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Archive for October, 2011

Why do some organizations choose to host their own Web site on their own managed servers, while others contract with a Webhosting company or purchase their ecommerce hosting services through an ISP (Internet service provider)?

While cost (including risk) and flexibility are often the two primary considerations when choosing how to host a website, understanding distinctions among Webhosting options and the pros and cons of each will help you pare down the list to something considerably more manageable, ensuring that you make the best decision.

Webhosting plans can be categorized broadly into two types: virtual server hosting and dedicated server hosting. Small to medium-sized businesses typically choose a virtual server plan where multiple ecommerce web sites are hosted on space within a single server. This service allows you to share a server with others, but your site is further protected or isolated with its own server resources including processor, memory, and disk storage. This arrangement works well for small sites that rely on dynamic generation of content from a backend database, small ecommerce sites, or for customers who wish to manage several separate web sites.

The reason that vendors can offer low-priced domain hosting for virtual private servers is because the customers look the same and require a set of web services that are essentially identical from site to site. Webhosting vendors who are able to package similar services across a huge volume of customers most effectively are generally the most successful since they can capture substantial economies of scale.

Dedicated hosting on the other hand is an option for mid- to large-sized businesses that require or desire the flexibility that comes with dedicated servers. While more expensive, this type of plan generally provides a higher level of security, support, and maintenance with a guaranteed level of availability. Offering this type of guarantee generally reflects a level of redundancy within the vendor’s data-center operations that severely decreases the chances of downtime or removes the risk all together. Depending on the vendor’s plan, flexibility means you can write and run your own custom scripts or applications and even use a content management system to manage the web site but not worry about managing the network, server hardware, or operating system.

The easiest decision will likely be whether you intend to host the site yourself or contract with a webhosting vendor. Scale is the primary decision-making factor. Going it alone takes money and the willingness to assume the activities and risk associated with managing the server hardware, software, and connectivity. For organizations that already have a dedicated IT staff and data center, hosting may be an affordable option. The IT department may, in turn, offer a shared server arrangement where organizational entities such as the organization’s library are provided space on the server. But for those who are unable to tap into existing resources or who are working for companies without IT resources, contracting with an external webhosting provider is the only cost-effective option.

Narrowing the choices down can be difficult since there are so many vendors from which to choose. The first step is to list your requirements for developing, managing, and offering a web site to your users. For very simple sites, the vendor may provide tools for creating and managing your site along with available services to extend your site’s offerings, such as online form capabilities. Alternatively, you can use your own HTML authoring tool and upload pages as needed.

Vendors try to make choosing plans as easy as possible by packaging most-requested services together into specific webhosting plans. Doing so allows customers to more easily select what they need; they also benefit from a cost structure that can be kept fairly low. Most plans require an upfront set-up fee along with a monthly fee covering the plan you choose and any additional services (extra e-mail boxes, additional storage, etc.) that you request.

Finally, choosing a webhosting vendor can be confusing due to the array of options. A winning approach includes developing your list of requirements along with a plan for current and future growth to allow you to substantially clarify how your needs map out against your domain hosting options.

Top 10 Dedicated Server Hosting providing providing Dedicated Hosting Reviews to clients, Consultancy and Training to Web Hosting Providers and End Users, announced here today that Call for Entries is open for 2008 Dedicated Hosting Award Program.

Submissions are now being accepted for the following categories and subcategories:

- Server & O/S Hosting
IBM AIX, AS/400, HP-UX Linux, Solaris, VMware, Windows

- Database Hosting
IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Cluster, MySQL  Oracle 9i / 10g / 11g, Oracle RAC

- Application Hosting
AspenTech, BEA WebLogic, Blackberry Enterprise Server, Citrix, Custom Software, IBM WebSphere, Lotus, Microsoft Exchange, SupportSoft, Verity Hosting, VMware

- Service Provider Hosting
Application Service Provider (ASP), Software as a Service (SaaS)

- Solutions By Industry
Construction, Education,Energy/Utilities, Financial, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Marketing/Media, Retail/Distribution, Technology,Transportation

There will be separate award for each category and subcategory and an overall  best dedicated hosting provider Award for an outstanding service provider who continues to inspire the industry.

To submit an entry, please visit: Dedicated Server Hosting Awards
The options in managed dedicated web hosting have exploded in recent years. Dedicated servers are now available at prices even the smallest businesses can afford, and the future of Web Hosting is Dedicated Servers.

Top 10 Dedicated Hosting Website (http://www.Top10DedicatedHosting.com) categorically defines Dedicated server hosting providers as Cheap Dedicated hosting, Best Dedicated hosting and Managed Dedicated services based on both Linux and Windows platforms and offering options such as Celeron, Pentium 4, Dual Xeon, Xeon Quad Core, Kentsfield, Conroe, Woodcrest and Clovertown Processors, Dual Core AMD Opteron, cPanel, Plesk, WHM, Redhat, Debian, FreeBSD,  CentOS and Windows 2003

When a host computer runs multiple web servers simultaneously it is known as “virtual” hosting. This system relies on virtual DNS resolution which permits specific domain names to be assigned to each web server. So, a single computer can then host many independent web sites. Virtual web hosting is either name based or IP based and allows a great degree of manageability, efficiency, and scalability of the infrastructure.

When a web site has outgrown in many ways its hosting solution then the most workable option is “virtual” web hosting. This is cost efficient as compared to setting up your own dedicated server.

In “virtual” hosting, resources are not shared with other web sites. Each website is assigned fixed amounts of available resources. So, a single site cannot utilize disproportionately all the resources.

Each website has its own operating system on the “virtual” hosting server with an isolated segment of disk space and in some cases specific hard drives on the server. So, crashes or technical problems encountered by other sites on the host server will not affect your site. Using this system you the website owner can install changes in the operating system and customize your web pages.

•    Do your research well and find the near to perfect virtual host. Be sure to check referrals and blogs as well as forums for complaints.

•    Read all the fine print thoroughly and ask any questions you may have before signing up. Most virtual hosting providers offer back ups of your site, technical support, e-mail addresses,  a web based GUI for you to manage your settings, and a e-commerce path that will allow shopping carts and customer support as well as loyalty programs.

•    Once terms and conditions are agreed upon, the hosting company will give you a login name and password, an IP address for your site, and the name of the “private directory” that is assigned to you. This is where you will upload your pages.

•    Register your domain name and be sure to ensure that the DNS record specifies the DNS server of the virtual hosting company. If your site is already registered then complete the required formalities to change the DNS records with your registrar.

•    Upload the pages to the virtual hosting directory.

•    Test the site after 3-4 days using the IP address. Once the DNS propagates across the web you will be able to access your site using its domain.

Virtual hosting works because with the popularity of the web there exist, a bouquet of customers that need a common set of web services and technical support. So, a company that can efficiently package together several solutions which can be used by a great number of customers becomes profitable as well as popular. They offer websites an economy of costs as well as the advantage of a degree of independence.

Virtual hosting will cost around US$ 35-US$ 99 per month and more. This is much lower than the costs of running a dedicated server and therefore the ideal choice for a small to mid sized web site that has outgrown shared hosting.