Guide to Choosing the Right Web Hosting for You

What form of web hosting is right for you? If you have graduated from shared hosting and now need a more robust solution, the answer depends on what your web site purpose is, whether you choose to lease or own the server hardware, how involved you want to be in managing the server directly, and your level of technical operating knowledge.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Managed Hosting

Managed Hosting or Dedicated Hosting is a form of web hosting where you choose to lease an entire server housed in an off-site data center that is dedicated to your usage only, and not shared with anyone else as in a shared hosting environment. Managed Hosting gives you complete control over the server and provides you with maximum usage of the hardware, processor speed and bandwidth capacity. Choices range from a basic server to a high performance, premium server depending on your online needs. You can also choose your preferred operating system, Windows or Linux, as well as optional managed services like security patching, upgrades, backups, and firewalls. Basic system administration is usually included with Managed Hosting.

I recommend: PEER 1 Dedicated Hosting

Self-Managed Hosting

Self-managed or Unmanaged Hosting is a form of web hosting where you choose to lease an entire server housed in an off-site data center that is dedicated to your usage only, and not shared with anyone else as in a shared hosting environment. In contrast to Managed Hosting, you must have technical know-how, and perform all system administration and management activities on the server from your remote desktop. This lets you choose a server with more powerful hardware for much less cost. As with Managed Hosting, you have complete control over the server and can choose your preferred operating system, Windows or Linux.

I recommend: ServerBeach.com

Co-location

Co-location is a form of web hosting where you lease a cabinet in an off-site, highly secured data center to house your own server hardware. The shared data center infrastructure, along with its redundant power, large bandwidth capacity, and direct connection to the Internet allows you to get cost-savings on greater safety, scalability, business continuity, and minimal network latency. In Co-location, the server hardware is entirely owned and operated by you and does not receive any system administration from the provider.

I recommend: PEER 1 Co-location

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• The form of web hosting that is right for you is entirely based on whether you want to lease or own the server, how involved you want to be in managing it daily, and your level of technical know-how.
• What type of web site are you running? Sites uses ranging from e-commerce, gaming, and blogging, to ASP, ISP, and disaster recovery all have their own set of hardware and performance requirements. Determine what the main purpose of your site is, and match it with the best hosting solution.
• What is your budget? Managed hosting generally costs more than Unmanaged because of the managed services and technical support you receive. With Unmanaged, you are fully responsible for administering the server. Co-location prices vary depending on the geographical location of the data center you wish to house your server. Data center space is becoming increasingly scarce, and prices depend heavily on local availability, as well local power costs, labor, and real estate.

The official source of Choosing the Right Web Hosting for You is
the Web Hosting Specialties page at Business.com