Web hosting is a service that allows users of the web users to display web pages on the internet. It offers the technologies and services that websites need to be shown on the web. Choosing the right type of web hosting for your website can be a confusing process. You will have to decide between free and paid hosting as well as between shared or dedicated hosting. Other hosting solutions are available, including virtual private servers (VPS) or cloud hosting. It can leave you overwhelmed to have to choose between these options.
Managed web hosting may make most sense if you expect your website to be popular but you do not yet have the staff or knowledge to deal with the administration and maintenance of your server.
What is managed web hosting?
Managed web hosting involves the web host taking care of the server’s operation so that you don’t have to do so. The term ‘managed web hosting’ used to be specifically applied to dedicated hosting. Although this remains a high prevalent use of managed hosting, managed services can also be applied to other hosting solutions such as cloud hosting, co-location or VPS.
Managed hosting can make a great deal of sense if you lack the knowledge to set up a server space of your own or in order to allow you to concentrate on your core business. A managed hosting solution is also a good solution if you don’t have the time to manage your server.
Reasons to choose managed web hosting
Managed web hosting tends to be used for two basic reasons. Individuals and businesses use it to reduce the amount of IT work that it needs to perform on the server to keep it maintained.
If your website is especially popular, you may require a more robust solution for web hosting. The business owner or staff are likely to prefer to focus on their business rather than the hosting solution, and simply do not have enough knowledge to properly administer the server space. They will appreciate being able to rely on managed hosting that ensures that everything is properly set up.
There may not be sufficient time to administer the server as needed even if the resources are available, as a business owner may prefer to dedicate such resources to other tasks. In situations where there is not enough time to devote to the server, managed web hosting can therefore be greatly convenient.
Finding the best company offering managed web hosting
If you are looking for a company that offers managed hosting, you will have several key priorities. You are advised to check what the web hosting services include as part of the basic cost. Some companies provide particular services as part of the basic cost, while others are available as an optional extra and only paid for whenever you need them. They may incorporate such services as trouble shooting, server monitoring, on call maintenance, hardware upgrading, software upgrading, software installation, backup services, security auditing and control panel set-up. You will also appreciate being able to find a company that has a strong reputation, with a long list of satisfied clients.