Hosting, servers and domains are part of a broad category of services that are now easily accessible via the Web; often, however, it is difficult to know its outlines clearly. In many cases, especially for the less accustomed, the difference may appear minimal and the functioning hazy.

Domains and web servers

To clarify what a hosting service is and how it works, it is good first to fix the concepts of domain and Web server. The Internet domain is the name that is associated with an IP address to register a domain it is advisable to rely on a company accredited by the relevant bodies. Depending on a solid technical and regulatory basis, a Registrar can resell the assignment of domain names. Go for the server provider reviews there now.

Similarly, when it comes to a Web server (host), we examine a machine connected to the network and equipped with appropriate software for the management of the services provided. The server is, therefore, able to contain all the materials relating to the site and make them visible in the form of pages, whenever they are requested by a client who logs in.

What is meant by hosting?

Once the ownership of a given domain name has been acquired, it will be appropriate to associate a hosting plan, which is essential for publishing websites and services.

By hosting we mean the set of services that allow you to physically host all the files that make up the site on a Web server, thus making it accessible through the Internet. Hosting services can be purchased through Internet Service Providers who usually provide different plans, structured according to typical business needs. In this case, we speak of shared hosting, when a single server hosts multiple sites that will have to share its performance (CPU, RAM and storage).

Where more performance needs arise, it is possible to opt for dedicated hosting. In this case, an entire server is dedicated for the exclusive use of a single website. Among the most recent versions, cloud hosting offers the typical scalability of the “cloud” and allows shared management of services. Therefore, multiple physical servers will enable you to balance the load in case of need and to keep sites and services active even when problems arise in one of the systems.

Hosting also differs according to the platform, i.e. the operating system installed on the server: mainly Windows or Linux. To simplify the process of activating domains and associated services, many Internet Service Providers offer packages that include both the registration of the domain name and the activation of a hosting plan.

The choice of hosting: which aspects to evaluate?

With many other types of service on the Net, it is easy to find various kinds of proposals and solutions, some very cheap, others particularly scalable. The choice could, therefore, be difficult, especially for the less experienced.

Before even evaluating a purchase, it is therefore essential to carefully investigate the needs of the moment and to reason because of a possible future growth at least desirable in business logic.

Hosting a static website of a local reality is, in fact, very different from having to manage to host for e-commerce of a brand known and spread all over the world. In the first case, it is possible to focus on a balanced and cost-effective solution. In contrast, in the second case, it is essential to take flexibility and performance into consideration, even if the subscription price. The phase of study and analysis of the needs of your site is critical because it affects the choice of the type of hosting to select.

At this point, it may be useful to get advice from a consultant or to rely directly on support from your provider. In this way, it will be possible to balance cost and performance suitably. As in many other contexts, economic evaluation alone could mislead and render ongoing design sterile. Not only that, the risk of choosing a financial platform, without understanding its limits, could impose severe difficulties in the development phase or inexorable slowdowns in the event of multiple accesses in particularly congested periods.

The downside is instead the choice of overly oversized services, which will become an extra cost for the company, without actually constituting a competitive advantage. In this case, the suggestion is to start your activities with the support of experts and to choose a standard hosting package, with the prospect of being able to increase the potential of the service in the future.

Among the crucial parameters, RAM, CPU and disk space are certainly to be evaluated with primary importance, since they will constitute the calculation and reaction capabilities of the installed services and software for example database, CMS, ERP, and CRM. In this sense, today, most hosting proposals allow you to start CPU instances or add memory or storage space transparently as regards costs, and very quickly usually through a dedicated admin panel.

Does the cost count?

Assistance is an element often underestimated but which, on the other hand, must be seriously considered. In case of difficulties or problems, being able to count on a competent and duly trained assistant is a priceless plus.

The IT technician and the specialized software consultant are vital figures to keep a hosting space and related services always active and functional. In the event of slowdowns, system freezes, memory or DNS problems, these figures can assist the customer in a few minutes and return any issues within a few hours. If we consider the operation of our site as primary, it goes without saying that the quality of assistance and the availability of support are decisive.

The choice of hosting provider is not secondary.

It is, therefore, appropriate to compare offers and proposals from large players, solid companies that have been active on the market for many years. The lists of the most well-known providers are particularly rich and allow you to select packages and platforms already optimized for a specific use.

SLA specifications or Service Level Agreements always regulate this kind of services. We are talking about technical documents that frame the level of service offered by the provider, and where we define the service metrics that must be respected by the supplier. Based on these fees, the provider and customer can easily settle any disputes and understand any service limits and accessory guarantees.

While technical performance mainly affects user experience and the relative evaluation by search engines, secure hosting ranks first for the protection of all relevant data. If you manage sensitive data, it will be essential to ensure their constant availability and that the provider ensures effective and complete measures for their protection. Possible security measures include:

• Regular updates and backups
• Geo-redundancy via separate data centres
• Constant and uninterrupted electric current
• TLS / SSL data encryption
• Use of Intrusion Detection Systems

To be on the right side with regards to data protection, you should host your project with a provider that has data processing centres in the country.

James Montano