Nine things you need to know before selecting your business’ Web host

It may seem simple, yet it’s often overlooked. When it comes to choosing the right
Internet hosting provider for their Web sites, the majority of business owners or
companies know very little about making the best Internet/Web hosting decisions.
􀁺 What makes a good Internet/Web host for a business Web site? What makes
a bad one?
􀁺 How can the wrong Internet/Web host help/harm your business?
􀁺 What are the different types of Internet/Web hosting services? Which ones are
best for which industries?
Here are some tips to help you make the right decisions:
1. Understand the distinctions between shared, collocated, unmanaged
dedicated, and managed dedicated hosting so you can choose the one
that is right for your business.
It’s crucial to understand the difference between the types of hosting offered. As
the hosting industry has matured, hosting offers have split into a couple of distinct
categories, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
Shared hosting (sometimes called virtual hosting) means that you’re sharing one
server with a number of other clients of that company. The host manages the server
almost completely (though you maintain your site and your account). The host can
afford to charge you little, since many clients are paying for use of the server.
However, companies other than yours are using the resources of that server. That
means heavy traffic to one of the other sites on the server can really hammer the
performance of your site. Also, you’re typically not able to install special software
programs on these types of machines, because the host will need to keep a stable
environment for all of the clients using the server.
Collocated hosting means that you purchase a server from a hardware vendor, such
as Dell or HP, and you supply this server to the host. The host will then plug your
server into its network and its redundant power systems. The host is responsible for
making sure its network is available, and you’re responsible for all support and maintenance
of your server. Good hosts will offer management contracts to their collocation
clients so that you can outsource much of the support to them and come to an
arrangement similar to managed dedicated hosting. Most collocation hosts do not offer
this service, however.
Unmanaged dedicated hosting is very similar to collocation, except that you lease
a server from a host and do not actually own it yourself. Some very limited support
(typically Web-based only) is included, but the level of support varies widely among unmanaged dedicated hosts. This type of server runs around $99 per month. Support
levels are typically provided only in general terms. Ask the host to go into specifics
about what support will be provided (will they apply security patches to your server?)
before signing up. This service is typically good for gaming servers (such as Doom or
Counterstrike servers) or hobbyist servers, but not for serious businesses that need
responsive, expert-level service.
Managed dedicated hosting means leasing a server from a host and having that company
provide a robust level of support and maintenance on the server, which is backed
by quality guarantees. This maintenance typically includes services such as server
uptime monitoring, a hardware warranty, security patch updates, and more. Make sure
that your managed dedicated host is specific about included managed services so that
you can be sure they’re not disguising an unmanaged dedicated offering as a managed
dedicated server. Unfortunately, this has been known to happen, which is why it’s
important to do your homework and ask the right questions.
2. Ask if your potential host’s network has a blackholed IP.
Many hosts care little about who is actually hosting on their networks, as long as the
clients pay their bill. They will allow porn sites, spammers, and servers that create security
issues on their network for the sake of the dollar. Being hosted by such a company
can have a negative impact on your business, because you might be assigned an IP that
has been blackholed (meaning that other networks will refuse e-mail originating from
your IP). Some hosts have a number of entire Class C (up to 256 IPs) networks blackholed,
and they redistribute these tainted IPs to new clients. If your business relies on
legitimate, closed-loop opt-in e-mail marketing, being on such a network can severely
cut response to your campaign because your e-mail may never get to its destination.
Check with any hosts you’re considering to see if their networks are blackholed.
Also, here’s a link to a third-party source that tracks blackholed networks and lists
them: http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/isp.lasso. Click on http://www.spamhaus.
org/mailinglists.html for a good resource to help you understand what is labeled
spam and what isn’t.
3. Don’t confuse size with stability.
Just because a Web hosting company is big doesn’t mean it’s stable and secure. In fact,
many of the biggest filed for bankruptcy protection or were saved by being sold to
some other company—in some cases causing uncomfortable transitions in service for
their clients. How do you protect yourself? Ask some key questions:
􀁺 How long has the host been in business?
􀁺 Is current ownership the same as always?
􀁺 Are they profitable and cash-flow positive from operation-generated
revenue?
4. Don’t make price your only priority.
The old saying “you get what you pay for” applies to most things in life, and hosting is
certainly one of those things. When you overprioritize price, you run the risk of ending up with a host that will provide you with a connection to the Internet and little else in
terms of support (and even that connection may be running at maximum capacity or
have uptime issues).
5. Make sure your host has fully redundant data centers.
When dealing with smaller vendors, make sure they have their own data centers and
that those data centers are fully redundant in terms of power and connectivity. Here
are a few questions to ask:
􀁺 How many lines do they have coming into the facility?
􀁺 What is the average utilization of their connections? (No matter how large the
connection, if it is running at maximum capacity, it will be slow.)
􀁺 Do they have redundant power to the servers?
􀁺 Do they have a generator on site?
􀁺 How often do they test their generator?
􀁺 What sort of security measures do they have in place for the network?
􀁺 What physical security do they have?
􀁺 What type of fire-suppression systems do they have in place?
6. Find out if they have experienced systems administrators on their
support staff.
When you call in for technical support, it can be a frustrating experience to be stuck
talking with a nontechnical “customer service” representative when you really need to
talk to a systems administrator who can resolve your issues. Find out the structure of
their support department, how quickly you can get to an actual systems administrator
when you need to, and which systems administrators can assist you when you need
help.
7. Make sure the host is flexible.
It’s important that the host understands how important quality servers are to their
clients’ businesses. Even most managed dedicated hosts will not go near supporting
applications that are not part of their initial server setup. Find a host that has a vast
amount of experience to support a wide variety of applications, and one that can bring
that expertise to you through their services.
8. Find out what their former/current clients say about them.
Can your prospective host provide you with success stories for clients with configurations
similar to yours? Are they able to provide references from clients who can tell you
about their experience using that company?
9. Make sure the host’s support doesn’t include extra charges.
Make sure any host you consider provides you with a comprehensive list outlining the
support they offer so that you can have an understanding of what is supported for
free, what is supported at a fee, and what’s not supported at all. Many hosts will try to
hide a substandard level of free support behind nonspecific statements of high-quality
support, so make them get specific to win your business.