Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive

Colocation web hosting is perhaps the most expensive type of hosting available, so most people don’t consider it when shopping for a potential hosting plan. In fact, most people don’t even know what a colocation hosting plan is, or what the term “colocation” means. A colocation hosting plan is a service that allows you to store your privately owned web server in a state-of-the-art data center that is secured and stabilized at all times. In essence, it is a way to save money from having to pay for an office or regular storage unit (which is really not the best environment for a web server). A colocation facility provides an ideal climate, constant airflow, and specialized server racks that are specifically configured to accommodate the hardware needs of a web server. The following are three reasons why colocation hosting is more expensive than conventional web hosting.

Futuristic Data Centers

A “colocation facility” is actually a data center, which is a large building that houses hundreds (or even thousands) of web servers in futuristic environmentally controlled rooms. Overall, a datacenter contains millions of dollars of equipment, and many of them maintain multiple high-speed Internet connections with various Internet service providers simultaneously. By providing multiple connections, colocation hosting providers can offer redundancy, so that your web server will be online at all times. Data centers are also equipped with highly effective fire extinguishing systems, professionally trained in-house Internet technology specialists, and air filtration systems that cost as much as $10,000 in each room. In order to provide this server care and service stability to customers, colocation hosting providers must charge a more expensive monthly fee.

State-Of-The-Art Surveillance

The second reason why colocation hosting is generally more expensive than conventional web hosting is the amount of effort and the monetary investments that the hosting provider devotes to keeping your web server secure. Not only are the facilities monitored by state-of-the-art surveillance technology, but all of the equipment (including your web server) is insured, so there is no risk of having the hardware damaged or stolen without it being restored or replaced. Colocation datacenter facilities are usually guarded by several tall watch posts, and barbed wire fencing exceeding the height of 8 feet around the entire perimeter the facility. Since the colocation hosting provider has a lot of expenses in terms of employee payroll and equipment overhead, these additional expenses have to be passed on to the customer to make the business profitable.

The Additional Value of Optimizing Web Server Performance

By dealing with a colocation facility you are gaining access to multiple high-speed Internet connections from various Internet service providers. Thus, you have the advantage of maintaining an optimal connection to the Internet for your web server at all times, regardless of the local or regional circumstances affecting the Internet and other hosting providers. This type of assurance is not possible if you choose to store your privately owned Web server within your home or office, because if the single Internet connection is lost, so are all of your current server tasks (such as keeping your websites online).

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The Continuing Price War among Web Hosting Providers

The latest release of budget web hosting providers shows Netspaceindia offering monthly hosting for the low, low price of $1 on the Linux operating system. This monthly package is equipped with 500 MB of disk space. For most businesses this is not nearly enough, however, for any startup company or personal website, this is one of the best deals available besides free hosting.

Based out of Nasik, India, Netspaceindia is widely regarded as India’s fastest growing web hosting provider and domain Registration Company. Established in 2004, Netspaceindia has been providing users in India and other countries across the world with a variety of web hosting types including:

Windows hosting
Linux hosting
Reseller hosting
VPS server hosting
Dedicated hosting
Tomcat hosting

In 2011, Netspaceindia has found a way to offer the most basic services at $1 per month. With this package, webmasters can host a single domain, have 10 email accounts, are granted 500 MB’s of disk space, can utilize 2 MySQL databases, are able to utilize cPanel control panel software and can access around the clock customer support with instant activation. There is a small fee for the customer service.

The executives at Netspaceindia boast that their main priority is to deliver a reliable web hosting product and offer support to their customers to ensure they will succeed in the internet game. The Linux web hosting deal for $1 provides enough disk space to initially create and run a website. However, this will not last long and users must upgrade. Luckily, Netspaceindia has a plethora of upgrade packages that are affordable and provide a variety of features.

Every month you read about a web hosting provider that is lowering their price to beat the competition. Well, Netspaceindia is doing exactly that. At $1 per month with basic features, the price almost cannot get lower than that. Of course this is a marketing ploy to draw customers in and have them upgraded as their website grows. However this is simple capitalism and a great way to increase the number of clients.

Although their $1 Linux hosting plan does not offer much, do not judge the company solely on this. That plan is their most basic and the company provides a variety of other service and monthly plans chalk full of features. If you are looking for a web hosting company to start a site, try Netspaceindia and work through their many hosting plans.

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How to Start a Web Hosting Business from Scratch

The web hosting industry is at the heart of all e-commerce and online business opportunities, as every website online needs a web server to function. Not only does web hosting provide the tools and resources needed to build online businesses in nearly any industry, it also provides business opportunities in and of itself. By utilizing reseller hosting plans you can start a web hosting business from scratch with minimal effort and investment, and absolutely no expertise or experience. While not all hosting resellers will be successful, by following the tips below you may be able to build a web hosting business from scratch.

Choosing a Reseller Hosting Plan

Your reseller hosting plan will be the service that gives you access to wholesale server resources, which can be split up into plans and allocated amongst your customers as you see fit. Thus, it is important to consider the features and attributes of each plan carefully before purchasing one. As a general rule of thumb, the more comprehensive the hosting plan, the cheaper the server resources will be overall. Just as in any other industry, if you purchase server resources in bulk you receive the greatest discounts and will be able to earn the highest profit margins from your clients. It is also imperative to choose a hosting provider that is known for being reliable, as their reliability will reflect on the reputation of your own hosting business.

Creating Effective Hosting Plans and Building a Professional Website

Fortunately, during the process of selecting a good reseller hosting plan you’ll get a good idea of what hosting clients are looking for when they shop for a web hosting service. Put yourself in the shoes of your clients and begin creating hosting plans that could realistically compete with other web hosts. One of the best ways to do this is to distinguish your plans from other hosts’ by offering additional web-based services, and sizing your plans differently than other hosts. For example, if you are a web developer, programmer, or Internet marketer, you can bundle your site creation and promotion services with your hosting plans to solicit more clients. You can also use the robust site builder tools provided within your reseller hosting account to create professional web hosting websites that advertise your services.

Branding and Advertising Your Hosting Services

Reseller hosting plans also allow you to customize the control panel of your customers’ hosting accounts with the logo of your business. This will help you effectively establish your company’s brand and portray professionalism to your clients by distinguishing yourself from the competition. Reseller hosting plans also include free advertising credits for search engines and social networking sites such as Yahoo, Google, Bing, and Facebook. You can utilize these advertising credits to immediately begin promoting your hosting services to targeted audiences via pay per click advertising, which appears on the sides and above search engine results when related keywords are searched for.

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An Overview of the Pros, Cons, and Types of Managed Web Hosting

Dedicated web hosting is usually seen as the top of the hosting industry, offering unparalleled access to customized Web server resources that are only allowed to be utilized by one webmaster at any given time. The majority of cheap web hosting plans offered by major web hosting providers are operating within the shared hosting environment, which is much less robust than dedicated hosting because you have to share a web server with hundreds of other website owners, which usually amounts to thousands of other websites.

While dedicated hosting is definitely preferable over shared or some types of VPS hosting, not all dedicated hosting types are the same. The enhanced functionality and additional capabilities offered with a dedicated server come with difficult server administration duties that must be performed to ensure optimal server performance. Fortunately, managed hosting provides an all-inclusive solution that does not require the webmaster to be familiar with Web server administration. The following paragraphs provide a brief overview of the pros, cons, and types of managed web hosting.

Partially Managed Versus Fully Managed Web Hosting

There are two main types of managed web hosting – partially managed hosting and fully managed hosting. However, the boundaries that separate these two types of managed hosting are not always made clear by individual web hosting providers. For example, what one web hosting provider may call fully managed, may be another hosting provider’s idea of a partially managed plan. In general, a fully managed hosting plan will include 24-hour customer service, on-site technical support, and fully managed server administration and performance maintenance. On the other hand, a partially managed web hosting plan would only provide services such as routine server resets, and ensuring basic functionality of the server. Partially managed hosting is therefore only ideal for webmasters on a budget that are experienced with server administration. The following are the pros and cons of fully managed hosting.

Pros of Fully Managed Hosting

Perhaps the most appealing advantage of fully managed web hosting is the ability to focus on more important tasks associated with managing an online business, while the managed hosting provider handles all of the administrative server duties on a continual basis. Since you no longer have to update, optimize, and maintain the performance of your web server, you can boost the productivity of your business in other areas, expanding your outreach into more diverse endeavors. Instead of spending several hours of your day trying to fix technological bugs within hosting control panels and performing server maintenance, you can spend the same amount of time soliciting new clients and expanding your business for greater profits.

Cons of Fully Managed Hosting

Unfortunately, for webmasters that are experienced and demand the utmost control over their web server, a fully managed hosting plan may not be the best solution. Along with the simplified server management and included technical support comes reduced freedom over the software configuration of your server. Hosting providers tend to think that webmasters that do not know how to use a Web server should not have full control over it, as they may accidentally cause software errors that will consume the time of the hosting providers employees unnecessarily. Fully managed hosting also tends to cost more than other types of dedicated hosting.

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A Step-By-Step Guide for Changing Web Hosts

There are many articles and guides online they claim to teach you how to change web hosting providers without experiencing site downtime. However, many of these guides do not provide a clear outline of the steps involved in changing web hosts. The following is a step-by-step guide for changing web hosts, while minimizing site downtime, preventing data loss, and finding the best quality service for your money.

Find a Suitable Web Host

The first step in changing web hosting providers is finding a hosting company that offers a selection of services that can accommodate your needs and requirements as a webmaster. It is especially important to review the terms and conditions governing the hosting plan in relation to transferring domain names from one web host to another, as some hosts charge domain transferring fees. If you are unhappy with your current web host for a particular reason, it is best to inquire with any prospective host to avoid similar problems in the future.

Create Backups

After narrowing your list of prospective web hosts, you’ll need to gain a thorough understanding of the hosting transfer process. During the hosting transfer, the data from one web server is transferred to another, thereby causing the websites to be hosted on the new hosting provider’s servers. However, it is possible for data loss to occur during the transfer process if server backups are not created beforehand. Fortunately, within the control panel of your web hosting account you should be able to complete server backups on a scheduled basis, which can quickly and easily be restored within the control panel of your new hosting account.

Transferring Server Data

After you’ve found a suitable web host and created backups of your websites, there are two ways to transfer the server data to your new hosting account – you can utilize FTP (file transfer protocol) client’s to securely transfer the files from one server to another directly, or you can restore the server backup file that you exported from your previous hosting plan. Both methods are equally effective and ultimately accomplish the same goal, however the FTP method may need to be used if the backup module of the control panel offered within the new hosting account is not compatible with your created backup.

Adjusting Domain Registrar Account Settings

After you’ve restored or transferred the data to your new web server, the final step is to adjust the domain settings for each of your websites within the registrar account. To do this you’ll simply need to point the domains to the DNS (domain name system) servers of your new hosting provider, which will be given to you within the control panel of your new hosting plan when you attempt to associate a domain with the account. If your new hosting account includes two IP addresses and allows you to install DNS software on the server root, you may even be able to create your own custom name servers to be used for your websites.

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What Does a Managed Web Hosting Provider Do?

If you’ve been shopping for a web hosting plan recently, you’ve probably read that plans that utilize dedicated servers are the most powerful and robust on the market. While this is true, it is important to note that there are two types of dedicated hosting – managed and unmanaged – each one geared towards a completely different type of webmaster. An unmanaged dedicated web hosting plan essentially puts you in complete control of the web server, so that you are effectively leasing a server that is stored in a remote location. A managed dedicated web hosting plan gives you access to comprehensive support and customer service that allows you to focus on the important aspects of your online business, while the web hosting provider deals with server administration tasks. So what exactly does a managed web hosting provider do that an unmanaged web hosting provider does not?

Server Setup

When you purchase a managed web hosting plan, you have the option to choose which operating system you would like on your web server. It is important to note that Windows web hosting is usually more expensive than Linux hosting, because Windows is not a free open-source operating system like Linux. When you make your decision and purchase a plan, a managed hosting provider will automatically install the desired operating system and set up the server so that is fully functional before you ever log into your control panel. With many cheaper unmanaged hosting plans there is no operating system installed on the server, or an undesirable operating system is installed, so the webmaster is required to install the software and set up the server themselves.

Server Backups and Maintenance

Managed web hosting providers also perform the task of keeping the hardware and software configuration of your web server secure at all times. To do this, the managed web hosting provider will make complete backups of your entire web server on a routine basis, and then store the backups on several redundant servers to prevent data loss. Within unmanaged web hosting plan you would need to log into your control panel, which you would have to install first, and manually create a backup of your server. Theoretically you could create a Cron job within an unmanaged hosting plan to have server backups performed automatically on a scheduled basis, however this is much more difficult than simply using a managed hosting plan. Managed hosting providers also defragment web servers and perform daily server maintenance to ensure that the server is functioning optimally at all times.

Technical Support and Customer Service

The level of customer support and services offered with a managed web hosting plan is leaps and bounds above that offered with an unmanaged hosting plan. In fact, many unmanaged hosting providers do not offer technical support at all, and may require the webmaster to use their own internet technology specialist or assistant in order to fix problems that occur within the software installed on the server. Most managed hosting providers offer 24-hour technical support and comprehensive customer service, which is an essential feature for the vast majority of novice to intermediate webmasters.

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When to Cancel a Web Hosting Plan

Choosing the right hosting plan is difficult enough when you don’t have to factor in an endless sea of choices and the possibility of receiving terrible service from the hosting provider you choose. Unfortunately, shady business is all too common in the web hosting industry, so it is therefore important to make sure you choose the right company from the beginning. Even so, it is not uncommon for someone to be stuck with a hosting plan that they despise, being afflicted with site downtime and poor performance.

Most people would like to believe that the unreliable service will end soon, and that they’ll be able to enjoy a web hosting plan that will meet all of their requirements. Nonetheless, if you’re having a bad experience with your hosting provider it may be time to make a change, and/or request a refund. The following information details when it is best to switch hosting providers.

Persistent Downtime

Persistent site downtime is absolutely unacceptable in the hosting industry, especially if you currently own an online business that depends on the reliability of your hosting provider. If your hosting provider offers an uptime guarantee, and most do today, be sure to take them up on this guarantee, and at the very least ask for a discount on your current bill because of the inconvenience. If the company refuses to provide some sort of compensation for the persistent downtime then it is time to find a new hosting provider. Any down time that lasts longer than a few hours should warrant a web hosting provider change as well.

Bad Customer Service

If you’ve been on the phone with customer service several times, only to be treated poorly each time, then it may be time to consider a new hosting provider. Good customer service is an integral aspect of every good web hosting provider, and many times being a webmaster requires immediate assistance from trained professionals, not half an hour delays and unfriendly people that do not know what they’re talking about. If you’ve had problems with your hosting provider’s customer support, you may need to start thinking about different options, before you encounter a serious issue that needs immediate support. Customer service should be friendly, fast and knowledgeable about every aspect of web hosting.

Unfair Terms and Fees

If you’ve been noticing unusually high, unfair or unexpected fees on your monthly bills, you may want to contact the hosting provider to let them know how you feel. If you’re told there is nothing they can do, or if you continue to receive inflated bills each month, it may be in the best interest of your online business to cancel your hosting plan with the current provider. Likewise, you should examine the terms and conditions of any hosting plan before you make the decision to purchase the plan, especially if you’re required to pay a year in advance, as is the case with many shared hosting plans, which are often unreliable.

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When to Upgrade Your Shared Hosting Plan

Web hosting plans allocate a certain amount of server resources to each plan holder, and when the plan’s limitations are exceeded, all of the site’s hosted on the web server (or server partition) instantly experience poor performance and site down time. Thus, it is crucial to know when it is time for a hosting upgrade, particularly in the shared hosting environment, which has more limitations and restrictions than any other hosting type.

As a novice webmaster, you may have the urge to get started with your internet endeavors as quickly as possible, and as such you’ll undoubtedly go for the cheapest shared hosting plan available. While this can be advantageous in the beginning, eventually the capabilities of your minimal hosting plan will be exhausted, and knowing when to upgrade will be the only knowledge that will keep you from experiencing the negative effects of low bandwidth and disk space.

Multiple Domains

Although most shared hosting plans allow for unlimited domains, some of them charge multiple domain fees, and some plans only allow for a certain number of domains. If you foresee the need to create a multitude of web sites then you may want consider upgrading your shared hosting plan before the burden becomes too much for your current plan. Aside from the fees and limitations associated with adding new domains to your hosting account, the new domains will likely cause an increase in bandwidth and disk space usage, both of which warrant a hosting upgrade immediately.

Slow Page Loading

Some instances call for a hosting upgrade due to a symptom of low server performance, rather than a foreseen need for more server resources. One such symptom is slow page loading times, which can become an annoyance to site visitors, ultimately contributing to a decrease in web traffic. If any of your site’s pages are loading slowly, then you may need to enquirer with your web hosting company about the limitations of your hosting plan. Upgrading your plan as soon as your site starts to perform slowly is the best way to prevent any of the problems associated with poor site performances, some of which can greatly decrease your profits and counteract your efforts as a webmaster.

Traffic Surges

if your site is starting to experience high levels of traffic and you’re continually adding new content to it, then you may need to consider a comprehensive hosting plan immediately. Upgrading to a strong shared hosting plan is certainly an option, however most experts recommend a VPS or dedicated hosting plan for the serious webmaster. Although increased traffic levels are definitely a good thing, when your hosting plan cannot handle them they can become one of the biggest let downs in your career, as the site visitors may leave your site immediately if it takes a long time for your pages to load. Traffic surges can cause the server to crash completely, or they can cause your web sites to be denied access to the server temporarily, so it is very important that you are prepared for massive levels of traffic by upgrading to a more robust hosting plan before the resources are actually needed

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Critical Factors for Choosing a Web Host

Today’s global economy demands a web presence in order to be considered a formidable competitor. For small and mid-size companies, navigating web hosting services is often a daunting task, occasionally frustrating. Due in large part to the numerous web host servers readily available to fit your new business needs and budget.

There are several things you should take into consideration when selecting a web hosting service for your new online business including: customer service, price, domain names, and upgrade options.

Efficient Customer Service

Before closing a deal, you should always know your business partner. Whether attempting to contact the interested web host service company via phone, e-mail or learn more about the services each offers reading website information and client testimonials, gauging customer service is an essential component when making a final decision. Thriving business owners realize their key to successfully acquiring and retaining customers is excellent customer service; web hosting services are not immune from the same curiosity.

A respected web host service representative should return messages within 24 hours, answer questions honestly and value your time as a potential client – if not then move on to your next option. If the web host service doesn’t respond in a timely manner, then chances aren’t any better in troubleshooting assistance.

Affordable Pricing

Pricing is another significant aspect to consider when opting for a web host package. Many new online businesses get into financial trouble when purchasing a web host because either they aim too high or too low. Quality service should never be compromised, but neither should it be ridiculously priced. If you’re a small business owner, then you won’t need all of the bells and whistles as those of larger websites. Although starting a website, estimating visitors and bandwidth usage is difficult, consider your current client base.

Free web hosting is tempting for many new online entrepreneurs; however, it’s not always the best option even though being affordable. A free web host typically requires your website to display ads of various products and services. Visitors quickly equate the pop-up ads as annoying and quickly exit left to your nearest competitor’s website. Summary: avoid free web hosting unless you’re testing a specific market or sharpening your web design skills.

Dependable Domain Names

It’s equally important to spend some serious thought and effort into a domain name for your online business. A good web hosting provider will offer you at least one free domain name per hosting account. Of course, receiving the free domain is the easy part. Chances are the first name you choose will already be taken, so consider several different options. A legit domain name should be easy to remember, spelled correctly, and relate to your business. If you opt to use a free web hosting service, be aware that typically your online address requires you to include part of the web host’s address to your domain name.

Despite being affordable, the convoluted web domain name confuses existing customers searching for information online and detracts potential new sale leads. A lengthy web address also wrecks havoc on SEO rankings. When picking a profitable domain name, paying for the convenience of owning a personalized address is a worth-well investment.

Available Upgrade Options

Finally, before settling on a web host, be familiar with the available upgrade options. Initially, your online business endeavors shouldn’t require a fully-loaded web hosting package, however, as your business grows, so will your need to accommodate web visitors. The most common reason small business owners find for upgrading websites is due to an increase in web traffic to your website, which means the demand for more bandwidth. A couple of advanced upgrade options preferred by larger online businesses include Managed Hosting and Unlimited Managed Hosting packages. Upgrade options depend greatly on individual needs and available budgets.

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The Advantages of Purchasing Used Domain Names

Building a successful website is often a long and drawn out process that requires many steps, and a significant amount of diligence and persistence. Unfortunately, many of the attributes that make a website successful take a long time to create, especially those that are associated with search engine optimization. Every website online is represented by a domain name, which is often indexed in major search engines, having a history and authoritative stance of its own. By purchasing a used domain name you can take advantage of all of the work done by the previous site owner. The following information outlines the main benefits of purchasing used domain names for building your websites.

Page Rank and Domain Authority

Search engines use patented algorithms to efficiently gather, index, and rank information on the Internet. Google, in particular, utilizes a power stance system known as page rank, which gives each domain name a certain amount of authority based on a number of factors. One of the factors that affects a website’s page rank is the amount of links on the Internet that point to pages on the website, which are also known as backlinks, or incoming links. Many times, when a domain name is sold at auction or on an expired domain name vendor site, the domain name will still retain some of the backlinks and all of its page rank. By purchasing one of these domains, you can eliminate most of the work involved with establishing authority for your domain, which will allows you to rank highly in the SERPs (search engine result pages) for practically any term or keyword with less effort.

Established Reputations

Building your new website on a domain name that already has an established reputation may create an instant flow of traffic from previous website visitors that are returning in hopes of finding the website they last visited. Even though these visitors are expecting to see a completely different website, if your new site is relevant to the same niche or topic that the previous successful site that utilized that domain name was relevant to, it is possible to instantly build a small amount of residual traffic based on the success of the previous site. The previous site may have also caused the domain name to rank well for popular key words or phrases, which can bring instant traffic to your site via the search engines. Since your domain name will essentially be the brand of your website, purchasing a used domain name that already has an established reputation is the best way to quickly build a popular brand for your new site.

Obtainable Experience

Used domain names give you the opportunity to instantly obtain experience in the eyes of your site visitors and the search engines, without putting forth a lot of effort or taking a lot of risks. Surprisingly, it is possible to find used domain names for as little as $20, with the average used domain name being sold for anywhere between $20-$100. Purchasing a well-established .com domain name that has been used for successful website for the past several years can give your website an instant boost in traffic and overall popularity.

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Maintaining Redundancy at a Colocation Facility

Colocation facilities are buildings that house the networking equipment of a business that can choose to have the facility manage the servers or they can monitor it themselves. Unfortunately if the facilities are inadequate, the result is damaged equipment and downtime which leads to lost business. The best features of a colocation facility are redundancy and capacity.

An Overview of Redundancy

Redundancy is the ability of a system to distribute the load from a failed system across the remaining pieces of equipment without any performance issues or overload. One major issue with colocation facilities is there is no industry standard, regulations or rankings. As a result, it is often difficult to detect the quality of the redundancy systems.

Redundancy Calculation

Redundancy can be calculated with the formula n+1 which indicates that a system is meeting its optimal capacity plus one unit. For instance, if two UPSs are in the overall power system, each should be running at 50 percent to balance the load. If one fails, the other system can maintain the load. If there are three UPSs then each manages 33 percent of the load and if one fails, they each handle half of the third.

In an ideal situation at a colocation facility, systems will be paralyzing redundant with many units running at the n+1 setting with each unit being able to manage the remaining load if all other systems fail.

Powering Redundant Servers

The most important aspect of redundant servers is power. Without it, the equipment will not work thus creating downtime. Power outages can stop the cooling systems (potentially resulting in equipment damage), fire suppressant systems and Internet connections which can be disastrous for the customer.

How to Maintain Redundancy

To maintain redundancy at the server level it is important to keep the colocation facility powered with generators in case of an outage, ensure the generators can handle a large power load and inspect circuit breakers and switches regularly. Switches tend to be the most common point of failure.

The basic premise is that colocation facilities should have backups of everything; backup and redundant servers, backup generators, backup of the backup generators, backup cooling and backup Internet connections. Although it may seem excessive, the clients that rely on these facilities to operate their business expect the best and close to 100 percent uptime. Maintain redundancy at a colocation facility takes a great deal of work to be secure.

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Hosting on a Budget: Discount Web Hosts

When looking for a web host to provide service for your website needs, it’s easy to become overwhelmed comparing plan structures and prices. It’s even more of a challenge to get the most bang for your buck, especially on a tight budget. In order for you to make a cost-conscious decision, yet still ensure that you get the essential services you need, assess your website needs to secure a discount web host to meet your online demands.

What is Discount Web Hosting?

For thrifty entrepreneurs in search of an affordable web hosting service, many opt for a discount web hosting service. A discount web host is one that costs less than $10 per month. While it’s a fact that a discount host is limited in overall control and flexibility, however, for novices testing the waters of e-commerce or other online professional endeavors operating on a limited budget, discount web hosts are often the perfect solution. Usually, discount web hosts are between the price ranges of $4 – $10 per month, and offers Window and Linux plans. The price increases with the demand for additional disk space and bandwidth needs.

What to Consider?

In addition to your website needs and budget, there are other factors to be taken into consideration before opting for a discount host. Keep in mind the potential for growth of your online venture. If you anticipate it to grow significantly within a year, then a discount host may not be the best option because there are limitations to site expansion. Also, read the small print in the service agreement for any hidden applicable fees. If you still have questions, contact customer support for answers to your questions.

Top Discount Hosts

Although there are numerous discount hosts, there are some that stand out from others including:

Yahoo! Web Hosting. Not only is Yahoo! the leading global Internet brand and leading global business service, but it’s also the leading international supplier of web hosting needs for both online ventures and professional websites. Yahoo! Web Hosting offers large amounts of disk space and data transfer, however, the easy-to-use software allows users with no prior experience to build a professional-looking website using SiteBuilder 2.0. In addition, packages come complete with an e-mail management function including virus and spam protection with many available e-mail addresses.
1&1 Web Hosting, the world’s largest web host with 8 million customer contracts tops the list at a close second. The host’s success is due in large part to the $25 million the company recently invested in their data center. The company also is preceded by its reputation; known for offering attractive products and prices as well as being reliable in providing “uncomplicated service.” Packages start at $10.

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Dedicated Hosting – A Brief Introduction and Overview

As a website naturally progresses and becomes more popular, it’s not uncommon for a web developer to want to move onto dedicated hosting platforms. This can come from a variety of reasons such as lack of bandwidth from shared hosting, to the lack of customizability that comes naturally with shared hosting. Generally speaking, most people make the move to dedicated hosting when the site has out grown shared hosting in one way or another. But what is dedicated hosting and what do you get with it?

Customize the Server

One of the best things about dedicated hosting is it’s customizability. Your website is no longer made to fit in a cookie cutter mold that most shared hosting plans offer. Dedicated hosting allows you to, first and foremost, choose the operating system for the server. Generally speaking Windows and Linux are the most common operating systems used but really any server based OS can be used by most dedicated hosting providers.

Another option is the software running on the server. A webmaster can simply install anything that they want on the system to run whatever widget or section of their site they desire. This makes adding new features to a site as technology changes a breeze. It does put some of the burden to keep up in your hands though, as most dedicated plans are a do it yourself type environment.

Also with dedicated hosting, the user gets to choose the control panel they prefer. Some people prefer a panel like CPanel or Plesk and with a dedicated hosting plan you get to choose this. Of course you can also self-manage in the operating system without a control panel if you prefer.

Better Backups

A lot of shared hosting plans come with back up utilities that just are rather basic, leaving many webmasters frustrated. With a dedicated hosting plan you can install a more robust back up system, making this process much better in the long run.

Cons

The one major con of dedicated hosting is the price. Typically a plan can range from $80 to $300 dollars a month depending on the server hardware and operating system. Because of this, most webmasters find it’s too much money for their budget and they stick with shared hosting. Dedicated hosting is more expensive because you are the only one who has access to the resources of the server. Unlike shared hosting, when multiple users have access to the same server, with dedicated hosting you are the only user on your machine. This is the main reason it’s so expensive. But it can also be the biggest selling point.

When it’s time to make the move to dedicated hosting just be sure you have moderate experience in managing a server. While you will get some help from your provider, it will be mostly up to you to manage and maintain your new server.

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A Review of JustHost

JustHost is a fairly new web hosting provider that has become one of the biggest players in the hosting industry, almost overnight. This is because they have one of the most robust and fastest networks utilized by many servers which almost eliminates downtime. This reliability and performance mixed with a low price package with many features is a winner in any computer user’s book.

There are four primary areas where JustHost excels including:

Control panel
Customer service
Price value
Reliability

JustHost utilizes industry-leader cPanel software to allow users to create and manage their website in an easy-to-use environment. The program is simple yet powerful as you can manage domains, databases and provide added security all within a few clicks of the mouse. Other easy functions are configuring email accounts, viewing website statistics and implementing scripts.

Another excellent feature of JustHost is their customer service. The company provides users with around the clock support via email and phone. There is also a detailed help center that provides answers on almost any topic related to their system. JustHost has become one of the best resources in the marketplace. This is one area where the company takes pride as the customer comes first.

Also, the price value blows most web hosting providers out of the water. At only $3.95 per month and packed with numerous features, JustHost is providing an excellent service at an extremely low price. The best feature is unlimited storage, bandwidth, databases and domain hosting. Almost sounds too good to be true! There is also a great deal of e-commerce support for those looking to create a product or service website.

Finally, JustHost is one of the most reliable web hosting providers available due to their load balancing technology and speedy backbone connection. Your site is available on multiple servers due to load balancing so if one becomes unavailable your site will not go down. This almost eliminates downtime completely and gives you a small piece of mind.

JustHost is one of the greatest things to happen to the web hosting industry since the invention of the server. At the same time it is also one of the worst things to happen. All in all the company is excellent for users but bad for the competition. With the growing popularity of JustHost, they certainly are making the competition rethink their business model.

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Difference Between Dedicated Hosting and VPS Hosting

When it comes to web hosting it seems as if every webmaster is striving to eventually purchase a dedicated hosting plan. However, the new cloud VPS hosting environment has changed that perception somewhat, especially for the more experienced site owners that understand the need for instant expandability. VPS and dedicated hosting have some very striking similarities, and to the untrained eye they may appear to be exactly the same. Both hosting types allow for excellent site performance and are used by business professionals on a daily basis, and both hosting types are a step above shared hosting. However, there are some significant differences between the two. The following information outlines some of the basic differences between dedicated hosting and VPS hosting.

Fundamental Differences

Dedicated hosting is used to describe a server environment in which you are given access to a web server that is not being utilized by any other webmaster. In other words, you have access to the entire web server ad its software configuration at all times, and you are basically leasing your own private web server. VPS (Virtual Private Hosting), while similar, does not give you access to an entire web server, but instead allocates a specific amount of server resources from a web server to your hosting account. VPS hosting is therefore an intermittent step between shared and dedicated hosting, sharing similarities with both hosting types yet leaning more towards a powerful version of shared hosting.

Cost and Setup

In terms of cost, VPS hosting can be purchased for a much lower price than dedicated hosting, with prices starting at only about $10 per month, depending on the plan and hosting provider. However, it should be noted that VPS hosting is one of the most versatile hosting types, with costs ranging into the hundreds for the more comprehensive plans. Dedicated hosting on the other hand is generally more expensive and the pricing is less flexible, with most hosting providers only offering a few dedicated hosting plans in both the Linux and Windows platforms. Fortunately, and ironically, the setup cost of dedicated and VPS hosting is usually less than shared hosting because plans can be paid for on a monthly basis, whereas shared hosting (while cheaper overall) must be paid annually in many cases. If you’re on a budget and you need a plan that is more powerful than shared hosting then you may want to consider a VPS hosting plan.

Capabilities and Features

In general, unless you’re in need of an extensive hosting solution, you’ll probably find little difference between the performance of a dedicate hosting plan and a VPS hosting plan. However, some VPS hosting plans do have significant restrictions in regards to software configuration and installing your own software on the server. Even so, some VPS plans allow this, which is why it is important to check with the hosting provider if this is an important issue. Regardless of your needs or preferences, it cannot be disputed that dedicated hosting is more powerful than VPS hosting, unless you’re utilizing the cloud hosting environment

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The Basics of SMTP

SMTP is short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is a type of outgoing mail server. Due to the difficulty with maintenance, most web hosting providers do not offer access to simple mail transfer protocols. Also, they can be extremely difficult to defend against hackers and malicious users. Many web hosting companies are also trying to cut corners to save money so SMTP is one of the first areas to eliminate.

The most common email systems can be broken down into two functions:

SMTP
POP3

When combined, these two protocols allow users to send and receive email messages across the internet. SMTP performs the functions necessary to send a message from one point or address to another. As a user is sending a message, SMTP confirms that the sender has the right to do so. Then the system sends the outgoing message. If the mail is undeliverable, SMTP sends an email back to the sender notifying them of the failure.

The majority of email systems utilize SMTP to send messages between servers. POP3 or IMAP platforms are then used to retrieve those send messages on the other end. SMTP is also used to send email messages from a mail client to a mail server. These are the reasons for specifying the SMTP and POP3 or IMAP servers when configuring your email client.

Configuring the application correctly will identify which SMTP server is being used for sending outgoing messages and which POP3 or IMAP server is used for receiving messages. To complete this task properly, give your email client access to the SMTP server by stating your IP address.

The user never sees any of these transactions as they are all behind the scenes. The user simply clicks the send button or opens the email and the transfer is complete. With the emergence of IMAP email system technology, SMTP may not be necessary in some cases as it handles both sending and receiving of email messages.

Like POP3, SMTP has been around for quite awhile, specifically since the mid 1980’s. As technology is improving, the need for these types of systems may be diminishing and making way for one that completes all tasks. For instance, the IMAP technology is implementing aspects of POP3 and SMTP and combining them into one easy-to-use package.

The concept behind SMTP working in conjunction with POP3 is simple: one sends the messages and one receives them. Although the mechanics in the coding of these systems can be complex, it makes life much easier for those using an email client.

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Critical Factors for Choosing a Web Host

Today’s global economy demands a web presence in order to be considered a formidable competitor. For small and mid-size companies, navigating web hosting services is often a daunting task, occasionally frustrating. Due in large part to the numerous web host servers readily available to fit your new business needs and budget.

There are several things you should take into consideration when selecting a web hosting service for your new online business including: customer service, price, domain names, and upgrade options.

Efficient Customer Service

Before closing a deal, you should always know your business partner. Whether attempting to contact the interested web host service company via phone, e-mail or learn more about the services each offers reading website information and client testimonials, gauging customer service is an essential component when making a final decision. Thriving business owners realize their key to successfully acquiring and retaining customers is excellent customer service; web hosting services are not immune from the same curiosity.

A respected web host service representative should return messages within 24 hours, answer questions honestly and value your time as a potential client – if not then move on to your next option. If the web host service doesn’t respond in a timely manner, then chances aren’t any better in troubleshooting assistance.

Affordable Pricing

Pricing is another significant aspect to consider when opting for a web host package. Many new online businesses get into financial trouble when purchasing a web host because either they aim too high or too low. Quality service should never be compromised, but neither should it be ridiculously priced. If you’re a small business owner, then you won’t need all of the bells and whistles as those of larger websites. Although starting a website, estimating visitors and bandwidth usage is difficult, consider your current client base.

Free web hosting is tempting for many new online entrepreneurs; however, it’s not always the best option even though being affordable. A free web host typically requires your website to display ads of various products and services. Visitors quickly equate the pop-up ads as annoying and quickly exit left to your nearest competitor’s website. Summary: avoid free web hosting unless you’re testing a specific market or sharpening your web design skills.

Dependable Domain Names

It’s equally important to spend some serious thought and effort into a domain name for your online business. A good web hosting provider will offer you at least one free domain name per hosting account. Of course, receiving the free domain is the easy part. Chances are the first name you choose will already be taken, so consider several different options. A legit domain name should be easy to remember, spelled correctly, and relate to your business. If you opt to use a free web hosting service, be aware that typically your online address requires you to include part of the web host’s address to your domain name.

Despite being affordable, the convoluted web domain name confuses existing customers searching for information online and detracts potential new sale leads. A lengthy web address also wrecks havoc on SEO rankings. When picking a profitable domain name, paying for the convenience of owning a personalized address is a worth-well investment.

Available Upgrade Options

Finally, before settling on a web host, be familiar with the available upgrade options. Initially, your online business endeavors shouldn’t require a fully-loaded web hosting package, however, as your business grows, so will your need to accommodate web visitors. The most common reason small business owners find for upgrading websites is due to an increase in web traffic to your website, which means the demand for more bandwidth. A couple of advanced upgrade options preferred by larger online businesses include Managed Hosting and Unlimited Managed Hosting packages. Upgrade options depend greatly on individual needs and available budgets.

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The Advantages of Purchasing Used Domain Names

Building a successful website is often a long and drawn out process that requires many steps, and a significant amount of diligence and persistence. Unfortunately, many of the attributes that make a website successful take a long time to create, especially those that are associated with search engine optimization. Every website online is represented by a domain name, which is often indexed in major search engines, having a history and authoritative stance of its own. By purchasing a used domain name you can take advantage of all of the work done by the previous site owner. The following information outlines the main benefits of purchasing used domain names for building your websites.

Page Rank and Domain Authority

Search engines use patented algorithms to efficiently gather, index, and rank information on the Internet. Google, in particular, utilizes a power stance system known as page rank, which gives each domain name a certain amount of authority based on a number of factors. One of the factors that affects a website’s page rank is the amount of links on the Internet that point to pages on the website, which are also known as backlinks, or incoming links. Many times, when a domain name is sold at auction or on an expired domain name vendor site, the domain name will still retain some of the backlinks and all of its page rank. By purchasing one of these domains, you can eliminate most of the work involved with establishing authority for your domain, which will allows you to rank highly in the SERPs (search engine result pages) for practically any term or keyword with less effort.

Established Reputations

Building your new website on a domain name that already has an established reputation may create an instant flow of traffic from previous website visitors that are returning in hopes of finding the website they last visited. Even though these visitors are expecting to see a completely different website, if your new site is relevant to the same niche or topic that the previous successful site that utilized that domain name was relevant to, it is possible to instantly build a small amount of residual traffic based on the success of the previous site. The previous site may have also caused the domain name to rank well for popular key words or phrases, which can bring instant traffic to your site via the search engines. Since your domain name will essentially be the brand of your website, purchasing a used domain name that already has an established reputation is the best way to quickly build a popular brand for your new site.

Obtainable Experience

Used domain names give you the opportunity to instantly obtain experience in the eyes of your site visitors and the search engines, without putting forth a lot of effort or taking a lot of risks. Surprisingly, it is possible to find used domain names for as little as $20, with the average used domain name being sold for anywhere between $20-$100. Purchasing a well-established .com domain name that has been used for successful website for the past several years can give your website an instant boost in traffic and overall popularity.

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A Detailed Look at Reseller Web Hosting

Everyone who wants a website on the internet needs to have a web host. The large number of potential customers has made web hosting a very profitable business. However, launching your own hosting company is normally very difficult. To set up a hosting company from scratch you would need to purchase your own servers and maintain them. A simpler option has evolved in reseller web hosting.

Reseller Hosting

There is a much easier way of offering hosting services to your customers. The easiest way of doing this is to sign up for a reseller hosting account. Reseller accounts can host multiple domains and websites on a single server.

By registering a reseller hosting account it is possible to sell hosting space without owning servers yourself. It is also possible to make money from this method and it’s much easier than setting up your own hosting company.

Reseller Control Panel

Most reseller hosting accounts include an internet based control panel. This makes it very easy to create new accounts and make adjustments to the settings of your hosting account. The most popular control panel used for reseller hosting is WHM as this integrates nicely with cPanel.

The reseller control panel is slightly more complicated than a basic hosting control panel. The business reseller control panel needs to be used to create new users, suspend accounts, back up all the sites on the server and install new updated services.

Finding Reseller Hosting Accounts

If you are interested in a reseller hosting account then you will need to take your time and choose carefully. Your reseller hosting account will be part of your business. This means that you will need to make ensure that it offers everything you need for the lowest price possible.

Important things to look out for include the following:

* Reliability – It’s essential that you can offer a reliable service to your customers. Look out for a service with an uptime guarantee.
* Cost – It is possible to find reseller hosting packages in a variety of different price brackets. Choose one which offers everything you need. Avoid the very cheap services on eBay though because these are normally very unreliable.
* Automation – Some of the better hosting accounts allow you to automate the process of signing up new customers. This is very useful since your customers do not need to wait to use their account. WHMCS can be used with WHM hosting packages; this is worth looking for from your reseller hosting company because a separate license is very expensive.

Reseller hosting accounts can be utilized as a good way of starting a hosting business from scratch. When your business expands it’s then possible to purchase your own hardware and servers so you can continue to offer more services.

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The 4 D’s of Purchasing a Web Host Plan

Whether you’re a seasoned professional with an expanding online business or an entrepreneur launching an e-commerce venture, understanding your web hosting needs is essential for success. There are numerous factors to take into consideration before opting to agree to the terms of a web host’s contract, however, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when assessing your web needs.

Do Your Research

As any successful businessperson can testify, doing your homework is the fundamental foundation to making wise business decisions. Before deciding on a final web hosting service, read both industry and personal reviews for a collective unbiased opinion. Also, perform a quick search for a Wiki company profile entry. Once you’ve narrowed your choices, thoroughly browse the web host’s website, review basic tutorials provided and make mental notes of customer service support options available when troubleshooting issues arise. The cliché is true; time is money. Perhaps no more evident when your website is down for only a couple of hours – valuable resources are quickly swindled!

Databases

Understanding the product or service you provide to customers is important, however, it’s also essential to identify with your web host in order to efficiently accommodate visitors’ needs. When shopping for a web hosting package, select an option that offers the tools you need without all the unnecessary add-ons tagged with a ridiculously expensive price tag. If your site is dependent upon blogging, forums, or virtually every Web application in demand, ensure your web hosting package offers a sufficient number of available databases. Many entrepreneurs soon discover creative juices are stifled and expansion capabilities are thwarted once reading the small print to find the standard server packages usually doesn’t include more than five databases.

Domain Names

Another similar issue is a limit on domain names available on a shared server. Although perhaps not a large obstacle if you’re launching a new website or testing the waters in a specific market niche, however, chances are your domains will be maxed out once you decide to demonstrate your company’s flexibility attempting to use a standard shared server plan. When browsing for an effective web host, opt for one with at least 20 domains. Ideally, the more you can add, the better!

Developer Support

After doing your homework, you should be able to determine if a specific web host offers advanced developer support to keep your website ahead of the fierce competition in today’s global economy. Long since the days of FrontPage extensions, advancements in developer tools seem to currently travel at the speed of light. With that in mind, you should never settle for a web host plan that offers less than the following developer tools: PHP, MySQL, CGI, .htaccess and Python.

A little time initially invested into assessing your web host’s needs proves to be a worthwhile return on investment!

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How to Research a Reliable Reseller Host

When searching for a reliable reseller host your best tools are to utilize the vast resources of the internet or even by personal experience. By conducting solid research you will be able to arrive at the best decision to fit your business model and hosting needs. Visiting forums, message boards, review sites and engaging in conversation with those that have previous utilized your host are great places to start.

There are three primary suggestions on how to research a reliable host including:

* Visit industry websites
* Contact experts on the subject
* Utilize Twitter

By visiting websites and forums specific to the reseller hosting industry you can gain excellent insight into the various aspects of different companies. Also, there are several specialty sites that post industry news and company reviews. Forums are one of the most popular mediums as they allow customers to appraise hosting companies and share experiences with each other.

By contacting experts on the subject of reseller hosting you have access to someone that is much more knowledgeable than yourself. Experts can give you the cold, hard facts mixed with their own personal experiences and help you make the best determination based on your personal needs. You can contact them in person, on the phone or indirectly through an academic journal they have written.

Finally, Twitter can be another powerful research tool. Twitter differs from a regular search engine tool in that it is real-time and uncensored from actual customers of the reseller host you are reviewing. You have the ability to see an immediate view of how that web hosting provider is doing. If there are constant problems with the company, it will appear in a Twitter search.

The most efficient method for using this tool is over the course of a few weeks to acquire accurate information. First, reduce your pool of reseller hosts down to a few. Then search for the web hosting providers name and look for tweets that mention the name. Finally, gauge the writer’s satisfaction level and make your decision.

Research is the key to uncovering the truth about any company. If you want accurate and reliable first-hand experience about a specific topic or company, utilize the research methods mentioned above. This will allow you to be an informed consumer and thus have a piece of mind that you made the right decision.

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