Gone are the days of expensive web hosting. There was a time, just a few years ago, when hosting was not as cheap as it is now. Lets see why.
Hosting is all about storage on a hard disk (which resides on the web server) and bandwidth for your data. Till a few years ago, hard disk storage was not as large as it is now. Now-a-days hard disk drives come in a typical 400 GB to 500 GB capacity ranges. Even the smallest ones for home computer usage come in over 100 GB sizes. Compare that with a 40 GB hard drive just a few years ago.
A few of these 400 GB to 500 GB range hard disk drives in a typical Linux powered web server with 4 Intel Xeon Central Processing Units gives more than enough processing power and storage capacity to host hundreds of websites on one server, all of them running happily.
Throw in open source (free) Apache + PHP + MySQL combination and you have a recipe for hosting a real working dynamic website at very low costs. What was once a premium combination is now very standard and very cheap and very affordable. It is not uncommon to find hosting plans as cheap as just 99 cents per month, which come complete with all features including PHP and MySQL and enough storage + bandwidth.
There is, thus, no reason for anyone who wants to host anything from a personal homepage or a home business / small business wanting a dynamic website for their online business, to go only for simple HTML websites. No. That is long gone.
Shared web hosting has become very affordable for every kind of use and application. As storage and processing technology advances, hosting will be available with even better capacities and more powerful features. It makes complete sense to use the power of PHP and MySQL when it is well within everyone's reach.
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
7 Simple Steps For Choosing A Great Web Host
There are thousands of web hosts around today with thousands of plans to choose from making what was once a simple procedure seem like a daunting task for both newbie and pro alike.
Whether you're looking for your first host or looking to move on to a better one there are 7 simple steps you must follow to succeed in choosing a great host.
1. Platform
The first and most crucial step in choosing a web host is determining the platform the web server should run, usually a choice between Unix/Linux and Windows.
Your choice is largely determined by your website and the technologies used to create it, generally a website created with Microsoft technologies (ASP, VB) will run on Windows servers while most other sites using open source technologies (PHP, Perl, Python etc) will run on Linux based systems.
2. Features
Once you've chosen your platform the next step is determining the features you'll need from your web host. Take your time with this step as the feature lists of web hosts are getting longer and longer every day and while some plans may look similar on the surface, a good look at the feature lists may tell another story.
Only you can determine the specific features you'll need, but some key things to keep an eye on are:
Disk Space
Bandwidth
Backups
Uptime
Money Back Guarantee
Domains Allowed
Databases (Number & type)
CGI, PHP, Perl, Python, SSI
Cron
Email accounts
The list goes on and on, just remember to take your time and make sure your new web host is going to provide you with everything you need.
3. Cost
Often this is the only thing people consider when choosing their first web host, funds are usually tight and on the surface most hosts look very similar. Sometimes you get lucky and choose a good host, but more often than not it turns out to be a horror story.
I can't stress enough that choosing a web host based on price alone is asking for trouble, remember that the cost of your web hosting is more than just the monthly fee, think about the total cost of ownership. TCO includes lost sales due to downtime & slow speeds, downtime rebates, extra bandwidth charges, setup costs, extra feature costs, and your monthly fee.
Many hosts will require you to pay yearly to get the best price available though there are some that allow you to pay by the month and still get the best price, it's really a matter of personal choice as to what payment method works best for you.
4. Customer Service
Customer service is another aspect that is often forgotten about until it is too late, something breaks and you need it fixed and those wonderfully handy sales people who were more than helpful in taking your money are now nowhere to be seen, all the while you're losing out on sales every minute.
You shouldn't settle for anything less than 24/7/365 service, your website needs to be running all the time so it's no good if your hosting company doesn't work during the holidays. Don't take the web hosting companies word for it, they all claim 24/7 support but few back it up with consistent performance. Be sure to test them out at various times of the day and night via phone, email and live chat if they offer it.
5. Support
An extensive knowledge base or faq can be a real time saver as well as being an indication of the level of customer service support and expertise you can expect to receive. Spend some time browsing the support sections of the website and see for yourself the level of support provided.
Are questions in the knowledge base answered thoroughly? Are real solutions provided or are they just “cut and paste” replies?
6. Longevity
Do a whois on the web host's domain name and find out the creation date, anything less than a year ago and the risk that they won't be around next year increases. They could be a great host, but considering more then 95% of new hosts go out of business within a year that really isn't something you should be taking a chance on.
7. Uptime
It's a fact of life that a web host cannot be online 100% of the time, servers need to be rebooted for security and software updates and any web host that doesn't get updated faces the increased risk of being successfully hacked.
99.9% uptime guarantees are pretty standard in the industry however a guarantee is only as good as how it is defined and the company behind it. Look for no less than a full months free hosting should they not meet their guarantee, a prorated refund based on the amount of downtime is virtually worthless. Say you pay $10 for a month of hosting and your site is down for 24 hours. They will refund you for one day of downtime which ends up being about 33 cents.
There you go, 7 simple steps for choosing a great web host. It's not rocket science, just a little research and investigating that can save a lot of heartache in the future.
Whether you're looking for your first host or looking to move on to a better one there are 7 simple steps you must follow to succeed in choosing a great host.
1. Platform
The first and most crucial step in choosing a web host is determining the platform the web server should run, usually a choice between Unix/Linux and Windows.
Your choice is largely determined by your website and the technologies used to create it, generally a website created with Microsoft technologies (ASP, VB) will run on Windows servers while most other sites using open source technologies (PHP, Perl, Python etc) will run on Linux based systems.
2. Features
Once you've chosen your platform the next step is determining the features you'll need from your web host. Take your time with this step as the feature lists of web hosts are getting longer and longer every day and while some plans may look similar on the surface, a good look at the feature lists may tell another story.
Only you can determine the specific features you'll need, but some key things to keep an eye on are:
Disk Space
Bandwidth
Backups
Uptime
Money Back Guarantee
Domains Allowed
Databases (Number & type)
CGI, PHP, Perl, Python, SSI
Cron
Email accounts
The list goes on and on, just remember to take your time and make sure your new web host is going to provide you with everything you need.
3. Cost
Often this is the only thing people consider when choosing their first web host, funds are usually tight and on the surface most hosts look very similar. Sometimes you get lucky and choose a good host, but more often than not it turns out to be a horror story.
I can't stress enough that choosing a web host based on price alone is asking for trouble, remember that the cost of your web hosting is more than just the monthly fee, think about the total cost of ownership. TCO includes lost sales due to downtime & slow speeds, downtime rebates, extra bandwidth charges, setup costs, extra feature costs, and your monthly fee.
Many hosts will require you to pay yearly to get the best price available though there are some that allow you to pay by the month and still get the best price, it's really a matter of personal choice as to what payment method works best for you.
4. Customer Service
Customer service is another aspect that is often forgotten about until it is too late, something breaks and you need it fixed and those wonderfully handy sales people who were more than helpful in taking your money are now nowhere to be seen, all the while you're losing out on sales every minute.
You shouldn't settle for anything less than 24/7/365 service, your website needs to be running all the time so it's no good if your hosting company doesn't work during the holidays. Don't take the web hosting companies word for it, they all claim 24/7 support but few back it up with consistent performance. Be sure to test them out at various times of the day and night via phone, email and live chat if they offer it.
5. Support
An extensive knowledge base or faq can be a real time saver as well as being an indication of the level of customer service support and expertise you can expect to receive. Spend some time browsing the support sections of the website and see for yourself the level of support provided.
Are questions in the knowledge base answered thoroughly? Are real solutions provided or are they just “cut and paste” replies?
6. Longevity
Do a whois on the web host's domain name and find out the creation date, anything less than a year ago and the risk that they won't be around next year increases. They could be a great host, but considering more then 95% of new hosts go out of business within a year that really isn't something you should be taking a chance on.
7. Uptime
It's a fact of life that a web host cannot be online 100% of the time, servers need to be rebooted for security and software updates and any web host that doesn't get updated faces the increased risk of being successfully hacked.
99.9% uptime guarantees are pretty standard in the industry however a guarantee is only as good as how it is defined and the company behind it. Look for no less than a full months free hosting should they not meet their guarantee, a prorated refund based on the amount of downtime is virtually worthless. Say you pay $10 for a month of hosting and your site is down for 24 hours. They will refund you for one day of downtime which ends up being about 33 cents.
There you go, 7 simple steps for choosing a great web host. It's not rocket science, just a little research and investigating that can save a lot of heartache in the future.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
ResellersPanel Goes Dedicated and Expands Its Presence in Europe
ResellersPanel, the emblem of free reseller hosting, announces the launch of its new line of dedicated, semi-dedicated and virtual private servers. A dedicated hosting service means that the client rents an entire server not shared with anyone else, which is typically located in a data center. Besides choosing one of ResellersPanel's five predefined dedicated server packages offering top-notch hardware and the latest cutting-edge processors from Intel and AMD, the more advanced users can also build their own server configuration up from scratch. They are provided with complete root access and thus will be able to install and configure any additional software, and also to reboot the server at any time. Those who do not possess the skills necessary to maintain a dedicated server can consider one of ResellersPanel's Managed Services packages and free themselves of any administration responsibilities.
ResellersPanel has launched three virtual private server packages offering 200, 400 and 800 GB monthly traffic, respectively, as well. A virtual private server implies the division of a physical server into smaller virtual ones, which work as if they were dedicated servers and run their own full-fledged operating systems. The users can choose between Cent OS, Fedora Core 4 and Debian OSs, and between Plesk and cPanel web hosting control panel types. They can reboot their machines independently with the help of the Virtuozzo Power Console, a software-based virtualization environment, and install almost any software that runs on the chosen OS. The semi-dedicated servers, on the other hand, will be accommodating no more than 5-6 accounts each, so that every user will be able to use up to 20% of the CPU resources, perform up to 90 000 MySQL queries per hour and host unlimited domains and e-mail addresses.
In addition, ResellersPanel has started offering hosting services that use servers located in the BlueSquare data center in Maidenhead, England - a move the company has made to the benefit of its European clients. The rest of the servers are housed in Peer1's data center in Fremont, California.
ResellersPanel's CEO Kalin Blaskoff said that ResellersPanel dedicates the dedicated servers to its dedicated clients, that the company has deployed servers located in the United Kingdom because of the growing demand from its resellers, 25% of whom prefer to be hosted on European-based servers because of their geographical location, and that compared to the American hosting market, the European one is twice as big in terms of population.
Nick Blaskov, CFO of ResellersPanel, said that the semi-dedicated hosting solution is for those who find the resources offered by a shared hosting account inconsistent with their growing online requirements, that the virtual private servers combine the affordability of a shared account with the power and independence offered by a dedicated server, and that the dedicated server solution lets the users host their websites on their own independent server and thus say good-bye to any speed, stability and bandwidth-related troubles encountered with the other types of hosting.
About ResellersPanel
ResellersPanel is the only company in the web hosting business, which offers a completely free, fully-automated reseller hosting program.
ResellersPanel has launched three virtual private server packages offering 200, 400 and 800 GB monthly traffic, respectively, as well. A virtual private server implies the division of a physical server into smaller virtual ones, which work as if they were dedicated servers and run their own full-fledged operating systems. The users can choose between Cent OS, Fedora Core 4 and Debian OSs, and between Plesk and cPanel web hosting control panel types. They can reboot their machines independently with the help of the Virtuozzo Power Console, a software-based virtualization environment, and install almost any software that runs on the chosen OS. The semi-dedicated servers, on the other hand, will be accommodating no more than 5-6 accounts each, so that every user will be able to use up to 20% of the CPU resources, perform up to 90 000 MySQL queries per hour and host unlimited domains and e-mail addresses.
In addition, ResellersPanel has started offering hosting services that use servers located in the BlueSquare data center in Maidenhead, England - a move the company has made to the benefit of its European clients. The rest of the servers are housed in Peer1's data center in Fremont, California.
ResellersPanel's CEO Kalin Blaskoff said that ResellersPanel dedicates the dedicated servers to its dedicated clients, that the company has deployed servers located in the United Kingdom because of the growing demand from its resellers, 25% of whom prefer to be hosted on European-based servers because of their geographical location, and that compared to the American hosting market, the European one is twice as big in terms of population.
Nick Blaskov, CFO of ResellersPanel, said that the semi-dedicated hosting solution is for those who find the resources offered by a shared hosting account inconsistent with their growing online requirements, that the virtual private servers combine the affordability of a shared account with the power and independence offered by a dedicated server, and that the dedicated server solution lets the users host their websites on their own independent server and thus say good-bye to any speed, stability and bandwidth-related troubles encountered with the other types of hosting.
About ResellersPanel
ResellersPanel is the only company in the web hosting business, which offers a completely free, fully-automated reseller hosting program.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dedicated Hosting Award Program Call for Entries
Top 10 Dedicated Server Hosting providing providing Dedicated Hosting Reviews to clients, Consultancy and Training to Web Hosting Providers and End Users, announced here today that Call for Entries is open for 2008 Dedicated Hosting Award Program.
Submissions are now being accepted for the following categories and subcategories:
- Server & O/S Hosting
IBM AIX, AS/400, HP-UX Linux, Solaris, VMware, Windows
- Database Hosting
IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Cluster, MySQL Oracle 9i / 10g / 11g, Oracle RAC
- Application Hosting
AspenTech, BEA WebLogic, Blackberry Enterprise Server, Citrix, Custom Software, IBM WebSphere, Lotus, Microsoft Exchange, SupportSoft, Verity Hosting, VMware
- Service Provider Hosting
Application Service Provider (ASP), Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Solutions By Industry
Construction, Education,Energy/Utilities, Financial, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Marketing/Media, Retail/Distribution, Technology,Transportation
There will be separate award for each category and subcategory and an overall best dedicated hosting provider Award for an outstanding service provider who continues to inspire the industry.
To submit an entry, please visit: Dedicated Server Hosting Awards
The options in managed dedicated web hosting have exploded in recent years. Dedicated servers are now available at prices even the smallest businesses can afford, and the future of Web Hosting is Dedicated Servers.
Top 10 Dedicated Hosting Website (http://www.Top10DedicatedHosting.com) categorically defines Dedicated server hosting providers as Cheap Dedicated hosting, Best Dedicated hosting and Managed Dedicated services based on both Linux and Windows platforms and offering options such as Celeron, Pentium 4, Dual Xeon, Xeon Quad Core, Kentsfield, Conroe, Woodcrest and Clovertown Processors, Dual Core AMD Opteron, cPanel, Plesk, WHM, Redhat, Debian, FreeBSD, CentOS and Windows 2003
Submissions are now being accepted for the following categories and subcategories:
- Server & O/S Hosting
IBM AIX, AS/400, HP-UX Linux, Solaris, VMware, Windows
- Database Hosting
IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Cluster, MySQL Oracle 9i / 10g / 11g, Oracle RAC
- Application Hosting
AspenTech, BEA WebLogic, Blackberry Enterprise Server, Citrix, Custom Software, IBM WebSphere, Lotus, Microsoft Exchange, SupportSoft, Verity Hosting, VMware
- Service Provider Hosting
Application Service Provider (ASP), Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Solutions By Industry
Construction, Education,Energy/Utilities, Financial, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Marketing/Media, Retail/Distribution, Technology,Transportation
There will be separate award for each category and subcategory and an overall best dedicated hosting provider Award for an outstanding service provider who continues to inspire the industry.
To submit an entry, please visit: Dedicated Server Hosting Awards
The options in managed dedicated web hosting have exploded in recent years. Dedicated servers are now available at prices even the smallest businesses can afford, and the future of Web Hosting is Dedicated Servers.
Top 10 Dedicated Hosting Website (http://www.Top10DedicatedHosting.com) categorically defines Dedicated server hosting providers as Cheap Dedicated hosting, Best Dedicated hosting and Managed Dedicated services based on both Linux and Windows platforms and offering options such as Celeron, Pentium 4, Dual Xeon, Xeon Quad Core, Kentsfield, Conroe, Woodcrest and Clovertown Processors, Dual Core AMD Opteron, cPanel, Plesk, WHM, Redhat, Debian, FreeBSD, CentOS and Windows 2003
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
