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Important Considerations for Small Business Web Hosting

Published November 4, 2015 | By Tim

Deciding on web hosting and a provider can be a daunting task, especially if you are a small business owner or a start-up and hosting your very first website. Even if you have been in business for years, and are looking to move away from a traditional server and replace your current host, venturing out and looking for web hosting can seem overwhelming. There are a lot of providers to choose from but, rest assured, knowing how to sort through the number of hosting providers is half the battle. In this blog we will review the different types of hosting options and what to consider when selecting small business web hosting.

The first step in determining the best small business web hosting solution is to become familiar with the different types of hosting out there, as well as become aware of how each will complement the needs of your small business. Let’s start by examining each of the different hosting options – shared hosting, dedicated hosting and virtual private server (VPS) – and the differences between each.

Which Small Business Web Hosting Solution Is Best for You?

As a small business, you should consider shared, dedicated and a virtual private server (VPS) for your hosting needs.

Shared Hosting

Shared Hosting is where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. This is the most economical option for hosting, as the overall cost of server maintenance is amortized over many customers.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated Hosting is where the client leases an entire server and it is not shared with anyone else. This is more flexible than shared hosting, as an organization will have full control over the server(s), including choice of operating system, hardware, etc.

Virtual Private Server

Virtual Private Server, or VPS, is a type of dedicated hosting in which a virtual private server runs its own copy of an operating system, and customers have user-level access to that operating system, allowing them to install almost any software that runs on that operating system. The functionality is similar to dedicated hosting but the software component makes it easier for it to be configured by the user.

There are pros and cons to each of the above scenarios, but which one is best for you will be determined by the needs of your business. For a small business, shared hosting can be economical, but can negatively impact the performance of your website. If you are sharing server resources with other businesses, you are unfortunately at the mercy of these other websites. You won’t have this problem with dedicated hosting; however, leasing an entire server can be quite costly, especially for a small business.

How Do You Determine the Best Solution for Your Small Business?

If you don’t have the luxury of internal IT resources, nor the expertise to help determine your hosting strategy, you may be unaware of what type of hosting will work best for your business. Will a shared, dedicated or VPS solution work best for your small business web hosting? If you are unsure, it’s time to search for a hosting provider that can help you with this important decision.

Tips to Consider When Selecting a Host

A hosting provider should be more than just a vendor, but a partner who can help you to decide what solution will be best for your business. Your hosting provider should be an extension of your IT department and that’s why it’s important that you do the due diligence when selecting one. Especially for a small business, if you don’t have the IT expertise, you will want a partner who can provide this insight for you. What should you look for when selecting a small business web hosting provider?

Scalable: Make sure your hosting provider has the capacity to grow with your needs.
Customer Service: Check their customer service levels – will they answer your calls in the middle of the night? Make sure they provide 24/7 service.
Uptime: Ensure that they provide 100% uptime – if they don’t, find another provider that will.
Security: Check the provider’s reputation for security. How have their other customers faired? Check out their online reviews.
Cost: How do they compare in relation to other providers? Remember, you get what you pay for.
Location: How close is your VPS to your target audience?

Regardless of which option you choose, clarity with your provider is always important. Make sure you clearly specify with the potential hosting provider what responsibilities each party will take. For example, who will install the software and who will monitor security. Especially for small businesses with limited resources, you want to make sure that your provider can assist you in areas where you don’t have the resources to do so.

Small Business Web Hosting With StudioCoast

Since 2002, StudioCoast has been providing exceptional customer service and technical know-how to clients. StudioCoast is dedicated to innovation and providing small businesses with managed VPS hosting services to deliver industry leading performance at an affordable price. If you would like more information on how StudioCoast can get your small business started with a Hyper Windows VPS solution, contact us today.

Windows Server 2003 – End of Life

Published February 2, 2015 | By admin

What’s happening?

Microsoft has announced that Windows Server 2003 will be entering End of Life in July 2015. This means that after July this year, Microsoft will stop providing support to Windows Server 2003; no more updates, patches, troubleshooting assistance or security fixes. This change is worldwide.

What’s the big deal?

It’s the lack of security fixes that is of biggest concern. Microsoft would intermittently release security fixes as it became aware of various vulnerabilities in the software. As Server 2003 enters End of Life, this will leave the software (and those still using it) extremely susceptible to hack attempts. Even though the software has been around for some time, there will still be security vulnerabilities that Microsoft are not aware of. There will be hackers out there, sitting on these vulnerabilities in the software just waiting for July to roll round.

We believe this is an unacceptable risk and this is why StudioCoast have decided that it will no longer run Windows Server 2003 after July and will be migrating to a newer software.

What does it mean for me?

For some customers with simple websites (just basic HTML) there will be no difference at all. More complex websites designed to run solely on IIS6 (Internet Information Services) could have some content that will not work after the migration. If you’re using Windows Server 2008 (IIS7) or Windows Server 2012 (IIS8) and above you will not be impacted. If you are unsure of what version of Windows your website runs on please contact us.

Rather than it just being a big surprise that your website doesn’t work post July, StudioCoast can create a duplicate test website to enable you to check for any problems ahead of time. You can then liaise with your web developer to amend the website to work in the new environment.

Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are definitely some benefits to the change, including: enhanced security, greater stability, increased speed, friendly URLs as well as being able to take advantage of new technology and future-proof your site. Microsoft have some fantastic resources going into greater detail about the whys and wherefores of this change. Check out the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 End of Life website if you’d like to know even more.

So how much is this going to cost?

StudioCoast will not be charging customers for creating a duplicate test website or for migrating to the newer version of Windows Server. Your website developer may charge for any changes that need to be made to your website.

How long do I have?

The process of duplication, testing and editing will obviously take some time. July does seem pretty far away but it will be here before you know it. We will be migrating all current Windows Server 2003 customers in July (even if you haven’t had a chance to test your website); it’s much better to be prepared and have enough time sort out any issues well before this deadline.

What do I do now?

If you’re unsure what the migration will mean for you or if you are wanting to take advantage of the duplicate test website, please raise a support request by logging into your hostControl account or send an email to support@studiocoast.com.au.

~Movember 2013~

Published November 1, 2013 | By Tim

Six years of Movember at StudioCoast!

It’s that time of the year again…Movember! That wonderful 30 day period where men of all follicular ability attempt to impress the world with their incredible moustaches.

Movember raised 141.5 million dollars worldwide last year for Men’s health which provides great resources for many different men’s health organisations such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue. The Mo is seen as the ribbon for Movember and it’s on you all the time, so it’s a great conversation starter and helps promote discussion about men’s health issues.

Movember believe in restricting administration costs in order to provide the most funds possible to the organisations. They committ 93.5% of funds raised which is well above most charity campaigns, and makes us proud to be involved with such a well run organisation.

Remember if you see someone with a sketchy looking moustache this month, give them a high five or compliment them on it…it’s not easy to grow a moustache, and even harder to make it look good!

StudioCoast will be donating a percentage of sales from all new accounts this month to Movember!

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