Forming a Partnership with Your Managed Service Provider

For most small to medium sized businesses, managing their IT hosting infrastructure in-house is difficult, if not impossible.  Hosting a web server and all the elements that come along with it is a demanding task.  In many cases, one much larger than what your existing IT team can handle.  This is when you have to consider bringing in a new workforce to maintain the complex hosting operations.  In both scenarios, the company often ends up on the losing end as they either must shell out extra cash on additional manpower or overload the current staff with more work on top of their normal responsibilities.  Many organizations are faced with these internal dilemmas and several more are discovering that managed hosting is the most viable alternative.

Lifting the Weight

From the moment you outsource your IT tasks to a managed service provider, most of the responsibility shifts to the hosting company.  This basically means that it is up to them to perform all the operations needed to ensure that the network as well as your server stays and running.  Outsourcing these aspects also gives you the opportunity to save tremendously on upfront investments.  In this type of arrangement, you don’t necessarily need your own equipment and systems in order to establish a web presence.  A managed hosting solution allows you to leverage the provider’s infrastructure complete with all the hardware and software components you need to run your business.  With the right service, you can rest assured that all the necessary methods are being employed to ensure availability throughout various circumstances while doing your part from the client-side.

Who Benefits the Most?

Large enterprises typically do not outsource all their hosting and other IT-related operations to a single provider.  Since they have deeper resources, many of them can efficiently run streamlined in-house setups or simply outsource these tasks to a variety of third-party sources.  This is why managed hosting makes such a good choice for the small to medium sized business which may not have quite enough to handle the technically challenging aspects of their organization.

Managed hosting is easy to afford and with little to no complexities to deal with, you can put your focus on other areas of your business.  However, it is these companies that must also be the most cautious when it comes to choosing a service provider.

Get Yourself a Good Partner

Managed hosting can be a match made in heaven but only when choosing a company that strives for high reliability and great performance.  These qualities can be more difficult to obtain than they should be in a market filled with fly-by-night companies, deceptive marketing ploys and providers who simply can’t live up to their claims.  Because there is so much that goes into managed hosting in terms of your specific requirements, it is vital that you perform thorough market research and find a company you feel comfortable outsourcing your IT operations to.   While there are several reliable hosting providers on the market, strategy and planning is needed in order to elude some of the more common disasters.

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May 22, 2009 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

Is Your Managed Provider Getting the Job Done?

You might consider yourself pretty handy with a personal computer but dedicated servers are a totally different story.  Web servers and all their associated technologies introduce a new level of complexity to the world of computing.  This is true whether the platform is Windows, Linux or Unix.  Because of these technical challenges and responsibilities, many opt for managed hosting as a less stressful alternative.  While the concept involves a seamless process that completely lifts the burden, not all managed services are the same.  The hosting provider must perform these key tasks in order for you to get a quality service.

Systemwide Updates

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a managed hosting service and software is a major part of the entire operation.  The network can’t run efficiently without frequent updates of critical system components.  This includes every piece of software from the operating system and web server to SQL database servers and PHP packages.  Maintaining software alone can be a full time job that many organizations just can’t handle in-house.  Always remember, this is why managed hosting companies exists.

Reliable Security

Web servers are prime targets for hackers looking to steal sensitive information and expose prominent corporate networks.  The web is filled with a plethora of malicious traffic so it is vital that your provider has security mechanisms in place to detect intrusion, prevent attacks and preserve network resources.  A few security features you want to look for in a managed hosting solution are firewalls, intrusion detection systems, anti-malware and DDoS protection technologies.  Your hosting provider must be dedicated to staying on top of security and keeping your server protected.

Backup and Recovery

You should never enter a managed hosting arrangement without knowing what measures are being used to protect your data.  Anything can go wrong in a data center whether it’s a corrupt operating system, hardware failure or a power outage.  Therefore, finding a host that performs daily backups of its servers is highly recommended.  Equally important are the methods employed to ensure a successful recovery following a disaster.  Backup servers, uninterruptible power supplies and generators should all be a part of the hosting provider’s recovery plan.

Network Monitoring

Even the most high-powered network needs a set of extra eyes.  While all the other systems are doing their job, it is important to have that central monitoring unit to keep  watch over the operation.  This separate system should have dedicated lines or the aid of a trusted third-party source.  Network monitoring is critical to the life of your dedicated server because it can alert administrators about issues related to overloads, server failures, lost connections, network intrusion, malware infection and more.

Don’t Settle for Less

Managed hosting is tied to a number of complicated operations that the average customer wants no part of.   Though most companies are able to provide a good service, you should never expect absolute perfection from every host, especially without checking them out first.  Manage hosting is supposed to let you focus on other critical business aspects, but it could lead to more stress if you’re not careful.

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May 19, 2009 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

What to Look for in Managed Hosting

Managed hosting is a relatively new concept that has emerged on the web hosting market.  This type of service is intended to support the needs of customers who require dedicated servers.  Many have come to discover that maintaining a dedicated server is technically challenging, requiring intensive server administration, database management and security updates.  With managed hosting, customers are alleviated from these tasks while enjoying all the flexibility and power a dedicated server has to offer.

Determining whether you need managed hosting all depends on understanding if your needs warrant a dedicated server.  For example, if your site is small and receives minimal traffic, a shared hosting environment would probably suit your needs best.  However, if you have a large site that sees a high volume of traffic that is exceeding critical resources, that shared server probably is not enough to handle the load.  In this scenario, a dedicated server makes the perfect solution.

If managed hosting sounds like something you could benefit from, it is important to know what to look for so that you receive best service possible.

Quality Support

Whether you opt for dedicated or managed hosting, finding a company that provides reliable support is a must.  We suggest choosing a company that offers various means of support such as toll-free phone, email, support ticket and live chat.  To get a feel for the company’s support, shoot them an email and test their response time.  If you get a quick response that provides satisfactory answers, it should give an indication of the overall level of service the host offers.

Freedom

Although you want a web hosting company to manage the complex administrative tasks, it is still good to have a certain level of control over your operation.  To enjoy this type of freedom, you would need to find a company that allows you to choose from a variety of features and services.  For example, if you feel the server should be protected by a firewall, anti-malware and other security solutions, the web host you choose should be able to accommodate those needs.

Stable Connection

In order to enjoy exceptional performance on a dedicated server, you need a managed host that delivers a reliable internet connection.  If this information isn’t published on the website, call the provider and get some details about their method of connectivity.  It is best to choose a company that utilizes multiple backbone providers so you can stay thriving if one connection happens to fail.

Finding a Host

Due to the demand, managed hosting has become easier to find as more companies are offering the service.  Just as when looking for any type of service, it is recommended to do your research and read a few web hosting reviews.  Be sure to look for feedback from customers and experts as well.  You will find that managed hosting is usually offered in predefined packages or on a per item basis.  A predefined plan typically includes the dedicated server along with specific management features.  With the per-item basis, you get to mix and match the services that will serve the most benefit.

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Feb 12, 2009 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

Getting the Most From Your Managed Provider

Just like any business partnership, you want the relationship between your company and managed hosting provider to be on good terms.  Unfortunately, getting one to respond to important issues isn’t always as easy you would like it to be.  This is due in large part to the automated nature of web hosting technology that has taken away some of the personalization.  Even if your provider is lacking in a few areas, there are ways to grab their attention and place it on the needs of your business.

Report all Problems

Even when minor service issues arise, always alert the provider of what’s going on.  If they are failing to meet the needs of your business in any way, let them know in a polite yet firm manner.  Although problems do occur every now and then, the provider may not be aware that anything is wrong.  By letting your voice be heard, you can better assure that all issues will be addressed in a timely fashion.

Test Their Response Time

The best way to learn how a provider will act in crunch time is to put them through the ringer with a few tests.  Send an email or give them a call every now and then with questions or comments.  If you find that a company isn’t helpful or doesn’t respond at all, its definitely a sign that you need to move on to a new service.

Get on Their Good Side

Forming a close relationship with a support team member is never a bad idea.  This could be a technician, sales representative or another employee you have easy access to.  After finding someone you are comfortable with, ask them if they would be willing to become your regular contact for resolving any issues that appear.  If one person doesn’t agree, move on to the next until you find someone willing to help out.  The faster problems are resolved, the quicker you can stop worrying about them and get back to business.

Purchase a Short-term Contract

This is a great leverage move that will increase your likelihood of receiving top notch service.  For obvious reasons, a managed hosting provider would much rather lock you into a long-term agreement and may even offer incentives to encourage the act.  When signing on for a short-term contract over a 12 or 18 month period, the company is likely to view your service needs as a priority, especially when your renewal date approaches.

Purchase a Per-item Plan

Predefined packages are good for some business but useless for a company that doesn’t require those additional services.  This is an easy way to keep the relationship with your provider on good terms as they can concentrate on specific tasks that will benefit your company while other key essentials can be handled in-house.

Get a New Provider

Just as with any relationship, there is no point in putting effort into a host that has no chance of working out for you.  If all your efforts of establishing a solid, trusting partnership with the provider falls through, count your losses and look into moving to another host.  Staying in an unhealthy relationship will only hurt your business in the long run.

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Dec 27, 2008 : Managed Hosting No responses yet

Managed Hosting or Colocation? - How to Decide

Managed hosting describes an arrangement where a web hosting company “manages” and provides everything needed to run your website.  This includes the server and network hardware, the software for building the site and managing email, an internet connection, upgrades, backups and so forth.  In this situation, all you really have to do is design the web pages and promote the site.

The Faces of Managed Hosting

The scenario above pretty much describes your shared web hosting account, an arrangement where several customers share a single server and all its resources at one time.  With shared hosting, the provider handles all the technical aspects behind the scenes.  Dedicated hosting is the alternative, a service which is most often used to described managed hosting.  With a dedicated server, you essentially have the entire machine all to yourself.  In most cases, you have enough disk space and bandwidth to host multiple sites and generally have a greater level of control over the server itself, the aspect that distinguishes it the most from shared hosting.  While there are different types of shared and dedicated plans such as VPS and reseller accounts, all of them are basically just different variations of managed hosting.

Colocation

Colocation however, is in a completely different arena.  With this arrangement, you purchase your own server, network equipment, software and all other needed elements needed to run your online business.  Though it shares similarities with the managed dedicated server environment, you are responsible for setting up the hardware and configuring the software.  A colocation host commonly does note provide these components, and often, they do not dictate what can or cannot be purchased, leaving you free to choose the items best suited for your needs.  After getting the equipment together, it is installed in the provider’s data facility, a task the company often assists with.  You get an adequate power supply for the equipment, multiple IP addresses dedicated to your business and an uplink that enables your network equipment to be connected to the internet.  A reliable colocation provider runs a tight infrastructure, keeping their data center staffed 24/7 with redundant systems to prevent overheating, theft or damage and keep the operation going in case of a power failure.  Most companies offer basic support but you are primarily responsible for keeping up the hardware and your applications.  Because of this, you are typically allowed 24-hour access to make upgrades and repairs whenever they are needed.

In short, the colocation host provides you with a facility to store your equipment, which they are responsible for maintaining.  Their job is to make sure the physical storage, power and bandwidth you are provided is not compromised.

Managed hosting is a great option for an individual or company that needs to rely on a web host.  Colocation can be viewed as do it yourself hosting as you are essentially your own provider, simply “co-locating” your operation to someone else’s data center.  This solution is designed for those who have outgrown a shared or dedicated server yet aren’t equipped to host their online business from the home or office.

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Dec 02, 2008 : Managed Hosting No responses yet