Managed hosting is expected to be one of
the fastest growing and hottest areas of hosting in 2001.
For companies looking to outsource their IT-hosting needs
or businesses that already have a dedicated web server, this
type of hosting is worth consideration.
First off, exactly what defines managed hosting
is still being developed. However, it is safe to state that
managed hosting is complex hosting solutions including outsourced
technical staff and website monitoring.
The big difference between standard dedicated
hosting and managed hosting is the involvement by the hosting
company to provide the end-customer or business further services
relating to the support and productivity of their online efforts.
Most managed hosting solutions encompass the entire hardware
situation including connectivity, equipment servicing and
constant server monitoring. Some managed hosting solutions
also encompass software-related tasks for an additional fee.
Companies providing managed hosting solutions can offer a
variety of hosting-related products including server security
products, private networking, and database administration.
In other words, managed hosting takes a more holistic view
towards server needs and attempts to provide everything (including
the staffing) that a company would need to be successful from
an Internet infrastructure perspective.
Companies choosing managed dedicated solutions
gain several advantages. First, most of the capital costs
are conferred onto the service provider enabling a tax-advantageous
accounting situation. Second, the company will monitor your
server and provide extensive technical support access to ensure
maximum server uptime. Third, your gain additional flexibility
in terms of supported website functionality and growth options.
Fourth, as many managed plans include server administration
and extensive technical support, businesses can save on technical
support staff (often saving thousands of dollars monthly by
replacing an in-house technician by the services provided
within a managed solution!) While some of the managed hosting
features may seem similar to regular dedicated and shared
hosting accounts, managed hosting solutions are really taking
those services and products to the next level.
When considering a managed hosting provider,
your best bet is to check out and visit the websites of as
many managed providers as possible. This will let you compare
their service offerings, network topology, and reputation.
Creativewebsols.com features a number of premier Managed Hosting
providers including Rackspace Managed Hosting, Virtualscape,
WebHosting.com, and Affinity Internet in our Managed Hosting
Showcase. We highly recommend you visit this showcase, and
the companies contained within, if your firm is considering
managed hosting, dedicated servers, or colocation solutions.
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