Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

September 14, 2010

Managed Web Hosting and Technical Support

Managed web hosting is a viable solution for any serious online business owner, considering that it does not require web hosting knowledge or experience, yet it provides one of the most powerful hosting solutions available. Unfortunately, many of the people that need managed web hosting, are not knowledgeable enough to know about it and understand it. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the capabilities and purpose of managed web hosting. If you are looking for a simple hosting solution for your online business then you may want to consider the following facts about managed web hosting.

Managed Web Hosting vs Unmanaged Web Hosting

Managed web hosting is simply a type of dedicated hosting, which gives the webmaster access to a dedicated server. Most people are not technically skilled enough to operate and maintain a dedicated server. Therefore, there are two types of dedicated hosting. Unmanaged hosting leaves the responsibility of server management and administration to the customer, making it a cheaper, yet more difficult solution. Managed hosting provides full technical support, which makes it easier for the business owner to focus on crucial aspects of business management. Since full support is provided, most managed web hosting accounts cost a significant amount more than unmanaged hosting plans.

Fully Managed vs Managed Hosting

Unfortunately, many web hosting companies that claim to offer managed web hosting are actually offering partially managed hosting. This is because he exact terms and conditions that dictate the definition of fully managed hosting are actually independent of each web hosting company. This means that, while one hosting company may do just about everything for their fully managed customers, other hosting companies are very limited in what they provide with a “fully” managed hosting company. This  poses the question – How do I find a good fully managed web hosting plan?

Finding the Right Plan

Finding the right fully managed web hosting plan is a very simple process when all options are considered. It is best to choose from a group of reputable web hosting providers that have competitive rates. However, it is even more important to enquire about the limitations of their managed hosting before signing up. The best way to do this is to call the web hosting support staff and ask them what their fully managed web hosting plan entails. Be sure to ask the following questions:

• Does my web hosting plan come with full technical support?
• What do you do to prevent site downtime?
• Is your support staff available 24/7/365?

These three questions will give you the ability to discover a lot about the quality of the web hosting service and its employees. If the customer support agent on the phone is not friendly, this could be an indicator of poor service. It is important to make sure you ask all of the questions you'd like, and look for competent and friendly answers from the support staff. When you're operating an online business, technical support is extremely important, as even the smallest technical mishap could mean the loss of thousands of dollars.

Tags: partially managed hosting,  dedicated hosting,  unmanaged web hosting,  hosting solution,  powerful hosting,  Managed Hosting