Featured article by Emily Roberts, Independent Technology Author
While having a website is essential for your business’ survival today, what many don’t realize is that you have options when it comes to web hosting. In fact, there’s more than one type. What type of hosting is best for your business? We’ll give you the information you need to decide.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting, sometimes called virtual hosting, is when your website and several others are run virtually on the same, shared server. Each site sits on its own virtual partition, so it operates as if it is running on its own server. There are plenty of pros and cons to shared hosting.
One benefit of this model is lower cost since the server maintenance costs are divided among several customers. Companies like Netweaver allow you to run a website for only a few pounds a month and scale up quickly for only a few hundred pounds a month. If you’re sharing a web host with only a few minimal sites or blogs, you could have nearly as much space as a private web host for a fraction of the cost.
Colocation Hosting
Colocation hosting is when you put your own server in someone else’s data center. You have complete control over the server’s configuration and the software installed. You don’t have to worry about your website and e-commerce operations being lost if the main office burns down or loses power. However, you’re still responsible for maintaining the server. You retain a dedicated IP address instead of worrying if it will change when you switch hosts. The colocation hosting option typically provides more potential bandwidth than what most small businesses need.
Colocation hosting is a good choice for those who need a backup system or wants to avoid the need for a backup system while being able to keep their IP address and software configuration. If you need more information on colocation hosting, then visit this article.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is when a client, such as your business, leases an entire server. You aren’t sharing it with anyone. A benefit of this approach is that you have full control over the server’s settings from the software applications installed on it to the server infrastructure, as long as it is within the range of what the web host provides. The web host purchases the hardware and software and maintains it. It is a little cheaper than providing your own server since they are able to repurpose a system if you don’t want it.
In-House Hosting
In-house hosting is when you have a computer room running your own servers. The downside of this approach is that you bear the entire burden of running and maintaining the server, including its costs. You run the risk of your website going down if the business loses power or burns down. One benefit is complete control over the hardware and software. And for very small businesses, running a web host on a spare computer may be enough to get your digital presence started. However, it won’t be enough if you start selling a lot of items online or see a spike in web traffic.
Conclusion
Before you pick your hosting solution, you have to decide your budget, needs, level of security, and what performance and uptime you need. Make sure that you evaluate all of these options and pick the one that fits your operation the best.
