Managed Web Hosting- Avoid These Three Traps
Managed web hosting has exploded in the world marketplace since the turn of the century. Both small and large businesses alike are discovering the appeal of having web servers valid without the requirement to maintain large IT staffs to keep them up and running. In addition, the relatively inexpensive cost is good for the budget.

While managed web hosting definitely has many big advantages, it is not always a rosy scenario. Managed web hosting is no different from any another service a business might contract for. It requires due diligence not only in selection of a provider, but also in maintaining a solid relationship with him. With that in mind, there are three big traps in managed web hosting that can break your business if you get caught.
Bandwidth Usage
Managed web hosting is now so popular that competition is driving providers to offer “unlimited” accounts at incredibly low cost. The question is how does a given provider define “unlimited”? Some utilize the word to describe how much hard disk space a customer can utilize, how much email they can send and receive, how many sub-domains they are allowed, and so on. But customers really need to know if bandwidth is unlimited, because bandwidth is what drives the effectiveness of a web site.
If bandwidth is really unlimited, you are golden. If not and your site genuinely takes off like you hope it will, you could end up paying a fortune in bandwidth cost down the road. And it is not cheap. Make sure you are fully knowledgeable in every detail of what your annual fee costs so you are not trapped by bandwidth charges.
Up Time vs. Down Time
Managed web hosting providers are notorious for promoting 100% up time with no service interruptions. But ask yourself how often the computers in your own office suffer down time. It is not realistic to believe your web server will continue running in perpetuity until the end of the world, or your business. So don’t believe the claims. Instead, inquire about the redundancy your service provider carries.
In easy terms, redundancy means that a web provider has various duplicate servers in another locations separate from the main server. If the main server goes down, all traffic is re-routed to one of the redundant servers. A managed web hosting provider with adequate redundancy should be capable to minimize service disruptions to the amount of time it takes to engage a re-route.
Content Protection
Maybe the biggest trap of managed web hosting is the false assumption that the service provider is as interested in your content as you are. Almost none of them keep backup copies of your site content unless specifically contracted to do so. If your provider loses his server you could be down for the count, so who builds and maintains your website should keep a backup copy on an in-house machine at all times, which includes updates, just as you do with your business documents.
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