Web Hosting Options, General Web Hosting, Web Hosting Services

Web presence can be as simple as a static online brochure or as complex as a e-commerce portal that supports streaming video, online-inventory management, and integration with enterprise-class ERP solutions. The service of providing companies or individuals with web presence is called Web Hosting.

A web hosting service provider has to manage many complex technologies. These include web servers, storage servers, load balancers, firewalls, authentication systems, user control panels and billing. This article aims to describe the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of entering the WebHosting Business.

Free Hosting

Some Webhosting service providers offer free web hosting whereby one can host a website without paying for the service. This is best suited for small sites with low traffic, like family sites and not recommended for high traffic or for real business. Technical support is often limited, and technical options are few. The other pros and cons for free Webhosting are:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

It is free of cost You cannot use your own domain name at a free site

Ideal for family, hobby or personal sites Offers limited or no database support

Free email is often an option Do not have any technical support to help you with the difficulties in hosting your site

Most free web hosts impose advertising on your website.

Shared (Virtual) Hosting

Shared hosting is very common, and very cost effective. Typically, an individual or small to mid-sized business cannot afford to independently obtain an extremely robust connection to the Internet for their web presence. With shared hosting, their web site can be hosted on a powerful server along with numerous other web sites. This allows them to share the cost of a fast Internet connection for serving files. Pros and cons of shared Webhosting are as follows :

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Cost is shared with others and hence less expensive. Only suitable for small and low traffic business.

You can have a domain name of your choice. Low security as many sites are hosted on the server.

It offers multiple software options Even though it offers database and other software support, it will be restricted.

Offers good technical support.

Dedicated Hosting

In dedicated hosting your web site is hosted on a dedicated server ( a server just for you). Dedicated hosting is the most expensive form of hosting and is best suited for large web sites with high traffic and special software or configuration requirements.

The major benefits and disadvantages are:

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Good for large business with high traffic. highly expensive.

Offers high security as only your websites are hosted It requires high skill and knowledge about managing the dedicated server.

Offers powerful email solutions and database support.

Offers unlimited software support.

Collocated Hosting

Collocation is a solution that allows you to buy your server and locate it on the premises of a service provider. This is pretty much the same as running your own server in your own office, only that it is located at a place better designed for it called the NOC or Network Operation Center or Datacenter. They are designed to provide security, reliability, high speed bandwidth, facilities to withstand natural and man made disaster and backup power generators. Most hosting companies co-locate their equipments at a NOC owned by a larger firm.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Offers high bandwidth and uptime. Expensive

Offers high security against fire and vandalism, regulated backup power. Difficult to configure and debug.

Offers unlimited software solutions and dedicated Internet options. It requires higher skill sets.

Reseller Web Hosting

A reseller is a middle-man who sells web space on somebody else's server. The most common form of reselling is something like this - Say the actual price of a hosting account is $10, the reseller gets it at $5, and can resell at whatever prices he wants. Reselling schemes vary widely:

The reseller acts as an agent for the web hosting company. The service is advertised by the reseller as being with the actual web hosting company.
The reseller acts as a marketer for the web hosting company. People buy the service from the reseller but all further contact they have is direct with the web hosting company.
The reseller appears to be a web hosting company in his own right, handling sales and support but re-badges somebody else's service. A customer buys web space from the reseller who buys web space (at a lower price) from the actual web hosting company. Customers contact the reseller for support.
The reseller purchases a large chunk of web space and bandwidth from the web hosting company and can then carve that into individual chunks of space/bandwidth for sale to customers. Customers contact the reseller for support.