backup. With the huge amount of equipment in a data centre, the amount of heat being generated requires air cooling on a grand scale. Computers soon start crashing or shutting down if they get even a little bit too hot.

There are three basic models operated for commercial website hosting. First, some large companies (such as IT companies) build and host their own data centers. Second, there are many data centers where you can set up your own servers and storage, effectively renting facility floor space; that is, cooled space with a UPS controlled power supply and superb Internet backbone connectivity. This is a little like renting fully managed office space, but for hosting instead of employees. The third is the model where the hosting company provides everything you need and you simply upload your website(s) onto the systems and storage they provide.  Various combinations of these three models are also used.

Charging for website hosting varies enormously, but is usually based on how much hard drive space your websites will occupy in the data center, how much Internet bandwidth your traffic uses, and what level of service you want. A website that uses a lot of storage space, invites users to download a lot of data, and contracted to be available for 99.999% of the year will be the most expensive option.

Web hosting for commercial websites is typically offered by data management and IT outsourcing companies like HP Services and IBM Global Services – but some ISPs also use their considerable infrastructure to offer web hosting services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and if you are an existing customer of an ISP you may find that they will offer the best deal of all.

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Posted by admin on June 19th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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An integral part of today’s business technology, web hosting is sure to continue to evolve as business requirements and the face of commerce continue to change.  Cloud hosting is considered by many to be one of the most important growing services.  Also known as cluster or enterprise hosting, it is a web hosting service provided from a network of servers all connected to one another, though not usually in the same physical location.  A diagram of these connected servers and their function resembles a cloud, which is where the system derives its name.  Probably the best example of cloud hosting is the popular search engine Google, with Google searches being carried out across a massive cloud.

The advantages are obvious: the network provides good, reliable “five nines” (99.999%) availability; even if a server fails others can take over and the user’s access should not be interrupted.  The system also offers better security, flexibility and all-round performance, which can be improved ad infinitum by adding on new servers and scaling up.  Website expansion can be achieved with the minimum inconvenience and multi-servers can cope with sudden jumps in traffic without crashing.  Servers in cloud hosting support different scripting codes, so users can have .ASP and .PHP files, which is not usually an option in traditional platforms.

Another advantage is the cost: cloud hosting providers tend to charge their customers based on the amount of computing power consumed – so the client pays per use instead of paying for services that are available whether he uses them or not.

Cloud hosting also includes the range of services available from the cloud instead of being installed on the client’s own computers, which he can access online without need for updates and installations, a concept which comes with its own range of advantages over the traditional model involving applications and data being stored on the client’s own computer.

Customers may have concerns that they may be sharing the same hardware on which they store their personal data with other users: is their data safe?  This issue has caused controversy and may have gone some way towards delaying the universal adoption of cloud hosting, as the public sector and private industry have concerns over the outside management of security services.  However, cloud computing service providers are aware of these concerns, which give them a strong incentive to develop a thoroughly effective procedure to assure security.

Hosting is also evolving in terms of its promotional tactics, with providers competing to cry their wares in less traditional ways; including such breaks from usual promotion as C I Host and EarthLink, who recently started to advertise their services through retail storefronts.  Green website hosting is also a new kid on the block, with providers promoting their services as eco-friendly and having zero impact on the environment to attract customers.  With the web hosting business estimated to become more polluting of the environment than the airline industry by 2020, this could be an attractive gimmick for customers with a conscience.

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Posted by admin on May 24th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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One of the more important aspects of business web hosting is security – utterly vital because unlike, for example, a blog site, these business sites are dealing with a customer’s financial arrangements, his bank account, his credit card, and his pin number.  He may even have uploaded access details about his private residence to advise delivery arrangements.  The site must have the latest and most comprehensive security to guard the customer from harm.  Anyone familiar with the infamous Sony incident, in which 25 million users of Sony Online Entertainment learned that their personal details may have been stolen, will understand this.  The users, who were playing online games or watching movies, may have been left open to scams, phishing or fraud after their personal information, including credit card numbers, was hacked.  This was a catastrophe for Sony and for their customers and exactly the sort of publicity companies would do anything to prevent.

Security gets very complex where multiple companies engaged on a project share a “project” website. The hosting company must be able to provide facilities which allow the site managers to selectively make information visible to participating companies.  For example, if a number of companies were participating in a defense project – perhaps to build a new jet fighter – the principal contractor might want to make the project documents relating to the engine visible to the engineering subcontractors, and to the electronics sub contractor, but not to the paint or tires contractors.

Another issue is privacy; the customer may be buying goods and services that he would not wish others to know about, such as pornography, escort services or Viagra®, or issues may surround sites such as gambling sites, where bets are placed ahead of time, and customers would not wish other gamblers to learn which way they are betting.  On auction sites sellers often don’t want bidders to know the reserve price on an item; there are wholesale sites where the wholesale price of products is to be hidden from normal punters, or sometimes competing retailers should not be allowed to see one another’s buy price.

Web hosting may offer improved security to businesses in that security technology is left in the hands of the web hosting provider, the whole direction of whose business is to provide technical excellence in internet access and in security.  Most companies who run websites find it more efficient and cost-effective to rent server space from a web hosting provider, a company who maintains many servers on their site.  These servers may host one or many clients’ websites, or if the client is a large enough company requiring 100% uptime, several servers may be employed solely for this website, partly to provide failsafe service and partly to accommodate a large number of hits with maximum availability to the customer.  The nature of the hosting relies on the needs of the customer, who may need anything from a simple advertising website with no reactivity to a complex marketing website that will inform and update the visiting customer with catalog, stock updates and pricing details, then process orders, accept details, payment and feedback.

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Posted by admin on May 1st, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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If air travel and the television shrunk the world, the Internet has for all practical purposes gathered businesses across the planet into one office.  The click of a mouse can connect a businessman in Tokyo with his client in New York, London or Paris; he can send files, images, audio and video all over the globe in an instant.  He will also have a website which will allow clients to browse his range of products and services, send messages, order and pay for goods and services online, and even leave feedback.  His physical whereabouts, and those of his head office, matter not at all, apart from the actual delivery of ordered goods.

The same can be said of business web hosting companies, who provide the means for the Tokyo businessman to publish his website, by way of their servers and operating systems, saving him the trouble of having to have a department devoted to this function.  While many businesses might think it obvious to seek a web hosting provider in the same country or even the same city as themselves, this idea is growing increasingly irrelevant.  Many providers have offices in multiple countries, not really being based in any one location.  They may also have employees in many locations working from home, or be completely online companies with a token registered address but no real head office at all.  This may cause concern to a prospective user hoping to rent business web hosting, but should not be a genuine worry.  The need to have a customer support office at least based near your own company premises is also obsolete, as support by email or messaging can work as well as support by telephone.

Whatever your situation or location, web hosting is the most efficient way for a company to publish their website, which in turn is the best and most modern way to get goods, services and company pledges under the eye of the prospective customer, communicate with him and accept orders, payment and feedback.

Web hosting requirements for each company will vary widely, from small businesses who may be content to use free web hosting with its limitations and onscreen advertising, to multinational giants like eBay and Amazon, who have their websites hosted in multiple data centers on different continents.  Thus if one data center fails the users on the site are automatically – and invisibly to them – redirected to another server on another site.

With such large multinationals the underlying database is used on large business sites or replicated continuously across data centers so that if one data center suffers a catastrophic failure or data loss an up-to-date copy of the database will survive in the other data centers.  Multi-hosting is always implemented on different continents for large multinational companies, and business web hosting centers are designed to deliver “five nines” – reliability, meaning that they provide access to the website 99.999% of the time.  Cluster hosting, which is used by larger companies who need more bandwidth and reliable access for their customers, can deliver 100% uptime by using several servers to host the same website.

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Posted by admin on April 17th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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Business web hosting provides an efficient and cost-effective way for companies to use Internet services without having the expense and trouble of running and maintaining their own web servers or database, and with many providers promising 99.99% uptime, it seems the right deal for many.

The client company can relax and make the most of the service, knowing that racks of servers are humming away quietly on the provider’s premises, being maintained by their personnel and operated by their systems without the client having to worry about it further.  All kinds of web hosting share some features, including being able to access your information from anywhere in the world via the Internet.  But thought must be taken and information obtained before the company chooses a web hosting provider, as they must be sure they have found the provider that best meets their own requirements.  Their considerations will include their budget and needs and what the various providers are offering, and some of the questions they must consider include their own proposed volume of traffic and the provider’s customer service and technical support.  Operating systems are another consideration, with most business web hosting providers offering LINUX-based applications.  They may also need to consider the type of web hosting they would be prepared to accept, as shared web hosting, for example, will be cheaper than dedicated hosting.  Shared web hosting means that many other clients may be sharing the same server as you, which could have implications for your available bandwith.  At the other end of the spectrum is clustered hosting, which means that several servers are involved in hosting the website, an advantage for larger users who expect a great deal of traffic or need a guaranteed 100% uptime.  Dedicated web hosting means the user has his own server, used exclusively for his Internet needs, but although he may or may not manage and be responsible for the server, he does not generally own it.  If the client owns the server, which is located on the web hosting provider’s site and maintained by the provider, this is called collocation hosting.

Free web hosting is available, but may not be suited to the needs of larger businesses, and will be supported by the use of advertising occupying part of the screen.  The customer may of course elect to pay for this to be removed.

Business web hosting may also offer  a file hosting service, video and image hosting, blog hosting, one-click hosting, and services associated with online shopping such as shopping cart software and credit card processing. Functions like guest books and bulletin boards may also be included. Providers may offer a web management content system which absolves the user from having to concern himself with any of the more technical aspects.  The client will also have to be aware that the website address will be an extension of the server address, unless he buys and registers a domain address of his own which matches or incorporates his company name or a favored logo.

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Posted by admin on April 4th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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With the World Wide Web now the biggest market place for companies to trade, business web hosting is more important and lucrative than ever, and cyberspace has become a valuable commodity.

Web hosting refers to the leasing of space by a company on their server – a powerful computer or computers with a large hard drive which is connected to the Internet permanently – to any person or business that needs to publish their website on the Internet.  The hosting company may provide data center services and internet connectivity.  The services they provide include basic web page hosting, with web pages being delivered to the site with little or no processing.  Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer this service free to clients who open email accounts; typically free web hosting is financed by advertising on the page and is of limited scope compared to purchased hosting. Personal websites may be limited to a single page. However, business web hosting is generally more expensive, as businesses will require more extensive and complicated web sites than individuals, with application development platforms and database support.  Thus they are enabled to write or install scripts for online forums and content management.  They may also require permanent connection to the Internet in order to send data and emails to other sites, or use the server as a website host so they can allow clients or potential clients to access details and prices for their range of goods and services, or even order and pay for these online.

As well as free web hosting for individuals, web hosting companies may offer other kinds of hosting, including shared web hosting, where the client’s website is on the same server as other sites, perhaps many of them at a time.  These sites may share server resources like the central processing unit and RAM.  Reseller hosting allows the client renting the web space to “sub-let” domains, perhaps providing an almost identical service as the original web hosting provider.  A Virtual Private Server, sometimes called a Virtual Dedicated Server, means a server’s resources are divided between users.

With Dedicated Hosting, the user has his own web server with full control over it, but may not own the actual machine.  This type of business web hosting may be unmanaged or self-managed, with the user having responsibility for the maintenance and security of his server.  With managed hosting the user gets his own dedicated server but does not have full control or access, so the provider maintains full control over its functions and configurations.

Colocation Web Hosting resembles Dedicated Hosting except that the client owns the Colo server, which resides in physical space provided by the web hosting provider, who also maintains it.

Cloud hosting is another form of web hosting in which applications used by the client are hosted on the provider’s servers instead of being installed on the client’s computers, allowing him to access a range of applications without installations or updating.  Clustered hosting involves having several servers hosting the same content for maximum efficiency, and grid hosting is when a number of servers are arranged like a grid, with multiple nodes perhaps geographically separated.

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Posted by admin on March 13th, 2011 :: Filed under Business Web Hosting

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