Sunday, September 11, 2011

VPS Hosting Or Cloud VPS Hosting - Advantages And Disadvantages

A virtual private server can do a lot of good to your business, but is your business really ready for the added cost and does it need the power that VPS hosting provides? To answer these questions, you will need to understand a bit more about your business. You will also need to understand more about your hosting options under the VPS plan. For instance, there is standard VPS and there is cloud VPS hosting. Both forms are going to cost you more than what you would pay for shared hosting. But if your business is ready for the switch, it will be a welcome increase.

Is your business ready?

If you have accelerated your growth goals on a consistent basis, then you probably wish to upsize your hosting plan from a shared or free plan. These plans are great for getting started, but all websites would like to get as much organic traffic as they possibly can. It just isn't possible to support growth on these plans because your server space is so very limited. So don't wait for your users to start complaining about sluggish load times and downtime. Make the switch to an upgrade as soon as you can.

But which upgrade?

The advantages of standard VPS is that it is the cheaper of the two plans presented here. It convinces your site that it is operating on a single server even though it is compartmentalized to operate on the same server as several others. As a result you can split the cost while gaining access to better security and speed since the sites are convinced the other ones don't exist. Essentially, you are not weakened by what other sites are doing on their chamber. A disadvantage, however, is that the standard VPS plan is not capable of the same traffic load bearing that a cloud VPS is.

Cloud VPS takes the concept of the standard - compartmentalization for maximum effectiveness - and it spreads it across several servers, which are referred to as "clouds." As a result you get a little extra power and speed without the added hassles of a dedicated server. However, you are going to pay more for cloud VPS than you would standard, so the question comes back to your business.

Is it ready?

Gauge your growth on a routine basis as well as your users and downtime. There are many tools out there that can help you navigate the process. So make sure that you invest in your business when the time is right. And know what you are getting yourself in to with your service provider before signing up. It can be a hassle to change, and that's the last thing any business needs.

VPS hosting is cheaper compared to Cloud VPS plan. Liquidweb hosting is the place to look for high quality VPS plans. Check out their latest Liquidweb Smart Servers. More Liquidweb VPS reviews and ratings at liquidwebreview.org.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Important Terms Of Web Hosting

Web hosting is the space where files & contents of a site are kept to make it accessible on the internet. There are some important terms related to web hosting, which you should know clearly before buying any hosting. These are briefly described below.

1. Server PC: The PC where websites are kept is called server PC. Server PC's are usually high-performance PC connected to high speed & reliable internet & are kept running all the time to keep hosted sites up.

2. Disk Space: Disk space is the space on the server PC which is allocated for an account to store web files. Any file you want to publish on the internet should be kept on this space. The required space for a website is same as the total volume of the files, databases, emails etc.

Suppose, You want to host a website which has 200 files, which are 270MB, in volume. The site has a database of 10MB & You want to store up to 30MB's of email then the required space is 270+10+30 = 310MB.

A lot of hosting providers claim to provide unlimited disk space, but practically no one provides unlimited space. If you use too much space on the server, they'll close your account for lame excuses.

3. Bandwidth: Bandwidth is the measurement of data transfer between the web server and visitors' PC or other data source. When a visitor visits a web page, the browser actually downloads the whole webpage including rich media files like image, video, audio, flash animation etc & show it on PC screen. The measurement of this data transfer is called bandwidth.

Bandwidth includes all type of data transfer like website visit, upload/download files, server to server data transfer etc.

The calculation of required bandwidth is quite simple. Suppose, the average size of your web pages are 520KB & you are expecting 100 daily visits on your site.

You have a product manual on the site for downloading which is of 3MB & the estimated download is 10 times per month.

You have a comment section on your company blog where visitors can upload avatar of max. 512KB while commenting on blog posts. You are expecting 50 people will upload avatars per month.

So, the monthly required bandwidth is -

For web pages: (520*100*30)KB = 1,560,000KB = 1523.4MB

For product manual: (3*10)MB = 30MB

For users' avatar: (512*50)KB = 25,600KB = 25MB

Total: (1524+30+25)MB = 1579MB = 1.54GB

If you perform any server to server file transfer, then that'll also be counted on bandwidth.

Like disk space, no one provides unlimited bandwidth though a lot of providers claim it. If your site consumes a lot of bandwidths, then they'll close your account.

4. Uptime: The time when the server remains accessible on the internet is called server uptime. To keep a site accessible, it is required to keep the server run & connected to the internet.

Keeping server PC up all time is quite impossible as it requires regular hardware & network maintenance as well as server updates. Also, accidental technical problem may occur anytime. This is why most providers guarantee 99.99% uptime. So the maximum downtime is 0.01%, which means the maximum downtime per month is:

(30*24*60*0.01)/100 = 43.2 Minutes

This is what providers claim, but the reality is different. Good providers usually provide 99.90-99.99% uptime but for bad providers, sometimes it's below 90%.

5. Addon domain: Addon domain is the domain which is added to a hosting account to publish different website under that domain.

While purchasing a hosting, everyone needs to register a new domain or use existing domain to sign up. This domain becomes primary domain or main domain for the hosting. All other domains added to the account to publish different websites are addon domains.

Consider, you used the domain example.com for purchasing a hosting. Then example.com is the main or primary domain for that hosting account. Then you wanted to host a blog on that hosting account whose domain will be example-blog.com. In that case, you'll have to add the domain as addon domain on that account. After that, you'll be able to host the blog under example-blog.com without affecting the main site hosted under main domain.

With addon domain, you can host more than one websites on the same hosting account.

6. Subdomain: Subdomain is the extension of a domain which is mainly used to organize the site properly. Subdomain works as a directory on the server.

Suppose, you have a business site whose domain is http://www.mybusiness.com You have 3 sections on your site. Main section - containing your company & service information, Clients section & support section. Then you can host the main section on root domain & clients & support sections under clients & support subdomains respectively. So the address for clients section will be clients.mybusiness.com & support section will be support.mybusiness.com.

As an example, the URL of google plus is plus.google.com

Here, plus is the subdomain of google.com

If we split the URL based on domain level, then

.com = 1st or top level domain

Google = 2nd level domain

Plus = 3rd level domain

So, have a clear idea on these terms & choose the best hosting for your site.

Finding a good hosting is really hard without proper knowledge. To find a good shared hosting, you can visit this top 10 hosting list to read reviews on different hosting companies & rate them.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Managed Server Provider Reviews

Managed servers providers are IT or information technology providers who perform a set of tasks or services to the client for a fee. It is both beneficial as the organization need not hire new permanent people therefore cutting costs and at the same time the support costs become predictable. Practically any line of business can benefit from managed services; the following managed servers providers are just among the best to choose services from.

Singlehop's general managed services provide on call and on demand schemes through remote hands services. It includes software installation, upgrades and troubleshooting. It also offers a managed hosting service intended for companies or organization that do not have their own IT staff available 24 hours and could use support for basic hosting service including control panel troubleshooting.

Rackspace hosting offers managed services that also provide support 24/7. They are known for their famous fanatical support. Your managed hosting issues will always be handled by professionals in the field. They have hundreds of experts available to respond to OS and hardware difficulties. They work around technical business needs and works efficiently as your business extension.

Whatever managed server provider you decide on remember to discuss your business concerns first. The best managed server provider is the one that caters to your needs most and is most tailored to your specifications.

In this time and age, it is second nature for business companies and organizations to outsource services instead of hiring in-house. This mainly is to cut costs therefore saving a lot on the business' budget. These companies be it small to midsize to really big ones use this strategy to follow a strict financial structure and have the flexibility to choose a specific service provider depending on what they want. If you are wondering why these companies do this process then read on.

Imagine that you are the owner of a company. You hired someone in-house only to find out that employee was not really what you wanted but you had to fill the post as soon as worldly possible. You will then be stuck with an employee that is mediocre and not really measuring up to your expectations. Now, it is different when you outsource services from providers. It is popular that they have free trials for you to try and they give you outright honest services.

This brings us to the topic of managed servers. If you wish to outsource or avail managed services, you can get their services online (or through phone) with them laying out all the cards on you. Unlike hiring a person, hardware and installation and many more are things that you can not possibly miscalculate. They are not like people who appear to be great at an interview but not able to deliver. Managed servers are IT based and are specific, no guessing if they will be able to perform the way you want to.

These managed service providers are on the top pf the list for a reason. They are reliable, honest, and they are sure to deliver quality services to your satisfaction.

John Dale is a professional writer in the Managed Server industry and an a server administrator for Dedicatednow{.}com. DedicatedNOW{.}com offers Managed Servers, managed colocation and a range of other IT services. If you've found this article helpful, visit us online at dedicatednow{.}com.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Analysis of Some of the Top Web Hosting Companies on the Web

So you have your funding and your business plan and you're ready to get your website up and running! But wait. There are TONS of web hosting services out there. Which should you choose? Consumer-Rankings.Com listed the best services as: iPage Secure Hosting, Fat Cow, JustHost.com, BlueHost, Host Monster, InMotion Hosting, HostGator, GoDaddy.Com, StartLogic, and Register.com as the best web hosting services of 2011. The best consumer rankings went to iPage Secure Hosting, Fat Cow, JustHost.com, and BlueHost. Let's take a look at why these services ranked highest, and possibly make it a little easier for you to choose.

iPage Secure Hosting (5 Star Rating) - These guys currently host over a million websites and cost a mere $4.50 a month. With this plan you receive not only a free domain and unlimited diskspace/bandwidth/email, you also get free security, a free online store, and free website building tools. You even get free online marketing tools to help promote your website. You definitely get a lot for a little with iPage. Consumer-Rankings.com says this host site is best for "small business owners and bloggers looking for a low priced, feature-rich service".

FatCow (5 Star Rating) - FatCow is a green web hosting service. I'll repeat that - A GREEN web hosting service! They are 100% wind energy powered. In case that's not enough though, they have a great price of only $3.67 a month and are packed with features for your web hosting needs. They offer unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, unlimited POP email, unlimited SQL databases, and unlimited hosted domains. You also get a free domain name, free website builder, free shipping cart, an SSL secure server, and unlimited user and subscriber capability.

JustHost.Com (4.5 Star Rating) - Consumer-Rankings.Com recommends this service for "inexperienced webmasters looking for a hosting provider with a well organized, easy to use interface at an affordable price". They have a special promotion running right now where their services are only $4.45 a month, and you get tons features, including 24/7 live tech support. The features you receive with this service are: Unlimited space, unlimited website transfer, unlimited domain hosting, unlimited email, and unlimited MYSQL databases. You also have access to a free site builder, get a free domain name, and free instant set up.

BlueHost (4.5 Star Rating) - BlueHost offers their professional web hosting for $5.95 a month, and you certainly get your money's worth. You not only get unlimited hosting, unlimited hosting space, unlimited file transfer, unlimited email accounts, a free domain, and a free site builder with templates, you also get SSL security and free 1 click script installs. The script installs include Wordpress, Joomla, Roundcube, Drupal, Magento, Zen Cart, and more! They also offer 24/7 network monitoring and guarantee the network to be up 99.9% of the time. With the addition of over 20,000 new customers a month, how could you go wrong?

Jeremy Miller is the owner of Bugon Website Services and connects online businesses to reliable online sources for website design, website hosting, and more. Choosing a website host is one of the most important choices you will make as a business owner. Be sure to pick one that also supports ftp and while you are at it, check out the best free ftp software available on the web.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011 Technological Advancements in Web Hosting Industry

With every year, we see some technological changes and Internet technology is becoming a giant industry with new creative minds pouring in every direction on daily basis. Some of the unique changes that have revolutionized Web hosting companies in this year are LiteSpeed, Cloudlinux, R1 soft and Softaculous. All these features are dominant and play an important role in managed WordPress hosting.

Advantages of LiteSpeed

• LiteSpeed is available in Standard and Enterprise edition where standard edition is free for personal and commercial use.
• Both the editions are based on same LiteSpeed Network Core, where Standard version has limited features whereas Enterprise edition is fine-tuned for providing ultimate performance.
• Due to Clean and optimal network processing architecture, which is designed for low latency and scalability, LiteSpeed is 2 times faster than Apache for static content whereas Enterprise edition is 6 times faster.
• LiteSpeed supports PHP, which is automatically configured during installation; with proper attributes, you can boost your PHP performance to 50-100% than Apache's mod_php.
• In one or the other ways with some interfaces and third party, software's LiteSpeed also supports ASP, ASP.NET and JSP/Servelet and it supports unlimited number of virtual hosts.

Advantages of Cloudlinux

• Cloudlinux is a new operating system, which is formulated for web hosting which is integrated for commercial support and is well integrated for improved density and stability for multi web hosting.
• Very easy to deploy being integrated with the RPM-based Linux distribution (Red Hat, Es and Cent OS)
• It is useful resource isolation using LVE technology and fully supports OS at a fraction of other commercial distributors.
• You can double the shared hosting accounts, as it is stable and reliable with increased density.
• With this OS now account will get slow taking down the whole server by limiting the resources used by any site with increased stability.
• If there is any poorly written script it will protect server from draining resources of other accounts.
• This offers fast updates for the OS, which are tasted with major control panels, and you will get web portals to manage your servers easily and efficiently.

Advantages of R1 Soft

• This is high performing disk-to-disk backup software for Linux and Windows servers in the hosting and cloud infrastructure that has recently released all new CDP3.0 Enterprise edition.
• It includes the latest disk-based back up storage capabilities, which uses on disk journaling to protect achieved backup data from corruption caused to technical problems in data center.
• This is more suitable for growing storage demand for the data centers, which are storing almost 64 Terabytes of back up data and thousands of recovery points for each of the protected servers.
• Backup time is reduced alarmingly for Windows from hours to minutes.
• You can exclude individual files and folders from the block level replication process.
• Some additional features, which will be implemented in future, include web hosting control panel, file archiving and Disk safe encryption.

Advantages of Softaculous

• No wonder if Softaculous in coming days will take over Fantastico as it has updates that are more recent and has almost 150 scripts compared to 50 scripts offered by Fantastico.
• This is more users friendly and is able to take backup of applications.
• Installation is easy and less time consuming along with the ability to import scripts, which are manually installed.
• Softaculous also offers overwrite option for already existing files.
• Ability to install JavaScript libraries and ratings of other users who have already used it are viewable.

Just to make your search simple if you are looking for a managed WordPress hosting then you ought to visit HostGuts web hosting company. Severs used by them are already equipped with Cloudlinux operating system, LiteSpeed web server and R1 soft to provide perfect backup for managed WordPress hosting.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Web Hosting Services And Graphic Designs To Help Your Business Grow

The creation of the World Wide Web has changed the way people live their life in every aspect and business is no exception. So with so much information available it's important to have a powerful online presence and every company recognizes that importance.

But just recognizing the importance is not enough, we got to look at the various services that will actually help create that powerful online presence. Web hosting services, graphic design services and search engine services are the most vital services that immensely help a business grow to great heights and beat competition. They are also the most powerful marketing tools available for an online business.

First let's look at the importance of a web hosting service. Just creating a wonderfully designed website with all the information about your product is not enough. It has to reach people, and a web hosting service literally hosts your website on the net meaning your site will be live only when hosted on the net and people will have access. However before finding a web hosting service it's very important to check if they provide technical support and guaranteed uptime.

Next important service to look at is of course the graphic design services as they will be the virtual and visual representation of your business. It is what a customer will 'carry' with him about your business. Graphic designs help create powerful memory in a customer's mind and that will definitely help in online presence and increase in business. They also help connect the customers and business instantly.

With the talk of global warming and environmental issues a hot debate topic Graphic design services now a days have innovated to provide what is called the Green Sustainable Design which means less damage is caused to nature and the immediate environment. Graphic design services not only help create the layout of your website they also help in designing brochures and also employee ID card which creates a unique image of your company.

Once you have designed your website and found a the right web hosting service it's also important to check if the web hosting service will permit you to feature E-newsletters and reliable search engine services, because search engine services are the tools that increases your online presence. When people use search engine services like Google, Yahoo, Ask and Bing your business should be listed on the top search results.

Byron Jonas recommends great graphic design Gold Coast and Melbourne for all website owners.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Dedicated Servers, Virtual Private Servers and Colocation - Applications in a Web 2.0 World

iPad Journalisim

Rupert Murdoch's daily launched this week, he has been at the forefront of trying to monetize journalism for a while.... almost trying to shut the door after the horse has bolted. Yes he is the archetypal media magnet and perhaps if he manages to take over sky broadcasting completely he will have too much power in the media to push his own agenda. That said, he has been holding up the Sunday Times as a lossmaking enterprise for an extremely long time now simply because someone has to produce quality journalism at some point. Whatever you think of him he has kept an awful of people in work.

Heavy Set up Costs

Murdoch stated, these "new times demand new journalism." Yearly subscriptions to The Daily will cost $40 per year. In terms of cost of production, Murdoch said that the development of The Daily set News Corp. back by $30 million or so, but will only cost the media conglomerate $500,000 per week in operation costs.

Data centres and Dedicated servers

What has this will do with a dedicated server you may ask? Well I suspect someone like Murdoch has rooms and rooms full of them that he owns himself... but you can't be sure these days the flexibility of supply and demand and paying for it when you need it does rule the roost.

New Model or old hat?

But actually this is an extremely pertinent conversation to be currently having, obviously the uptake of this new product from Murdoch will be a slow gradient at first and will either crash out and disappear into the ether, or if it's liked by people and the buzz starts to move on it... many more people will start by subscribing to it. Which of course would mean quite an ebb and flow in the demand for it, and the demand placed on the data centres or the data mechanisms that he has in place.

Arguably this poses an extremely good argument for cloud servers or off site dedicated servers simply because you're able to ramp up and down your bandwidth and your capacity to suit to user demand. Many small medium enterprises could do well to mimic in a small way what Mr Murdoch has thrown out there in quite a bold move. You know to say, the winners can laugh and the losers can make their own arrangements.

Debbi Cole Has worked in the IT industry for eight years and specifically for http://www.serverspace.co.uk for 5 years. She is a keen advocate of cloud hosting, cloud servers and Green data centre issues.

Debbi was a keen motorcycle enthusiast but has since given it up for the safer pass time of Yacht racing although both the weather and professional commitments severely restrict her opportunity to pursue this pass-time.