Dedicated Hosting or Shared Hosting: Which One's Better?

If you’re planning on starting up an online business then you will first need to make sure that you have a website and a domain name. Next you will need a hosting service. Without a hosting service your website will not be accessible through the internet. If you don’t already know, there are many different types of hosting services that you can choose from within the particular online hosting companies that are available. Depending upon the type of website you will be running will determine the type of hosting service that you will need to choose. 

Two of the Most Common Types of Hosting

Although there are more than two types of web hosting that are available to choose from, the majority of web developers choose to go with either dedicated hosting, or shared hosting. There are many factors about each one of these types of hosting that will help you to determine which one would be the best one for you to choose for your website. Now, it’s not necessarily about which one is better than the other. It’s more about which would be best to choose. 

The business of hosting a website is not a task that is easy. Just think of the millions of people all over the world who have to be able to have access of your page 24/7. It’s a huge file management business that is very time consuming, and it also requires a lot of energy to run such a business. 

Let’s move along to discuss both of the two types of hosting so that you can determine which one of them would be the best one for you to choose for your website.

Dedicated Hosting

In the world that we live in today information and the way that it is communicated across the web is quite important. With that being said, the websites that we set up should be designed well with the proper specifications that will allow information that we want the clients to receive to be delivered successfully with no issues. When all of these things mentioned are of importance, a server that is well managed is needed.

Dedicated hosting is the type of hosting that is custom built for a particular client and their website. Dedicated hosting gives the client of a website the coverage that they need for their website so that their site will continue to run smoothly and properly. This type of hosting can be rented by most online web hosting companies. The specifications that are given to the web hosting company are what the company applies in order to give the client exactly what they need in an ideal dedicated host for their website. So basically if you want your hosting features to be customized to your very own personal preferences, then dedicated hosting is the type of hosting that you will want to choose for your website. You even have the ability to choose the amount of memory that you need for your website.

Now that you know about dedicated hosting, you might already have an idea of whether or not there is a chance that you might choose this type of hosting. Let’s move on and discuss shared hosting. 

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is somewhat the opposite of what dedicated hosting is. For one thing, it is not the type of hosting that is created for the purpose of one owner. It is not even the type of hosting that is customized better yet. Shared hosting is just what the first word says “shared.” That means that this type of hosting is a server that is shared amongst various different domains. It is often the option that is chosen for website owners who are just getting started out with a business that isn’t very big. You don’t really get as many advantages with the shared hosting like what you would with the dedicated hosting, and it is the cheaper option to go with.

Shared hosting really isn’t all that bad though; you are basically just sharing resources with other domains. However you will still get your own space for your server. It just most likely won’t be as big as that of the amount of space for a dedicated hosting site. 

Shared hosting still remains to be one of the most popular options when it comes to choosing a host for websites. Generally people choose to go with shared hosting because of the low price. You may only pay a few dollars each month for the service of shared hosting. There are some companies that offer free space for your website when you sign up for shared hosting under them. It’s really a great benefit to take advantage of. 

Why is shared hosting not a bad choice?

Starting out with a shared hosting service is not all that bad because typically most of the websites on such a server do not generate a lot of traffic; so there is plenty of space for everyone to use. 

Another factual benefit about shared hosting that you should keep in mind is that it does not take up very much disk space or data when it comes to transferring information for the different websites. No website actually uses the quota that they are allowing, so there is never an issue. 

Too many websites on the same server

Some web hosting companies that offer the shared hosting as an option often have too many sites featured on one server. It is not in the best interest of the hosting company or the owner of the website that they are on a server that is full, because then that is when mishaps could occur, or websites can function a bit slowly. One gigabyte of memory is usually all that one shared server needs, but it is still the responsibility of hosting company to know their limit for how many websites are able to fit on one server. One of the main issues is the amount of memory that is used, and the bandwidth. When one too many of those two features are used then your site will tend to run slower than what it should. 

So when choosing the right shared hosting company to represent your site; make sure that you pick one that is reliable with few to no issues.

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Linux VPS vs. Windows VPS: Which is right for you?

One of the most important choices you’ll have to make when you choose to move from a shared hosting solution to a VPS is what kind of operating system will provide you with the most benefit – Linux or Windows. Depending on the server provider you choose, you may be able to install whatever OS you prefer, or you may be bound to use the same OS as the host. Both types of operating systems offer a number of benefits for an SMB, but which one is right for your business?

Benefits of a Windows VPS

Windows VPS servers are not as populous as Linux, in part because of the proprietary nature of Windows as a Microsoft product. As a result, Windows VPS servers tend to be used for more specialized tasks, and while they will come with a higher price tag, they will also come with a broader base of support, and more regular updates. Most Windows servers currently run on Windows Server 2008 R2, in combination with Windows Hyper-V, a hypervisor that functions as hardware and allows the server to manage the resources being used in real-time. There are number of advantages that a Windows-based server can offer you over a similar Linux solution, starting with more robust support for ASP and ASP.NET, which can be especially useful for Web developers. In addition, Windows VPS solutions will come with support for the Microsoft SQL or Microsoft Access database. Microsoft SQL Standard or Enterprise will require a separate licensing fee, however. Another benefit to a Windows virtual private server is the ability to remotely access your desktop through an easy to configure GUI that will let you manage tasks even when you are not at your computer.

Benefits of a Linux VPS

A Linux VPS can also offer your business a wide range of benefits, starting with the many types or “flavors” of the OS that are available. Linux as a whole is an open-source OS, which means that it is constantly being changed and modified by users, and does not come with as large a cost as a Windows server, simply because the cost for you to use Linux is much lower – and often free. Different types of Linux will offer different features; some will have easy-to-use GUIs, while others include strong communities that are constantly releasing updates for their work. Linux VPS servers are also known as more reliable, in part because so many VPS providers use them, and can often provide a greater amount of uptime for end users. Another feature of Linux not found in a Windows VPS is secure shell (SSH) access, which will allow you to direct access to the control panel of your VPS, and allow you to control all of its functions. This SSH access is text-based only, meaning it will require a higher level of knowledge to use, but can give you a great deal of power from anywhere you log on.

Making the Choice

There is no clear-cut winner in the fight for VPS supremacy, and which OS you choose will depend in large part on the needs of your business. If you’re looking for a server that can offer you dedicated access to resources and support for ASP.NET, then a Windows VPS may be your best choice. If you need to manage your IT on a tighter budget and want an OS you have more control over and greater access to remotely, then you may want to consider the use of a Linux VPS to get the most value for your dollar.

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What is managed hosting and how it can help your eCommerce business?

Before trying to explain what managed hosting is, I am going to explain what different kinds of hosting are.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting is similar to managed hosting in that the service provider leases a particular server to just one client.

However, the chief difference lies in the fact that these servers come pre configured and you do not get much choice when setting up the servers.

Cloud hosting

With cloud hosting the consumer can access various hosting resources via the internet.
Cloud hosting networks provide a great deal of flexibility in adding or removing memory as and when needed with ease.

A lot of the headache that goes along with configuring servers and calculating space requirements and changes in advance isn’t simply there.

Now let’s try to understand what managed hosting is.

What does managed hosting service imply?

Managed hosting refers to the hosting service where the service provider sets up, monitors, maintains, secures and patches the hosting servers for you.

The servers are owned by the hosting provider but instead of hosting several websites it hosts only websites from your network and is leased to only or only to one single customer.
Managed hosting lends more flexibility to hosting your site than shared hosting services. You have full control on the server, the choice of operating system and the hardware that goes along with it.

When it comes to the operating system managed hosting services may use one among the two kinds of operating systems:

a.) Windows Operating System- commonly the Windows 2008 server

b.) Linux Operating System- commonly the CentosOS

Generally the hosting provider also sets you up with the following services, namely

1. Set up - Full installation of the control panel and OS. The buyer has administrative access but rarely accesses that. Generally the managed hosting is accessed by the client via the control panel virtually.

2. Monitoring - Server, network, databases, and Apache monitoring. Ping monitors run simultaneously for server and network uptime, and monitors website uptime.

3. Security Scans - Most managed hosting companies offer monthly security scan. These scans ensure that no virus or bug hosts itself in the system. The reports are reviewed too.

4. Application Support - Installation and update of supported applications.

5. Patching - Official operating system and application patches, updates, and bug fixes.

6. Trouble shooting - If the server faces any problem a dedicated staff would take of those problems.

7. On call maintenance - Pick your phone and call the staff at the hosting company to do the maintenance work on the servers

8. Hardware upgrading - You need not worry about maintaining the hardware or upgrading it.

9. Software upgrading - The IT staff at the hosting company takes care of the software upgrades for you in a timely manner.

10. Backup services - Most managed hosting providers take daily or weekly backups of the site data. In case of an emergency you can contact them to get the files back.

What benefits does a managed hosting service provide?

Managed hosting is proactive in its nature. To understand what the term means we must first understand the difference between reactive and proactive.

The support that a webhosting company provides in managing a disaster is the reactive nature of the industry. However, with managed hosting, the service tends to be proactive in nature. In other words it manages the service in such a way that problems do not crop up.

With compatibility checks, patching, security scans and other such measures a managed hosting provider tends to avoid problems as much as possible.

Who should consider managed hosting?

If you aren’t fully aware of the technical details behind configuring servers and setting up your hosting then a managed hosting service where the provider takes care of most things for you will be perfectly suited to your needs.

Managed hosting solutions work best for clients who cannot spare the time to learn the tech behind hosting or run behind it whenever they face a problem.

If you are running an eCommerce venture then it’s likely that you’d want to spend more time on business generating activities rather than managing hosting servers.

Concluding thoughts

Managed hosting takes the pain out of running and hosting your business. You can run your business while the experts take care of the traffic problems for you.

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More than Just Hosts: These Important Services Are Also Offered by Web Hosting Companies

Many companies have diversified their product and service offerings that they have outgrown their business classification. Web hosting companies, for example, are no longer just web hosting service providers nowadays. They offer several other related services that many of them can already become one-stop shops for those who want to create and operate their blogs or websites. The following are some of the most important services web hosting companies are offering:

1. Website Builder

Website builders are usually not a paid service but it’s something worth including in this list. Many web hosts now provide simplified or sophisticated website builders that allow customers to quickly create their sites right after subscribing to a web hosting plan. Many want to create their own sites as quickly as possible with minimal need to understand the technicalities. Web hosting companies apparently acknowledge this, that’s why many are now offering website builders. Even better, there are companies such as Weebly and Wix that actually use the free website builder service as the “bait” for customers. They offer customers the opportunity to create their professional-looking websites for free, and in turn, offer provide reliable hosting (for a fee) for the site.

2. Web Design

This is different from website builders. There are web hosting companies that actually provide professional web hosting services. These web design services are usually intended for those who are availing of a web hosting package and are in need for a design upgrade. Their sites may have to be overhauled to take advantage of new technologies or the new features of the web hosting package. Sometimes, it is advantageous to use the web design services of a web host because they likely have already mastered how to optimize a site’s design for the hosting they offer. They can provide advice on what to do and what not to do to ensure that the resulting website performs at its optimum.

3. Domain Name Registration

Domain name registration is one of the earliest related services web hosts have been offering. There have been many companies that conveniently bundle domain names with their web hosting packages. There are also those that provide the service separately. Most of them specialize in domain names for their specific country or region. A web host based in the UK, for example, offers .uk and .london domain names. Moreover, in years, there have been web hosts that are already able to register the new top level domain names such as .cafe, .restaurant, .club, and .store.

4. SSL Certificate

There are also web hosts that help website owners secure their sites through SSL certificates. The web hosts are not the ones granting these certificates. They simply help obtain them from trusted certificate providers such as GeoTrust. Having an SSL certificate means the encryption of sensitive data in a website. This is particularly important for sites that accept user registrations, ecommerce sites or online stores for example. It’s important to have data encrypted to prevent data theft and fraudulent schemes such a phishing. SSL certificates may be offered in different ways. It could be basic entry-level website protection, protection that covers all sites and sub-domains, or protection intended for enterprises. For the uninitiated, SSL certificates are typically manifested by the presence of a “lock” icon on the browser, on the address bar in particular. It’s also worth noting that there are claims that SSL encryption can help raise Google search ranking.

5. Search Engine Optimization

Web hosts haven’t stopped with just putting a website up and running. There are those that have also ventured into search engine optimization (SEO). After providing the solutions to build and operate a blog or website, they also offer services to make sure that the site is competitive in terms of being searched using certain keywords. SEO has many aspects. It’s not just about optimizing the content with the insertion and positioning of certain keywords. Optimization techniques are also implemented in the design of a site. There are do’s and don’t to observe to maximize searchability and avoid getting penalized, especially by Google. Additionally, there’s the link building aspect. Not many web hosts may go as far as undertaking link building campaigns, though.

6. Online Marketing

Although there aren’t that many web hosting companies that offer online marketing solutions, you shouldn’t be surprised to find some that help their hosting clients in promoting their websites. After providing everything needed to start a site, they also offer services to boost the reputation, awareness, and popularity of a site. This can entail something as simple as email marketing or a full-fledged website marketing package that includes SEO and social media marketing. Just a reminder, though, for those who want to try these online marketing solutions: ascertain that the company offering this service has a proven track record

Web hosting companies at present are like modern mobile phones. Everyone still refers to them as “phones” even though they are way more than just phones. The emphasis on phones now are more on their camera, display, battery life, and other features but they are expected to still perform well for their basic phone function. Web hosting companies offer several other important services that allow them to provide virtually everything needed to start and run a site or blog. It’s important, however, not to forget that their hosting services should be reliable, not laden with flaws to be compensated for by the other services being offered.

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Multiple Data Center Hosting

Multiple Data Center Hosting 

What exactly is multiple data center hosting? Why does it exist? Is it expensive? Can it help your business? Should you even be looking into it? These questions and more will be answered by this article.

Like all things technology-based, you don’t need to know the exact specifics of how it works. You just need to know the basics: what does the program/practice/software do, why is it important, how can it help you?

Obviously, it’s not enough to know that something exists; you have to know why it’s being used and whether or not it can be used to improve your business, cut costs, make your life easier, etc., etc.

This is especially true for multiple data center hosting. If you have or hope to have an online business or website, chances are you use a web hosting service. Essentially, a web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible through the World Wide Web.

Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for the use of their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data server. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center. This is called collocation, and enables multiple data center hosting. So, is this important? Let’s find out.

How It Works 

Essentially, multiple data center hosting affects the speed at which websites can be accessed. Aside from a very small percentage of large, international web hosting companies, most U.S.-based web hosting companies provide services to local businesses. Some of the largest data centers are located in the United States, and many of those web hosting companies use their own dedicated servers.

Some businesses and sites located overseas utilize the services of American companies, and unfortunately for them, their websites tend to load much slower and overall performance is lacking. It is for this reason that businesses targeting local customers often utilize local web hosting providers, which use unreliable small data centers in their country.

Multiple data center hosting can be considered an outsourcing solution. Many web hosting companies are relocating their own servers to new data centers. Whatever company you choose to provide your business or site with multiple data center hosting will still be held completely responsible for site administration and any problems that may arise, but the new data center itself provides the server cabinet space, bandwidth, routing, and electricity, among other things.

Multiple data center hosting is not reselling. Web hosting companies who choose to move their servers to these data centers still own their servers, as well as a good percentage of the routers and switches that connect the servers to the data center’s Internet connections.

Many now consider multiple data center hosting as the solution for this problem. This type of service gives small business and website owners the ability to choose the option they feel will work best for them. Clients get to pick from three existing data centers, and whatever center they choose will be the one responsible for hosting their website. The theory is that the website owner is technically controlling the speed at which their site loads, but only if they understand that the speed will be controlled by choosing the data center that is physically closer to the majority of their clients.

For example, business owners should not expect to be able to pick a center in Illinois because a majority of their clientele is located in Chicago. Keep in mind that there are only three main data centers being utilized, so the best option would be to choose a data center located in the United States -- as opposed to choosing a center located in Europe. The location of a majority of your clientele is key when determining which data center to utilize. While webmasters from Norway may choose a Swedish data center, Canadian customers may prefer US data center.

It goes without saying that website speed can make or break even the most successful of online businesses. It doesn’t matter if your company offers the most dependable services or appealing goods; it doesn’t matter if your site utilizes the most cutting-edge technology and graphics; if it takes minutes for your site to load, no one is going to see it.

Online users have become accustomed to accessing everything online at lightning speed. Dial-up is practically non-existent, with most people utilizing cable/DSL Internet services. We’ve become a country that wants what they want when they want it, and if someone finds your site online and is met with a slow loading time, you can be guaranteed that you’ve lost a customer. During these hard economic times, there isn’t a company or website in the world that can afford to lose even a single customer.

Those who have websites and online businesses should consider website speed to be a very important marketing factor. As mentioned previously, it should come as no surprise that multiple studies have found that people leave websites that take too long to load and not only that, but their opinion of the business itself is lowered. Small business owners or those with fledgling online businesses should really consider multiple data center hosting. Some may dismiss it at a ploy for web hosting companies to drum up more business, but it really does increase loading time, which can lead to happy customers and more sales. What’s to lose?

How Will Multiple Data Center Hosting Help Your Online Business? 

Some things can be taken at face value, they are black and white; multiple data center hosting is not one of those things. Utilizing this new type of web hosting is not just about improving load time. Business owners need to think more critically when it comes to the image they hope to project to their clients -- old and new alike -- and the online experience with which they provide them.

Today's competitive marketplace requires that online businesses and websites use the most efficient and reliable web hosting services available. After all, what will it say to your clients if you don’t care enough to ensure that they have a positive experience on your website? What does that say about the service you will provide them with?

Aside from the speedy response we’ve already discussed, multiple data center hosting also offers a number of other important benefits to fledgling businesses considering making the switch to this type of service. For example, multiple data center hosting offers multiple links to the Internet, backup power supplies and generators, electronic security systems, and 24-hour-a-day hardware and network technicians on site.

This last feature is particularly important for an online business. Nothing can be more frustrating than paying a company on a monthly basis and not being able to get through to customer service for hours, and then having to pick up the pieces after the damage is done. As stated previously, the company you’ve chosen -- and not the multiple data hosting center -- will still be held completely responsible for site administration and any problems that may arise. But for minor technical difficulties or glitches that have to do with the data center, it’s especially nice having technicians available at your disposal no matter what the day or hour.

It’s possible to create an online business that’s thriving, but one of the downfalls is that weekends don’t keep people off the Internet as they keep them out of the office. This is why it’s so important to make sure that the web hosting you choose provides support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After all, technical problems can occur at any time, day or night.

Benefits of Multiple Data Center Hosting 

Multiple data center housing provides a very cost-effective means of accessing a secure hosting environment. Most companies that provide this specific service help small businesses and websites by saving them time and money. It has been reported that the cost of utilizing a company that offers multiple data center hosting is a bit more expensive than utilizing the services of an average web hosting company. Choosing multiple data center hosting should be seen as the same as choosing to “green” your home with energy efficient appliances: the upfront costs may seem excessive and overwhelming, but it saves a significant amount of money in the long run and definitely evens out.

Multiple data center hosting companies are providing their clients with super-fast service that will help the quality of their business. Many companies that offer this service are also providing high speed connections through multiple carriers in order to prevent downtime. Many also have a guaranteed power supply that incorporates UPS for short-term combined with an onside diesel generator and sub-station for any extended power outages that may occur.

Other popular features include the deployment of new machines within 24 hours in case of technical emergency or equipment malfunction and the use of electronic access security and security guards to protect all equipment. It’s important to understand that these data centers assist countless small businesses and websites and it’s of the utmost importance to them to keep their clients happy, because if not it will greatly affect their livelihood. In other words, it’s in their best interest to make you happy so you can rest assured that you will be well taken care of.

Multiple data center hosting may not be for everyone. Surely there are those who prefer local web hosting companies whose services and performance more than meets their needs. If you want to expand your client base, quicken your load time, and provide your future clientele with a positive online experience, then multiple data center hosting may be for you.

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How A Hosting Provider Can Affect Your SEO Efforts

With Google's algorithm constantly evolving, changing and growing it can be stressful determining what factors are important in regards to your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Some aspects are obvious and routine: keywords, links, reputation. Are these the only factors that influence SEO? Many experts believe not.

What other factors are deemed important? Consider one of the first decisions you make when starting a website. One that is often made too hastily without truly understanding the impact. The decision is choosing a hosting provider.

Does Your Hosting Provider Affect SEO?

Your choice of host is not going to directly boost your ranking. It is not going to move you to the first page or directly attract more traffic to your site. However, a poor choice of a host can have a detrimental effect. Choosing wisely can then give you an edge on the competition.

Many new site owners choose a hosting provider because they are cheap. All they see is dollar signs and they don't take into consideration the impact it can have on their marketing. By understanding the role of hosting in SEO, you can choose wisely and have the advantage. So how does it impact SEO rankings?

Server Security

Your website security is extremely important. Not only for your Google rankings but for your the experience and safety of your users. A website that is not secure will hurt your ranking in multiple ways. Google penalizes sites that are attacked or are hosting malware. Once visitors learn of the security flaws it will hurt your traffic and reputation. All of these factors result in a decrease in the ranking.

You may do everything that you can personally to protect your website, but your host plays a role in the security of the site as well. Their role is most prominent when you are relying on a shared hosting service. When other sites on the same server have poor security, it presents an opportunity for hackers to infect multiple sites on the same server.

The solution here is to move to a dedicated server. Even then, you need to find out what security measures they take to protect their servers.

Server Location

It may seem as though location has only recently become such a huge factor in Google's ranking algorithm, but it has actually been a metric for a long time. Google relies on location information even when the search isn't a local search.

For example, if a person is making a search from within the United States, the websites on servers located in the United States are more likely to be near the top. They are much less likely to see sites from Japan or China in their results.

There was a time when they used only the Top Level Domain to determine a site's location. Recently, they have started relying more on the IP address because it is delivering more accurate results. This is good news for the person making the search, but it can hurt your business if your server is in a different location.

You need to know where the server is located, as well as the location of your target audience. Then choose a hosting provider that has servers in the same country as the majority of your audience.

Server Performance

One final factor to consider is the server performance. This includes the server speed and its downtime. The overall performance of the server is going to affect the user's experience, which Google takes very seriously.

Google frequently penalizes websites that have slow loading speeds, as well as sites that suffer downtime. Most hosting providers have high percentages of uptime. It is rare to find a host that has less than 99 percent uptime, but that 1 percent can make a difference.

As for the loading speed, there are a lot of design choices you can make to improve the speed of your site, but your host can still slow you down to a point where it hurts your SEO efforts. Using a shared server is more likely to hurt your speed than a dedicated server. A dedicated server is going to cost you more money, but it is much better for business in the long run.

There are numerous high-quality hosts spread across the internet. Finding a host with the right location, quality performance, and one that takes security seriously should not be difficult. Just make sure you do your research and review each of these qualities of the hosting provider before making a decision. Otherwise, you might find your SEO campaign is not delivering the results that it should.

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VDS vs. VPS: The Virtual Dedicated Server Advantage

If your business is looking to maximize the use of IT dollars and resources, then you’ve likely been considering the move to a hosted solution that provides at least some form of virtualization. Currently, the market is trending away from on-site storage and moving instead toward solutions that allow companies to access their data anywhere, anytime along with providing a secure environment to both store data and deploy applications. The two most common forms of virtualized options available on the market are virtual dedicated servers (VDS) and virtual private servers (VPS).

The VDS/VPS Divide

In many respects, these two technologies are almost identical – they allow a server to be partitioned into multiple parts that can each host a “tenant” securely. The main difference in VDS hosting compared to VPS hosting is the way in which the layer of virtualization – which sits between the hardware and the OS – functions. A virtual private server will typically use a virtualization layer that works from an OS-level, and popular VPS options like OpenVZ (the basis of Virtuozzo) use technology that is based on a Linux kernel. This allows a single server to run multiple, isolated instances of any operating system, also known as containers. For this reason, this kind of virtualization is often known as “container-based”.

VDS hosting, meanwhile, relies on the presence of a hypervisor to create a level of logical partition. In order for a virtual dedicated server running Hyper-V to function properly, a parent partition has to be created and run Windows Server 2008. From there, what are known as child partitions are created – these partitions are completely separate from each other, but all are managed by the hypervisor, which has the job of ensuring that all tenants on the system have equal access to resources and that the system runs as intended.

Choosing Your Virtualized Solution

Both VDS hosting and VPS hosting can offer advantages to your business, most notably that you will be able to move a significant amount of storage and applications off of your local severs, freeing up space and lowering IT costs. You’ll also be able to run applications from any desktop connected to your network and virtual server – things like patches for programs can then be pushed out automatically to all machines instead of having to take each one down one by one. The benefit of virtual private server often lies in scalability – you can start with a limited amount of resources and then scale up as necessary.

A virtual dedicated server, meanwhile, is able to offer you a dedicated set of resources that you alone have access to instead of requiring that you share with other tenants – to some degree at their mercy in terms of resource use. Your OS and resources will also be fully isolated from others on the system, meaning that issues experienced by other tenants will not affect your performance. Microsoft has also submitted their Hyper-V drivers to the Linux kernel, allowing improved functioning for Linux guest systems in a Hyper-V virtualization environment. Well-supported VDS options can often give the performance of a fully dedicated server but with a far lower cost, owing to the shared – but separate – nature of the virtualized system.

The greatest return on your IT dollars now lies in a virtualized solution – either a virtual private or virtual dedicated server. Both offer advantages over shared or local hosting, with a VPS giving the benefit of private server space but in a shared environment and VDS doing the same but with full isolation of both your OS and resources.

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Moving to a New Web Hosting Service Provider

There could be multiple reasons for businesses to migrate to a new web hosting service provider. The reasons vary from low disk space to poor customer service or frequent breakdowns of the server.

Switching to a new web hosting provider may look overwhelming. However, in reality it's not so. This article furnishes important points in this regard.

Choosing a new web hosting provider

You need to consider various aspects when choosing a new web hosting service provider. These include the operating system (OS), the bandwidth and disk space requirements, the uptime and customer service.

The type of operating system (OS)

While migrating from one web hosting service provider to another, it is better to stick to the same OS as the one you are using (Windows or Linux) because it'll make migration easier.

Unless you have a very good reason, do not change the OS. If you are planning to opt for a new OS, you need to check for whether that OS is being offered by the new web hosting service provider.

In addition, your site needs a database such as MySQL or Access. While MySQL is compatible with both Linux as well as Windows, Access is compatible only with Windows. It's therefore sensible to take a look at these points when you migrate to a new OS.

Bandwidth and disk space

The bandwidth and the disk space provided by the new web hosting service provider are important because the former affects the speed and the latter gives the data storage space. Check if the new service provider offers a higher bandwidth and disk space at the same cost. If they don't, then we suggest you to execute a cost-benefit analysis for the two aspects. This is likely to help you take a sensible decision.

Uptime

Uptime is important because when your website is down, visitors/customers at your site might be annoyed and this may impair your site's credibility. In actual dollar terms, you may end up losing hundreds or even thousands. The new service could claim to provide 100% uptime, which is less likely. Ensure to verify the claims.

Further, check when they execute scheduled maintenance - during peak hours or during non-peak hours. If they do it at peak hours, your business is likely to lose substantial traffic and revenue.

Customer service

Good customer service is crucial while choosing a new web hosting service provider. Check if customer service is available around the clock and seven days a week. They should be using phone calls, SMS, or live chat. These options ensure faster communication. You could visit the web hosting service provider's website to check the credibility of the service provider.

How/what after zeroing in on a web hosting service provider?

Back-up your website

Switching to a new web hosting service provider involves making sure your site is safe from potential hazards like loss of files including HTML files, images, application, scripts, plugins, and so on. You should secure them by taking a backup in a separate computer. You could do this by using an FTP to download all the files.

Configure email

After migration of your site to the new web hosting service provider, make sure to recheck the configuration of your email. Not doing so may lead to failure of the email service.

DNS changes and propagation

Your transfer to the new web hosting service provider is not complete until you update your DNS and submit it to the new service provider. Until then, your new service provider might assign you a temporary IP address. With this IP address, you could check if the website is functional. You should ensure your domain name is changed as you need. For this, you need to communicate with the domain registrar. They would advise how to change. If your domain registrar has inbuilt tools, the job will be easy for you.

Check internal links

Once the transfer process is complete, check internal links using link checking tools. Ensure all links work as they did before the transition. In addition, check for log files and errors and troubleshoot the issues.

Test new website

After migration, it's important to recheck in detail if your site is working perfectly. Especially, check for the look and the features of internal web pages including forms, apps, plugins, etc.

Cancel the old account

After you close all the process involved in the transition, you need to close the account with your former web hosting service provider. It's sensible to keep the account live for a week as a backup option until you are sure that the transition happened accurately.

Let your visitors know while you are in the transition

Make sure to leave a message on your web page requesting your audience to bear with patience while your site will have downtime during the transition. It'll give an impression that you're concerned for the trouble caused to your audience. It'll also help enhance the credibility of your site.

Moving to a new web hosting service provider is tricky. It involves multiple things like your business's website, profits and managing the transition. However, the transition could be made smooth provided you plan properly and execute efficiently.

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Understanding How Reseller Web Hosting Works

A great part of a website’s success can be attributed to its type of web hosting. With the right hosting package, you’ll be able to maximize the resources available in order to fully promote the website online. The increasing demand for web host companies has paved the way for others to find another way to make money and that is through reseller hosting.

As the term implies, reseller web hosting is a type of hosting service where a user avails of a web host package and “resells” it to other consumers. The setup often involves large scale companies that sign up with hosting providers and they will lease these services to the smaller ones. People engage in the reselling business finds it as an effective way to earn money online and because of this a lot of people have become more interested in learning how reseller web hosting works and how they too can become resellers and start earning money.

The first step is market research. Do not jump the gun easily; educate yourself about web hosting and understand its different aspects. Search for web host providers and the type of packages that they offer along with its features and pricing. Compare rates from various companies and determine the ones that are profitable. There are also companies that offer discounted rates for resellers, inquire about these offers and use them to formulate the packages that you’ll offer for reselling.

Marketing and promotion also play a factor on the success of a hosting reseller. After coming up with the services to offer to prospective clients, make sure to have a marketing strategy that will prompt clients to sign up. It has to have a competitive edge over other resellers; what can make it a standout among the rest of resellers that might offer the same type of hosting packages? Customer service, quality of service and performance are some of the things that you’ll need to focus and improve on a constant basis.

Know the demands of the market and make the effort to accommodate them. Individuals and companies looking for web host providers often have a set of criteria that will help them determine the right one for their business. Disk space and bandwidth are two important aspects that customers consider in finding a good provider.

If you can provide customers with a good amount of disk space and bandwidth to clients that will allow them to keep their site up and running all the time, this will make them satisfied with your services and establish a good working relationship with them. Not only will this enable your business to retain current clients but also attract new ones to sign up for a web hosting plan. 

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