A Summary of Hosting Packages

A Summary of Hosting
Packages
© Stuart Mitchell

Introduction
This slideshow outlines the various types of web hosting available
on the market. For each hosting platform the following slides
highlight:
• features
• benefits
• drawbacks

It is important to bear in mind what you actually need from your
hosting provider when you weigh these up. Broadly, the two
areas to consider are
• performance & uptime
• cost

Hosting Considerations
Depending on the type of hosting package in question, the other
features to consider are:
• the ability to control and customise hardware and software if
the site needs bespoke or non-standard configurations
• the access to bandwidth - high bandwidth connections allow
large amounts of traffic to flow quickly to and from the web
server and so are more important for websites which experience
high traffic volumes (i.e., page requests) or need to display a lot
of content
• the amount of disk space (i.e., storage) on offer which will
determine how big the site can grow and how much content can
be stored
• the digital security of the platform, especially for sites that are
obtaining or using sensitive data such as e-commerce sites.

Background to Data Centres
Data centres are purpose built facilities which are designed to
house servers which meet these aims at affordable costs for the
clients. They offer:

• complex security and safety systems
o to ensure that the servers are not compromised whilst they
are running
• extensive systems in place to generate the optimal conditions
o e.g., heat and humidity
o for the servers to run smoothly and efficiently

Shared Hosting
The ‘shared’ in shared hosting refers to the fact that the web server
that hosts the site is shared between numerous clients and their
websites. It is the typical ‘entry-level’ option for small scale non-
critical and non-sensitive (data) websites.

Features:
• Client rents a portion of a server
• The shared server also hosts other clients’ websites

Shared Hosting
Benefits:
 Inexpensive in comparison to other hosting platforms
 Simple hosting platform for clients with limited hosting
expertise
 Physical security of data center location
 Physical safety of data center location

Drawbacks:
o Higher risk of security issues spreading from other websites
o Higher risk of software failures caused activities by other clients
etc
o Limited physical resources such as bandwidth and disk space
o Limited scope for configuration of the software platform (
operating system etc)

Virtual Dedicated Servers
Usually shortened to VPS, this type of hosting still shares a single
server across multiple sites/clients but each site has its own
operating system partition and so it offers more control and
security whilst remaining cost effective.

Features:
• Client rents a virtual partition on a server
• The shared server also hosts other clients’ websites on separate
partitions

Virtual Dedicated Servers
Benefits:
 Inexpensive in comparison to other hosting platforms
 Allows greater customisation of each operating system

Drawbacks:
o Some risk of security issues spreading from other websites
o Some risk of software failures caused activities by other clients
etc
o Limited physical resources such as bandwidth and disk space

Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is popular with larger business clients where
performance and security are paramount and the budget is in
place to do pay for it, because it offers complete control, high
security and uncompromised physical resources.

Features:
• Client rents an entire single server
• Web site has access to all physical resource and connectivity
• Often comes with managed hosting

Dedicated Hosting
Benefits:
 Scope for complete control over server configuration
 No competition for bandwidth resource
 No competition for processor resource
 Access to entire server’s disk space
 No security threats from other sites/partitions on the server

Drawbacks:
o Cost of renting entire server
o Potential for wasted capacity if higher spec hardware is rented
than the site requires

Co-location
Sometimes referred to as Colocation or simply Colo, this form of
hosting allows clients to reap the benefits of a data center
location but still retain ownership of the hardware.

Features:
• Client buys and owns server(s)
• Servers are housed in a data center
• Client rents space for servers

Co-location
Benefits:
 Access to high bandwidth connections
 Retained value of the hardware as company assets

Drawbacks:
o Initial cost of purchasing servers
o Less scalability due to cost of replacing hardware
o Potential for wasted capacity if high spec hardware is purchased
to future-proof the platform

Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting essentially uses a large pool of physical hardware and
resource to build virtualised hosting environments which are
therefore not restricted to physical limitations. It can provide a
solution for those who want a flexible platform where complete
control and customisation is not a requirement.

Features:
• Client rents virtual hosting resource
• Hardware resource taken from multiple servers
• Hosting resource (bandwidth, disk space etc) supplied on
demand

Cloud Hosting
Benefits:
 Not reliant on one server - less risk of failures/downtime
 Clients only pay for what they use
 Seamlessly scalable - extra virtual resource can be assigned as
and when it is required

Drawbacks:
o Limitations on the ability to configure the platform
o No scope for customising hardware
o Risk of security issues spreading from other websites

Managed Hosting
Managed hosting is a type of hosting where the features refer to
the support that the client receives rather than the type of
server it comes with and therefore it can incorporate any type of
hosting/server set up such as shared or dedicated. A fully
managed platform is effectively the deluxe package for clients
with larger budgets and a shortage of expertise in-house.

Features:
• Expert support and advice
• Technicians available to make configuration changes
• Performance monitoring
• Usually a dedicated server

Managed Hosting
Benefits (depending on the type of support):
 Access to the expertise and knowledge of hosting provider
 Round the clock support in case of performance issues or
downtime
 Proactive and reactive support for changes in the web site or
web site usage
 Help to effectively scale and configure platform

Drawbacks:
o Will tend to be expensive in comparison to self-managed
packages

A Summary of Hosting Packages

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