|
Web Hosting, Web Hosting UK, Dedicated Servers, Managed Hosting, Dedicated Server | CWCS
Once you have made the decision that the best place for your server and the associated applications and data, the next choice facing you is which is the best platform to utilise – virtualised, cloud-based or your own dedicated server. Since all three options (unlike a shared web hosting package) give you an element of control over the server and OS environment, it can often appear more complex a decision than it actually is.
A virtual server is a good option for people who won’t need guaranteed resources all the time and are happy to accept a lower fixed price for their own secure, hosted server, albeit such that they are sharing resources with other customers deployed on the same platform.
A cloud-based server (which is the current industry darling) is effectively a halfway house between the other two options – you get your own, secure hosted server with some control over the environment and the ability to load your own applications (or should that be apps now ?  ) but you also get to upgrade the resources as and when you need them – say, if you’re an online retailer coming up to Christmas – without having to move all your data and configurations onto a new server.
Clearly though, a dedicated server offers the best option for those who require maximum performance and the highest levels of flexibility. All dedicated server customers the world over should certainly also get industry-leading Service Level Agreements from their hosting partner. Its actually a better solution than deploying a dedicated server in your own offices, from both technical and financial perspectives – dependant upon your exact configuration, there’s less likely to be a huge upfront investment in hardware and software required, so that’s good for your cash flow. You also don’t need to worry about staff training, as we do all that as well!
One of the decisions you’ll need to make when choosing a web hosting package is whether to go for a Windows Server or a Linux server.
Here are some of the advantages of going down the Linux route.
Linux is an open source operating system, essentially meaning it is free for the end-user. This means there are no licensing costs associated with a Linux server solution, though there are still ongoing web hosting and support costs.
As well as the cost advantage, the Linux hosting servers have a deserved reputation for stability: they rarely need a reboot, tending just to run and run, coping with multiple processes for days on end. One company recently reported “100 percent uptime” with Linux and that “management noticed the difference”.
Fans of Linux servers also stress that they have a strong security record, being integrally more resistant to the types of intrusion and virus problems that can afflict some Windows Servers.
Another reason for choosing a Linux server is related to the software packages it hosts, such as Apache web server and MySQL for databases. These programmes are, like Linux itself, open-source, again keeping costs down. They are also the stock in trade of web developers the world over, which means that your website will always be sure of strong development and support in the future.
Finally, if you choose a Linux server professional hosting package with CWCS, you will get the Joomla CMS and WordPress blogging packages installed as part of the deal.
Many of our customers who have dedicated servers or managed hosting have had to go through the difficult process of deciding whether to try and deploy their server internally and as a additional responsibility for their existing staff, or whether to outsource it to specialist companies like us for whom it is our core business.
Whilst, on the face of it, hosting your server in your own building may seem the easier option, it is worth looking at all the things that we provide as part of our package for a dedicated server, which a non-specialist business won’t:-
- Uninterruptible power supply
- Diesel generators
- Spark detection
- Fire suppression
- Water detection
- Hosting-optimised network
- Multiple, redundant internet links
- 24/7 available 2nd and 3rd line technical engineers
- Physical security
- Multi-layered network security
The largest costs to our business are the network, the power and (last but certainly not least!) the people. So, when you’re in the market looking for dedicated servers or colocation or managed hosting, or you’re contemplating doing it yourself, consider how much is involved in doing it the right way first.
It’s almost inevitable that, during the course of setting up and running your website, you will need to contact your web hosting company’s technical support department for assistance.
Some of the problems you may experience are: you have forgotten how to access your control panel, you want to add or remove a mailbox, you’re concerned that your site may have been sabotaged by a hacker, your site seems to be “down” or you have stopped receiving emails.
All these and more are reasons for contacting the tech team, and here at web hosting company CWCS we are passionate about technical support, both by phone and email.
When first contacting tech support, try to define the problem as clearly as possible. Writing down the issue helps. The more specific you can be the better. “I can’t see my homepage” is a lot less useful than “Since 9.00am this morning I have been unable to reach my homepage on my home PC”.
Also, whilst picking up the phone and calling support is always tempting, emailing tech support is, except in urgent cases, probably better for you in the long run. Email gives you a chance to provide more details and attach any screen grabs. Furthermore, you get an instant “paper trail” in your inbox, including a case reference number, making it easier for both sides to monitor progress.
Emails are also useful should the case need to be looked at by another person in your company, and at CWCS we provide tech support by phone or email to ensure that your web hosting is always up to scratch.
When choosing a company to host your dedicated server or managed server, it makes sense to look beyond the headline pricing figures which are often quoted on their websites or in their advertisements. Last week, we had a sales enquiry from someone who said that, if we matched a competitor’s price for a linux dedicated server, we could have the deal that day.
When we went to the particular competitor’s website, we found that there was no telephone number to call for pre-sales information or advice. Worse, when we tried to find a number to call for post-sales technical support, there wasn’t one neither ! Not only that, but they only supported access to your dedicated server via their proprietary web-based control panel. You can get root access if you like, but they’ll immediately withdraw all forms of support from you at that point!
As is often said, if something’s cheap(er), its cheap(er) for a reason – sure, there will be companies out there who are happy with the aforementioned levels of “service” but, when faced with a price that looks great value, also consider that it might just be cheap.
Up until the year 2000, UNIX or Linux servers were dominant in the world of web hosting. But with Windows 2000 Server, followed by the 2003 version, and now Windows 2008 Server, Microsoft has begun to play catch-up.
A fierce debate rages between Linux server and Windows Server advocates. The conventional wisdom is that Linux wins out because it’s “open source” (the software is free), more secure and copes better with high traffic.
But sometimes passion can obscure facts. In reality, a well-maintained, professionally managed, Windows Server can be just as secure and reliable as any equally well-run, competing Linux setup. What’s more, there can be some advantages in going down the Windows route.
First there’s the familiarity of software on the server itself. It’s Windows, which is installed on 90% of the world’s desktops, so you will benefit from being able to navigate it quickly due to familiarity with the setup.
Then there are the web applications that can be built on a Windows web server. Windows Server supports a programming language called ASP.NET. In the right hands this language can form the entire framework for your website, from the site pages themselves, to customer databases, to “in-browser” software such as calendars, calculators, and even complex programmes like word processors.
Therefore, especially if you have a developer to hand who prefers to work in ASP.NET, the Windows Server route is one to consider.
At CWCS we provide a rich range of Windows Server packages at competitive prices.
Website security is a crucial aspect of web hosting. Whilst it’s tempting to leave everything up to your hosting company regarding security, it helps to know about the basics of website security yourself.
Examples of threats against websites range from “defacing” attacks, whereby hackers remotely break in to the web server and vandalise the sites it hosts, to viruses penetrating the web application software, (e.g. databases, discussion forums) which powers your site, and hackers breaking in to the “cache” of web pages on your server, then extracting private user information. These are just some of the nasty security risks that are out there.
The most effective way to counter such threats is with a firewall. A firewall is a piece of software, or hardware engineering, which monitors your internet ports and filters inbound and outbound traffic.
If the firewall is good at its job it will block the bad stuff, and allow through the good. In a web hosting environment you can see the vital role that a firewall plays. Whilst the firewall deals with intruders, antivirus software should also be installed to protect the web server applications.
Furthermore, you should ensure that your website is regularly and securely backed up, so it can be restored with a clean version in the event of any security breach.
As website hosting specialists, at CWCS we guarantee robust firewall and antivirus protection, along with regular backups of your site. Finally, you can do your own bit by changing your control panel password regularly, and keeping it private.
Whilst all main media outlets have been telling us how bad the economy has been over the last couple of years, some companies (like us, funnily enough) have just got quietly on with the job of running our data centres, deploying dedicated servers, providing managed services and colocation for our customers. We’ve just concentrated on providing great service and value.
Our observation is that the market (ie our customers) seems to like the way we do things as, yet again and for ten years on the trot, we’ve reported double digit growth in our last financial year. We focus on managed services, dedicated servers, colocation, web hosting and email services, all provided in our own data centres, staffed by our own highly motivated and committed people – we think these things are important. More specifically, so do our customers (that’s the people who pay our wages, which is something we shouldn’t (and don’t) forget!).
We’re entering our new financial year in great shape and ready to really push on with what we do – we’re hiring new people in new roles, we’re launching new products (keep checking back here, they’ll be arriving real soon now), we’re investing in our infrastructure by becoming a more independent entity and we’re also looking for a new data centre, as we are rapidly filling the two we already have.
So it seems that, if you’re a solid company, providing great value and services to your customers, whilst you’re not immune from market conditions, it is certainly possible to have a great year and continue the success story even in the difficult times.
With the recent growth in virtualisation software, Virtual Dedicated Servers are an increasingly viable web hosting option.
Virtualisation is a means of creating a software based “computer within a computer”. This might sound a little baffling, but the more you think about it the more useful it becomes.
It’s easier to grasp if you imagine a scenario. Say you have a friend who is raving about the benefits of the Linux operating system when compared to Windows. Imagine having a chance to try out Linux on your own computer, independent of your Windows install, and being able to launch your Linux machine from your Windows desktop. This is virtualisation in action.
Developers have taken this a step further and introduced entire virtual servers “in software” within what you might call a “master server”.
These virtual servers behave in identical ways to physical, single machine, servers. Virtual dedicated servers can be rebooted, they can have whatever operating system is preferred and they can be configured to perform equally to a physical server, but without the higher cost overheads of that physical server.
A virtual server can come in very handy to a client looking for a dedicated hosting solution but at a more manageable price. Virtual Dedicated Server rental can cost around a third of the price of the full-blown physical server solution.
Here at CWCS we offer a robust range of Dedicated Virtual Server hosting packages, with excellent hard disk space, processor and RAM options.
A Content Management System (known as a CMS) is website authoring software which is installed on your web hosting server that enables users to write and publish their content in a transparent, straightforward way, using just their web browser.
Content Management Systems have grown rapidly over the years in terms of the variety of packages, level of complexity and numbers of users, from chess clubs to schools, to enterprise level global organisations.
The big advantage of a CMS is that it takes the hassle out of web page creation and publishing. Before the CMS, web page creation and publishing was managed by programmes such as “Front Page” and “Dreamweaver”. However, it soon became clear that where sites required upkeep by more than one or two individuals, licensing and software training issues became awkward impediments to progress. Paying what could easily run into thousands of pounds for web development software to enable users to publish their pages to a site was not a pleasant prospect for businesses. It is easy to see why the CMS option has gone mainstream in the past decade or so.
There are however a vast range of CMS solutions to choose from: from “Open Source” packages best hosted on a Linux server, and commercial packages such as Microsoft’s “Sharepoint”, best hosted on a Windows Server.
Take advice from an IT expert on which package is best for you. At CWCS we support both Windows Server and Linux server web hosting, so can cater for the full range of CMS requirements.
Older Posts »
|
Blog
