| Managed hosting is expected to
be one of the fastest growing and hottest areas of hosting in 2001.
For companies looking to outsource their IT-hosting needs or businesses
that already have a dedicated web server, this type of hosting is
worth consideration.
First off, exactly what defines managed hosting is still being
developed. However, it is safe to state that managed hosting is
complex hosting solutions including outsourced technical staff and
website monitoring.
The big difference between standard dedicated hosting and managed
hosting is the involvement by the hosting company to provide the
end-customer or business further services relating to the support
and productivity of their online efforts. Most managed hosting solutions
encompass the entire hardware situation including connectivity,
equipment servicing and constant server monitoring. Some managed
hosting solutions also encompass software-related tasks for an additional
fee. Companies providing managed hosting solutions can offer a variety
of hosting-related products including server security products,
private networking, and database administration. In other words,
managed hosting takes a more holistic view towards server needs
and attempts to provide everything (including the staffing) that
a company would need to be successful from an Internet infrastructure
perspective.
Companies choosing managed dedicated solutions gain several advantages.
First, most of the capital costs are conferred onto the service
provider enabling a tax-advantageous accounting situation. Second,
the company will monitor your server and provide extensive technical
support access to ensure maximum server uptime. Third, your gain
additional flexibility in terms of supported website functionality
and growth options. Fourth, as many managed plans include server
administration and extensive technical support, businesses can save
on technical support staff (often saving thousands of dollars monthly
by replacing an in-house technician by the services provided within
a managed solution!) While some of the managed hosting features
may seem similar to regular dedicated and shared hosting accounts,
managed hosting solutions are really taking those services and products
to the next level.
When considering a managed hosting provider, your best bet is to
check out and visit the websites of as many managed providers as
possible. This will let you compare their service offerings, network
topology, and reputation. Creativewebsols.com features a number
of premier Managed Hosting providers including Rackspace Managed
Hosting, Virtualscape, WebHosting.com, and Affinity Internet in
our Managed Hosting Showcase. We highly recommend you visit this
showcase, and the companies contained within, if your firm is considering
managed hosting, dedicated servers, or colocation solutions.
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