In 2008, the majority of web sites on the internet were hosted by third party hosting providers. Though many people are aware that third party hosting exists, to most, the terminology used in describing the different types of hosting can seem rather intimidating. I hope that this article will clarify the confusion of the different plan types.
There are three basic types of third party hosting provided; Shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and managed hosting. Each type of hosting has advantages and disadvantages, but the principal differences between the hosting types are the server ownership, server management and pricing. Some advantages common to the different third party hosting packages include an Internet firewall managed by internet security professional, high-speed internet connection and the elimination of the routine administration tasks required by typical servers.
SHARED HOSTING:
With shared hosting, the third party hosting company retains full ownership and management of the server used to provide the hosting. The hosting provider makes all decisions regarding what operating system the server runs, the security configuration of the server, and the software applications that are permitted to run.
The servers used to provide shared hosting are generally very robust and can support many hundreds of websites. In some cases, these servers may actually contain over a thousand different web sites on behalf of hundreds of different companies. Because a single server can support such a large number of different clients, shared hosting packages are the most economical available. Packages generally start for US $1 to $2 per month, and some providers will even include the domain name registration free.
The advantage to shared hosting is the extremely low price.
The disadvantages of shared hosting are that the web site owner must design their web site based upon the software packages installed on the hosting server. If a web site is built using the Microsoft .NET Framework, but the web server has not had the appropriate software installed, then the web site will not function correctly and must be rebuilt using software supported by that particular server. Additionally, if there are configuration requirements specific to your web site, you may need to contact the hosting providers technical support group to ask them to correct the configuration rather than being able to make the corrections yourself. Thus, a change that you could make in thirty seconds may take anywhere from a couple of minutes to several hours to be completed.
Shared hosting is recommended for those companies or individuals who require a basic web site configured, and who have limited to no knowledge of how websites work. Though some shared hosting providers will permit more advanced web development packages, the headaches of dealing with the hosting providers technical support may not be worth the extra money spent on choosing a different hosting package.
DEDICATED HOSTING:
Dedicated hosting is similar to shared hosting in that a robust web server is provided by the hosting provider. However, by selecting a dedicated hosting package, the client is taking the responsibility for managing the hosting server. This management responsibility may be shared with the hosting provider. With a dedicated host, the client is responsible for the configuration of the server, and possibly the installation of any web-specific application packages. Whatever applications the client needs installed can be installed either by the hosting provider or by remote installation by the clients themselves.
The principle advantage of this type of hosting is that the client company has nearly total control over how the server is configured. However, this is a dual-edged sword in that a misconfiguration of the server on the client's part can shut down their web page and possibly their e-mail server.
The disadvantages of this type of package are that it is generally the most expensive third party hosting solution (because the client has to pay for the equipment and the administration of the equipment) and as mentioned earlier, a minor mistake on the clients part can eliminate their web site from the Internet. Technical support on the part of the hosting provider is available, but once again, it can be slow in responding.
MANAGED HOSTING:
The last type of hosting to discuss is managed hosting. With this type of hosting, the client purchases their own web server, performs their own configuration, sets their own security, and then places the server in the internet data center of the third party provider on a contract basis. This type of hosting is almost exactly like dedicated hosting except that the client owns the server rather than the hosting provider (in dedicated hosting), and the client has more freedom to do as they please with the paid for web site.
The third party provider is responsible only for providing direct technical support (if required) in the case of hardware issues. Incorrect configurations, incompatible software and other administrative issues are generally the responsibility of the client to fix.
This type of hosting is generally very cost effective for medium size companies as this allows the client to purchase and install their own proprietary software package(s). As the hosting provider is only providing a domain name, an IP address and possibly backup and recovery services, the direct costs for this type of hosting is relatively low. However, hardware and equipment costs become the sole responsibility of the client.
SUMMARY:
The hosting package you choose will be dependent upon many different factors. Your selection should be based upon your own business requirements and/or personal preferences. If you cannot find a hosting package that permits you to build the web site you think you want, then it is usually not that expensive to find another. I hope this article will help you choose.