It seems as if new web hosting companies are emerging on the scene everyday and almost all of them are trying to ease the rising fears of security breaches.  The efforts and reassurance are warranted when considering that any website is vulnerable to an attack.  Intruders are constantly on the prowl in search of sensitive information such as account numbers, invoice records, personally identifiable details and other confidential data.  The best way to ensure the protection of this information is a combination of proven security mechanisms and routine security practices employed by both the hosting provider and end-user.

Why Web Hosting?

You may wonder why the web hosting industry is such a big target of hackers?  The simple answer is that the market is tremendous, consisting of thousands of companies that power millions of websites throughout the world.  There are billions of dollars tied up in the business and hackers are willing to use every trick in the book to get a share of it.  If your site runs mission-critical operations, acts as the central source of information for your niche or enables you to make a living, it is imperative that you make security a priority.  Because your web host is in a better position to ensure reliable protection than yourself, you need to put security on the top of your list when sizing up potential hosting providers.

The Expanding Threat Model

A hacker’s arsenal is made up of numerous tools and techniques.  They typically combine various methods to compromise websites and turn the unsuspecting into victims.  Some blend into social networking sites, playing nice in hopes of enticing community users to visit an infected site and unknowingly execute malicious code on their system.  They trick users into downloading items that appear to be something desirable like a multimedia application or game but is only a deceptive Trojan horse in disguise.  Some utilize more destructive weapons that could result in the theft of one’s assets and identity.  The malicious keylogger is a prime example, a menacing program with the ability to capture every single character you type into your keyboard.  These threats and more, are the very reasons why web hosting providers across the world are increasing their efforts to deliver better security to their customers.

Put Security First

You don’t have to be a security expert in the IT field to keep yourself protected from hacking exploits.  However, your web host should be.  After all, if they are taking money from you and making a commitment to serve your pages over the internet, shouldn’t they also be on top of the security mechanisms and procedures needed to ensure the safety of your website and personal information?   Security is a must in the web hosting arena so you should take no excuses and never settle for less.  With that said, if you feel that your current hosting provider isn’t taking the necessary measures to keep you protected, don’t stand for it – move your files to a responsible server.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/05/26/web-hosting-security-at-risk-are-you/

You may have noticed that most web hosting providers boast either a 99 or 99.9% uptime guarantee, a percentage that refers to how often the service will be up and running.  As a customer, these numbers look very impressive as they are not that short of perfection.  However, after learning more about these calculations, you may think twice when encountering a seemingly respectable uptime guarantee.

What is Covered in the Guarantee?

In most cases, the uptime a web host refers to only covers the servers and not the network.  When it comes to network issues and general maintenance, downtime is something that can heavily outweigh the advertised uptime guarantee.  This is why some customers running mission-critical operations look for SLAs (service level agreements) that compensate you in one way or another if downtime exceeds the agreement.  Unfortunately, several of the leading hosting providers usually do not make such an offer available.  The situation becomes even more complex when considering the potential downtime you could experience during the course of a year.  When doing so, the near perfect 99% doesn’t look so attractive.

Let’s work with a few examples.  A 98% uptime means that over a 12-month period, your website could be down for 175 hours and 19 minutes, which translates to about a week.  99% isn’t much better as your site could be unavailable for approximately 87 hours and 39 minutes over a one year period.  This is still a lot of time for someone running a busy website.  Most providers try to uphold the 99.9% uptime guarantee because it translate into the most reliable.  This is far more respectable as it means that you will only endure about 8 hours and 46 minutes of downtime over a 12 month period.  Sadly, downtime usually exceeds this number by far.  Even worst, many customers are in a no-win situation, forced to suffer from unavailability without being compensated for the excessive downtime.

Recognizing a Respectable Uptime

The best way to approach the perplexing issue of uptime is to select a hosting provider with a good reputation in the industry.  Downtime is unavoidable but it is much better when dealing with a company that will not try to manipulate the numbers and do all they can to ensure the highest availability.  Look for a host that provides good support so if something does happen, you can get in touch and find out how and when the service will be restored.

As far as the uptime guarantee goes, it is something you should look into if you are truly concerned about the availability of your site.  Read the fine print, do some investigating and if possible, choose a company that bases their uptime percentage over a monthly period.  If the calculations are made over a year, you could have a difficult time getting accurate credits for any downtime incurred.  Most reputable hosting providers take various measures to ensure reliability but things do happen.  When they do, you want a host that provides a fair playing ground with a guarantee that has your best interests in mind.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/05/12/making-the-most-of-uptime/

The phenomenon that is Web 2.0 has made its mark, originating in social networking platforms and evolving through traditional business applications.  Because it has become more widespread, web hosting providers are increasingly customizing their offerings to meet the demands of this trend.  This allows customers to benefit from a dynamic set of features that enable websites to thrive in the world of Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 can be described as a trend that revolves around using interactive, community-driven sites to promote the sharing of information, networking and other forms of collaboration among users.  Some of the most common examples of this activity are blogs and wikis along with social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit.  Thanks to Web 2.0, the customers are now able to interact with the business and actually play a significant role in the company’s successes.  This new wave of web interaction is quickly replacing the dull, static website of past times.  These days, users can interact with the website content and get involved in ways that were not possible before.  By allowing the customers to play an active role, your business will gain trust, popularity and most importantly, credibility in the eyes of your audience.  The web has changed and this is now one of the essential keys to succeeding.

You may be familiar with Web 2.0 and not even realize it.  In fact, popular sites like eBay and Facebook are perfect examples.  Ebay has its detailed feedback report while Facebook offers many web-based applications that allow profile users to get hands-on with the site.   These large, dynamic websites are powered by e-commerce hosting services, thriving off the same features and administrative tools that can be used to bridge the gap between you and your customers.

The Role of E-commerce Hosting

Here are some of the Web 2.0 features you will find in an e-commerce hosting solution:

Free Blogging Applications – Blogs can be considered as some of the Web 2.0 pioneers and many web hosting providers offer these applications free of charge.  WordPress is one of several blogging programs that functions well in the business environment.  These platforms are generally easy to use and very friendly in the eyes of the search engines.

Multimedia Support – Internet gurus are raving about how effective video marketing has become.  With support for multimedia technologies such as Flash and Silverlight, you can incorporate rich features that enhance the experience for your visitors.

Social Networking Tools – Social networking is the core of Web 2.0.  E-commerce hosting features such as chat scripts and bulletin boards will give you the power to create a community environment that makes your site the place to be.

Why Jump on the Bandwagon?

The internet is driven by Web 2.0 and if you don’t catch on, your business could get left behind.  Many have found that this is the most effective way to establish and strengthen brand recognition and keep existing customers around as well.  There are many ways to approach this trend and as long as you stick with the program, you can make your business a success.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/30/e-commerce-hosting-and-web-20/The phenomenon that is Web 2.0 has made its mark, originating in social networking platforms and evolving through traditional business applications.  Because it has become more widespread, web hosting providers are increasingly customizing their offerings to meet the demands of this trend.  This allows customers to benefit from a dynamic set of features that enable websites to thrive in the world of Web 2.0.

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 can be described as a trend that revolves around using interactive, community-driven sites to promote the sharing of information, networking and other forms of collaboration among users.  Some of the most common examples of this activity are blogs and wikis along with social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit.  Thanks to Web 2.0, the customers are now able to interact with the business and actually play a significant role in the company’s successes.  This new wave of web interaction is quickly replacing the dull, static website of past times.  These days, users can interact with the website content and get involved in ways that were not possible before.  By allowing the customers to play an active role, your business will gain trust, popularity and most importantly, credibility in the eyes of your audience.  The web has changed and this is now one of the essential keys to succeeding.

You may be familiar with Web 2.0 and not even realize it.  In fact, popular sites like eBay and Facebook are perfect examples.  Ebay has its detailed feedback report while Facebook offers many web-based applications that allow profile users to get hands-on with the site.   These large, dynamic websites are powered by e-commerce hosting services, thriving off the same features and administrative tools that can be used to bridge the gap between you and your customers.

The Role of E-commerce Hosting

Here are some of the Web 2.0 features you will find in an e-commerce hosting solution:

Free Blogging Applications – Blogs can be considered as some of the Web 2.0 pioneers and many web hosting providers offer these applications free of charge.  WordPress is one of several blogging programs that functions well in the business environment.  These platforms are generally easy to use and very friendly in the eyes of the search engines.

Multimedia Support – Internet gurus are raving about how effective video marketing has become.  With support for multimedia technologies such as Flash and Silverlight, you can incorporate rich features that enhance the experience for your visitors.

Social Networking Tools – Social networking is the core of Web 2.0.  E-commerce hosting features such as chat scripts and bulletin boards will give you the power to create a community environment that makes your site the place to be.

Why Jump on the Bandwagon?

The internet is driven by Web 2.0 and if you don’t catch on, your business could get left behind.  Many have found that this is the most effective way to establish and strengthen brand recognition and keep existing customers around as well.  There are many ways to approach this trend and as long as you stick with the program, you can make your business a success.

Source: http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/04/30/e-commerce-hosting-and-web-20/