It is a given that you need web hosting for your business, but deciding what type of web hosting you need can be a task if you are unfamiliar with the different types of hosting available. Most companies that offer hosting offer shared hosting and dedicated hosting plans if nothing else. These types of hosting as well as a few other types are explained below.
Most businesses will use what is called shared hosting, which you may have also have heard called virtual hosting. Shared hosting is exactly what it sounds like – hosting that is shared with others. Your website and contents are hosted on a server that other customers of the web hosting customers share as well.
The server and equipment that your website is hosted on is owned and managed by the web hosting company. This means that they are responsible for all of the security and technical issues. This type of hosting is extremely affordable and efficient. Some limitations of shared hosting include not being to use certain scripting languages or implementing or customizing applications.
Dedicated hosting is a step above shared hosting and an entire server is dedicated only for your company’s use. With this type of web hosting, you have access to all of the resources on the server and can host multiple sites. You can even choose to host websites for others, making you the hosting company. In this type of situation, you own the equipment or you lease the equipment from the hosting company. Whereas with shared hosting, the hosting company manages the server, with dedicated hosting, it is your responsibility to manage the server. This means that either you must have a technical background or hire someone who does.
Dedicated hosting offers numerous benefits such as high speed Internet connectivity and a high quality physical infrastructure. Your hosting package can often be tailored to fit your personal business needs. Such hosting packages are ideal for extremely high trafficked websites, since you have total control.
Root server hosting, also known as semi-managed web hosting, is a form of dedicated web hosting. With this particular type of web hosting, Root server hosting allows you to control your server by accessing the root. This provides the benefit of a reliable infrastructure and security. You are allowed to choose the operations systems and hardware that fit your business needs.
Your hosting company manages the installation and the hardware, but you are responsible for all other aspects of server. This includes backups and software upgrades are your responsibility. Since you have root access to the server, you can do whatever you need to manage the serve. If you need more flexibility or customization than a dedicated server can offer you, then root server hosting may be what you need.
Still another type of hosting that you may be interested in is reseller hosting. This type of hosting is great if you have a lot of websites or if you wish to provide hosting services for others. With this type of hosting, you contract with a web hosting provider and then provide web hosting services to others using your own company name, or you can simply choose to use the services for your own purposes.