Managed Web Hosting
Written by wwwhostingdirectory.com
When it comes to hosting a website, there are four main things to consider: the internet connection, the hardware, the software and the administration. These are very clearly distinguished categories. In all kinds of web hosting, you will get internet connectivity – that is the basic requirement of web hosting, after all! Managed hosting is the kind of web hosting where you will, in addition, be provided with the hardware, the software and basic administration.
All managed hosting packages are not the same, but there the basic hardware you will get as part of any managed hosting package. This includes the server, the network devices – like switches, routers and wiring; tape back-up and physical racks. Depending on which package you choose, you will also have some other features. The Storage Area Net Work or SAN, a good network firewall, load balancing, reliable power supply, and disaster management are some of these features. A good hosting package of any sort, whether you choose managed hosting or not, would include these hardware features. When you opt for managed web hosting, you do so because you don’t want to have to worry about maintaining anything other than the actual content of the website, so it is best to choose a managed hosting package with as many of these features as possible.
Next comes the software. With managed hosting, you will get the basic software you need to host your website. The primary software is an operating system, which is the platform on which your site is hosted. You will also have a web server, like Apache, traffic reporting, databases, digital encryption, email hosting etc. You won’t get much of this software if you choose dedicated server hosting, instead of managed web hosting.
But the distinctive feature of managed web hosting is that you will also be provided with basic administration of your website. This includes configuring the server, monitoring it, running traffic reports, running back-ups, managing disk storage space, monitoring site responsiveness and security and taking care of the databases. But this is only basic administration. Even with managed web hosting, you will have to install, manage and run the different applications you want on your website yourself. However, different managed web hosting packages give different levels of software management, so there is no set formula here. At an extra cost, you can get more of your website administration handled.
Managed web hosting is the ideal solution when you either don’t have the expertise to do this or you don’t have the time to do this. If you choose a managed web hosting, you won’t have to worry about the technical details that will eat into your time. This will leave you with more time to handle the actual content and running of your website.
Even if you choose to handle some of your software yourself, one of the most important features of managed hosting is that you will have very regular customer support. Some managed hosting packages will assign an executive who will handle yours and a few other websites, which means that you will have very good technical support. This is essential to iron out any hitches in your website. This will cut down on any down time for your website, which can affect the functioning of your website.
This can also cut down on your cost. If you have a website with substantial traffic, you will need to hire people with the technical knowledge to ensure the smooth functioning of your website. With a good managed web hosting package, you will not have to do that, so eventually, this is quite cost effective.
Managed web hosting is a good option if you want to save time and money, while focusing on the content of your website. There are managed web hosting packages for every budget, so there is plenty to choose from. |
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