Imagine the peace of mind that comes with knowing your website is always secure, up-to-date, and ready to handle anything – this is the power of Managed Hosting. There is a significant difference between Managed Hosting and Unmanaged Hosting. First, we will define Managed Hosting and its key advantages. Second, we will touch on some important considerations when choosing a host for your website.
Managed Hosting: Hands-Off for the Client
So what exactly is Managed Hosting? Managed Hosting is when the hosting provider takes care of all the technical aspects of server management. This includes maintenance, security, and support. This allows your business to focus on core activities without worrying about server-related issues. Many hosting providers will offer different levels of resource packages. Choosing the right resource package is critical to your site’s success.
Once you choose your hosting package, the provider will set up the hosting environment. This set up will include the actual web server, and any necessary software. Automated processes such as backups or firewalls are typically configured during this step. Lastly, the provider may also install SSL Certificates or other software as requested by the client.
On the other hand, with Unmanaged Hosting, after selecting your hosting package, you’re given access to your hosting environment. This is often through a control panel. In some instances, the control panel pricing is built into the price you pay, and in others, it will be an add on. Regardless, you’ll either end up using the control panel to set up the server or need to login to the hosting environment using SSH. In the latter, you’ll have to install everything yourself. This means you will need to learn about server security, using Linux commands, and compiling software.
The Gray Wolf Managed Hosting Difference
At Gray Wolf Web Design, there are a few key differences in our Managed Hosting that set us apart from others. First, we set up each site individually based on the Client’s actual needs. Since we built your site, we will have a good idea on your resource usage, the amount of traffic you will get, and the type of information that you will be storing.
Another key difference is we provide all of our clients with a Development, Staging and Live environment right from the start. The value of this set up is that all changes after the initial launch are made in the “Development” environment. After that, we transfer the changes to the “Staging” environment. This is where we truly confirm that any code changes, updates, or upgrades will not bring down your “Live” site. Less Downtime = More Sales!
How we secure your site right from the start is another key advantage. Our security starts with daily backups, as well as regular software and security updates. Next, we disable password logins to the server and opt to use SSH Keys. SSH Keys are a whole blog post on their own, but simply put they are a secure method of logging into a server. Additionally, on top of the cryptographically secure SSH Keys, we further enhance them with a “passphrase”. So, even if a malicious attacker stole our SSH Key, they would still need the “passphrase” to access your server. Lastly, we set up firewalls that automatically ban attackers indefinitely.
Expert Server Management Means No Time With Tech Support
So why choose Managed Hosting? At the end of the day, everything your business needs related to your server is taken care of for you. You won’t have to worry about optimizing your webserver’s configuration file so it displays your page faster. You won’t have to worry about making daily backups so your site can be instantly brought back up. And most importantly, you won’t have to worry about security. The best part? There’s no time spent chatting with tech support.
Choosing the Right Host: Which Foundation is Right for You?
If you read Our Process; you’ll see that we use the comparison of building a home to building a website. Your server is in essentially the “foundation” of a strong website. Choosing the wrong foundation can eventually cause everything to crumble. While we can’t cover every variable in this post, there are several important factors to consider when choosing a host.
The number one factor to consider is resource usages. For example, a shared host allows you to get up and running with minimal assistance. However, the downside is you share resources with many different sites on one server. Think of a shared host as a large apartment building with 100 apartments all sharing the same roof, plumbing and electricity. This can cause your site to run incredibly slow, which is detrimental to your business. The caveat is that some hosting providers avoid overcrowding shared server.
Scalability is the next most important factor. While most small business websites won’t need to scale, some might. For instance, if you decide to start selling products online, you’ll need to increase your bandwidth and speed as your store gains traffic. This will help with your conversion rate. With our Managed Hosting, we handle all of that for you.
Another key consideration is the level of access that you’ll have to the server. For example, some hosting providers some hosting providers limit your ability to install certain software of run specific programs. This can also be true with “Virtual Private Servers (VPS)”. This can be an issue if your online store requires specific services or software, such as caching, searching or an API. For example, we’re currently working on a project that requires a Reverse Proxy to send traffic to a NodeJS server – something only possible with full server access.
Ready to Have Someone Else Handle the Hosting Hassle: Let’s Chat
Our final piece of advice: start your website out with a quality shared host and see how your website performs. Various tools can help you check your page speed for desktop and mobile. If you receive a low score, first check for poor code optimization. If your code looks good, examine your webserver’s configuration files to improve performance. Finally, consider moving your site to a Dedicated Server or Cloud Hosting.
Ready to secure your website with Managed Hosting? Let’s Chat! We’re here to help you choose the best foundation for your online presence.