Data Center

With rapidly growing businesses, data center’s need arose to keep huge data. Although cloud is there but still company must have a network and electrical backbone which assure close monitoring and inspection. Server virtualization is an efficient way to adopt capacity in existing data center. Increase in server virtualization can reduce data center energy consumption. Companies were able to save 50% of data center energy just by virtualization and turning off which is not being used.Futher rack density should be considered to increase efficiency and capacity. If you can’t recover enough capacity after optimizing then collocation or cloud may also be the options

Disaster Recovery in Data center

Data center disaster recovery is not an option but a necessity owing to the rapid growth of IT market. As IT is pervasive in almost every business now there is requirement of 24/7 availability. As a result disaster recovery budgets are also higher than ever before. In survey of Tech Target’s Data center and reader’s choice 2013, 23% users showed disaster recovery and redundancy as a key driver for server expenditure, the sixth most popular choice.

• Your data center’s disaster recovery plan must accommodate with the high availability requirement. Disaster recovery plan may include on- site recovery plans and Mobile recover units.

1. On-site recovery plans are almost meant to save data center from mishap of power outages. Now data center are investing a huge amount over huge backup and power saving units, below ground fuel storage for generators to save from longer power outage.
2. Some companies like Sunguard, Rentsys offers mobile recovery plan includes self-contained power and weather resistance. These companies build each unit in a tractor –trailer truck that can be dispatched at requirement. Mobile recovery unit called “Mobile metro centers” are connected to Disaster recovery Company’s data center via satellite to avoid latency .It protect critical apps or whole application.
3. Some companies prefer to outsource the disaster recovery plan due to the lack of experienced IT staff or huge resources to manage it. They prefer to render the responsibility to a managed service provider or cloud hosting company. It allows them to more focus over business operation.

• It is troublesome to synchronize the disaster recovery budget with your business budget. It is necessary to keep cost down while optimizing and maintaining security for any mishap. If any company has a huge amount of data then for making data secure it is required to backup data from primary storage to disaster recovery site. This task can take your budget to uncontrollable amount. Hardware and software based WAN optimization can lower the cost. The speed of data transfer should be monitored and data hops have to happen for within a reasonable amount of time.

• Redundant copies of data at remote data center allow data center to recover damaged and malfunctioned data or launch workloads to remote system to manage traffic. It is required to carefully consider the remote storage and server network deployment needs. Redundancy means occasional virtual machine snapshots and conventional backup approaches. Some technologies like thin provisioning and data duplication satisfies remote storage system needs. Complete data backup may also affect bandwidth, so proper management of network bandwidth is also required. Server must be able to run required resources to protect data.
• Different business demands and various complexities enhance complicacies to redundancy decisions. It is worth to acquire resources but without proper configuration of those tools and compliance with business goals, outcome will not be satisfactory.

1. A data recoverability testing should also be conducted because the redundancy of data is of no use if we are not able to recover data at disastrous condition.
2. Regulatory Compliance and data retention period should also be considered as not all data is of same importance; rather some data is for contemporary use and must be deleted after a fixed period of time. IT officials should check compliance for data center redundancy.

Geographically split data center management

Geographically split data center management is able to reduce recovery time. Being Ecommerce affected market, not only it has become essential to split data centers at proper distance with little recovery time. All data center must have its direct access storage device. The network cloud plays an important role as it is the switch between two data centers. Incoming data request can be routed to any of data centre depending on some criteria with the use of proper internal plumbing.

• One data center is converging point of all data traffic. All modification and changes are done over primary storage and then it is duplicated to secondary storages. If primary storage fails, secondary storage takes its place.

Modular data center: a solution

Modular data center are also in demand. Although percentage of companies who has acquired modular data centers are less as 9% yet but other companies are also willing to join them .Modular data center is portable method of deploying data center. These data center comprises purpose engineered component to offer scalable data center capacity with various cooling and power option.

Modular data center can be classified in two forms:

1. Containerized data center in which all data center equipment is fitted in and then it can be transported to desired location. Cisco containerized data center is an example of containerized data center.
2. Flexible data center in which all data center equipment is fitted into a facility made up of pre-fabricated components that can be built frequently over a site and then it can be added as capacity is needed. It is made up of sheet metal components which is formed into four data center halls which in turn linked by a central operating building.

RFP and RFQ tips for IT managers:

RFP and RFQ are two fundamentally different thing .RFQ (Request for Quote) is the quote by an enterprise or government. RFQ takes place when IT manager are resolved about their technical requirement and has assessed the problems. The vendor has to just deliver that technology to them .RFP (Request for proposal) is used to explain certain system requirements and encountered challenges. The vendor offers with various technical configuration and architectures. Here IT vendor assess the problem and responds with specific technology

Writing wrong RFP in lack of proper knowledge may lead your business to survive over less optimal resource which will affect Quality of service level. IT personnel should state workload requirements with its dependencies, future requirements. Keep yourself away from using biased language which will mislead vendor.

As website traffic grows the shared servers can be slowed down and effects load time of the website page and also sales of the company. Many things effect load time such as page size, flash intros or a lot of slow loading graphics. These all are evaluated by web master due to the cause of server sharing with others. Further visitor retention and slow loading pages are inversely proportional to each other. It means if a page load takes 8-10 seconds then it will result in a loss of over 1/3 of sites visitors.

Http2 standard to load pages faster :

A latest version of HTTP standard promises to deliver web pages to make browsers faster that has been approved. HTTP has a best standard and it governs a communication between browser and a web server during page loading. HTTP 2.0 protocols is designed to make web page loading faster and allow consumers to read more pages, perform fast internet searches. HTTP 2.0 brings a feature of encryption also. Encryption has been pushed by Google on the web to protect privacy and cut down hacking vulnerabilities, and SPDY has encryption technology called TLS (Transport Layer Security) which is formerly called SSL for Secure Sockets. Encryption in HTTP 2.0 makes easier to adopt a new version of HTTP.

Latest SEO techniques:

There are some SEO strategies which should be considered:

Mobile friendly:

Google’s algorithm has given a positive ranking rate which can make website mobile-friendly. In today’s internet websites many visitors are using mobile devices and many are using iPad and other Tablet devices. Therefore, in this way more visitors are seeing the mobile version of website and it is beneficial for the company. Anyone can check its website’s mobile optimization quality on Mobile-Friendly Test which is developed by Google.

Security:

The websites of unwanted software will be blocked. Unwanted software decreases the security of OS. On adding a SSL 2048-bit key certificate on site will boost up the Google index ranking of website.

Unique content:

As the numbers of websites are increasing every year, Page Rank is used for websites rank. New website can get better ranking for its unique content for readers. Therefore, content should be unique. It should not duplicate other websites content otherwise it will not be considered in good ranking.

Right place right time:

Website owners should choose some latest topics on internet so that site will get more visitors. So, the number of visitors depends on the topic also.

Image optimization a tool for mobiles:

Page loading is an important for every website. If the page load is very high on mobile phones then visitors will go somewhere else. Image optimization decreases load times by lowering page weight without affecting any user’s experience. According to analysis over some random 100 websites the total image weight was 81 MB of all responsive websites. Image optimization technology and Trilibis device detection reduced the page weight of device for every class. It can be up to 43 MB for desktop browsers, 18 MB for tablets and 17 MB for smartphones.

\’Unmanaged dedicated servers\’ – this is a pretty uninviting term to many, especially the non-gurus, but in most cases is not as \’non-servicing\’ as it seems. In fact, I think someone one day soon, ( who knows maybe me ) will coin a new phrase to replace the term \’unmanaged\’ – similar to how \’used cars\’ is now \’pre-owned\’ or how \’apartment complexes\’ are now \’rental communities\’. The truth is that unless you just picked a lousy provider or have unreasonable expectations, unmanaged hosting offers more service and support than most think.

The Difference:
While exact definitions vary among providers, generally speaking managed hosting means your provider takes complete or near complete care of your server. This can include anything from basic system maintenance and patches to applications maintenance, security, monitoring, etc. Someone that needs dedicated hosting and wants to rely on their host for pretty much anything and everything regarding their server needs to strike a relationship with a managed service provider. Full blown managed services involve lots of skilled people hours. Not only that, since every managed customer is unique, it\’s hard for a managed provider to be overly systematic. For this – expect to pay a great deal more than today\’s budget server provider but if your needs demand it, and you choose a solid provider it should be money well spent.

Unmanaged dedicated hosting obviously refers to dedicated servers with less, little or none of the skilled people support you\’d expect to find in managed. You signup, you pay, and in a few minutes to a few hours you get a welcome email with IP address, login, FAQ\’s, etc. – Beyond that you are pretty much on your own. Relax – you are not really as own your own as it seems.

First off, most unmanaged providers do in fact offer technical support, and most that we\’ve seen is very good. If you choose unmanaged dedicated service you do need to have someone on your team that knows the technical side a good bit, but they don\’t necessarily have to be experts. While you may have to wait 12 – 24 hours or you may even have to pay extra for it, nearly all the unmanaged providers I know do have high level techs available to handle serious issues. In addition most providers give some sort of immediate reboot service. Unless you\’ve been tinkering with some critical config files or have a hardware failure, a reboot can help with a range of issues. Lastly, unmanaged providers may not support you or whatever you put on your server after you move in, but they do stand by the hardware and software they sell you. If a hard drive crashes they are going to replace it for you (although you had better be doing your backups) and if your system crashes most will fix it for you.

Plesk Server Administrator essentially helps the administrators to deliver their products better and faster to their clients using the server management tools. This multi-platform web based Plesk dedicated server makes administration of Linux based servers simple and automated.

This is a very simplified system to be used by end users. It allows them to create and operate several domains, and allows for efficient management of a variety of email accounts, even for those who are not very technologically comfortable.

Plesk dedicated servers are basically ideal for any sort of web administration. They have been especially designed for operating internet based businesses and are ideal for selling, reselling, publicizing, etc.

Plesk dedicated servers operate through a three tier administration system which makes it convenient for use as all functions are neatly sorted out at their respective levels. With the help of this server the Plesk Hosting Operation, Plesk Hosting Accounts and Plesk Reseller Hosting Account can be started.

The three tiers in Plesk dedicated servers are as follows:

1. Administration Level: this is the highest level at which this kind of server functions. Here the administrators can set up and manage the system using relay parameters, DNS server templates, and control panel configurations.
2. Reseller Client Level: at this stage, domain levels can be set, mail accounts and databases can be managed, domain tools such as Webalizer can be set up, and other controls can be affected such as setting up of traffic allowances, etc
3. Domain Owner Level: a wide range of complex and simple tasks can be performed at this level, beginning with the creation and management of email accounts. New users can be created within the same domain, FTP services can be used, and databases can be created and managed. At this level one can also gain access to the domain statistics. Protected SSL and even non SSL directories can be created and SSL certificates can be administered to them.

Finally, Plesk makes for an ideal server for web hosts throughout the world for sharing any virtual content. The management of the server is extremely simple and a large number of automatic tasks can be performed with its help.

These days a lot of websites are being created for friends, family, a blog or forums. Their first outlook is linux dedicated server. This is mainly due to the three primary reasons

Stability: Linux is an open-source operating system, and its codes are open to the general public. This facilitates the general public to read it and report errors as and when they come across one. As Linux has developed in the Red Hat flavor, people are finding it easier to send across suggestions which accounts for faster speed, simplicity of usage and a bug-free code. As said, as the environment of Linux is open, this results in constant improvements and quick solution to problems faced by the user. Besides, this is a very hassle-free operating system as well. The main advantage that accrues to the stability of Linux is that it makes the operating system\’s security way about the Windows standards.

Economical: Linux is a free operating system. Windows requires the users to shell out thousands of dollars to acquire a license to use it. This is a very fundamental reason why a Linux dedicated server is preferred over Windows packages of web hosting.

Many free scripts which assist in building of the website: There are many advantages that accrue to an open source world, which is very beautiful. Contributions towards development come from various quarters. For building up of an application, MySQL, php and Linux are famed platforms. Many open source applications can be found out on Linux to set up a blog, image gallery or a forum. They do not cost a single penny. Though MySQL and php can function on Windows as well, Linux is a very good platform to leave.

A Virtual Private Server (VPS), also referred to as Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS), provides the features of a dedicated server for multiple web hosting customers to share. At first instance it sounds contradictory, how can you have a dedicated server if it is being shared by multiple users? Isn\’t that a regular shared or virtual hosting environment? It is true that with a Virtual Private Server you still share system resources like the CPU and RAM with other users but the resources are allocated in such a way that you cannot tell that the system has anyone else on it, much like a dedicated server. So resources are usually setup in such a way that each hosting client is only allowed to use an allocated percent, meaning that resources assigned to you will always available to you.

Advantages of Virtual Private Server (VPS) web hosting

Most hosting customers would rather have complete control of their server environments. They don\’t want to be hosted on a server with tens or hundreds of other users, who could easily use up all the resources or cause the server environment to be unstable. But at the same time most websites don\’t need a dedicated server. The Virtual Private Server (VPS) alternative is a very attractive niche hosting solution for a fairly large chunk of web hosting clients who would like the stability of a dedicated server but on a smaller scale. With the resources setup in such a way that each person can only use what is allocated to them, your site will be more consistent because it will always have the same amount of access to the CPU, memory, and bandwidth. Virtual Private Servers are also more secure since even as you share the memory and CPU time, you are allocated your own file system. If a website on the server is hacked, the hackers will only have access to that particular file system and would not harm the other websites. A VPS is also much cheaper than a dedicated server.

Disadvantages of Virtual Private Server (VPS) web hosting

Now that you have read the pros of a VPS you are probably thinking that this is the best thing since sliced bread. Well, almost – as is the case with every other type of hosting service, not all providers setup or define Virtual Private Servers, also known as Virtual Dedicated Servers, the exact same way. You must make sure that your provider guarantees that their setup is robust enough to handle operations at a peak level. A trick used by many providers in the reselling and shared space is \’overselling\’. What this means is selling more in terms of services than what physically available, with the hope that the end users wouldn\’t use up all the service that were advertised to them. In the realm of VPS this can be a bit more serious, since at least the expectation is that you are operating in a more robust environment and many clients could be running more intensive applications like message boards or custom web applications. A shortfall of resources could end up causing problems for everyone hosted on such a server, therefore negating the benefits of a VPS. In a shared or dedicated environment you might be able to access more resources during peak or spike periods but since the VPS environment limits you to to your slice of the server resources, it can be a drawback.

As if the technology rich lingo of regular web hosting wasn\’t enough, the VPS services add a few new wrinkles. Apart from storage space and bandwidth you must also deal with CPU cycles and RAM. So you will see ads for hosting that might include *** MHz and *** MB RAM to go with the usual hosting related features. It is somewhat harder to figure out how much CPU time or RAM you might need, so seek out a hosting provider that will provide you with some benchmarks and the ability to upgrade or downgrade the VPS service if needed.

The page load speed on your web site is worth monitoring. It can have a huge effect on your bottom line if your site is instrumental in your business. A managed dedicated server can make a world of difference. It may cost less than you think!

The load time of your web site’s pages can play a huge part in visitor retention on your site. Load time can be effected by many things such as page size, flash or splash intros, or a lot of slow loading graphics. These are areas your web master can evaluate for you. The cause can be the server and sharing it with others or the fact that your web site has increased traffic to the point it is slowing down the shared server by its self. A managed dedicated server is an answer if this is the case. The cost of a managed dedicated server may put you in sticker shock. You are probably paying less than $20/mo for shared server hosting and now you will be looking at $200/mo and up for a managed dedicated server. Looking at that increase in overhead could make you think slow loading isn’t that bad. Think again!

Slow loading pages and visitor retention are inversely proportional. That is to say it is usually accepted within online marketing circles that a page load that takes over 8-10 seconds will result in a loss of over 1/3 of your sites visitors. Does that strike a nerve? That can mean a significant decrease in sales or customer communication. If the site is relevant to the business this could be very costly. Now add in the advertising budget and the portion of it that could be squandered by not retaining customers and you start to see the negative repercussions mounting up. Maybe $200/mo for a managed dedicated server isn’t such a bad idea?

Another aspect to think of is that your site is slow now, if you speed it up you may see an increase in sales immediately. Over the month this could influence sales to where the additional expense of the managed dedicated server is negligible. It could even increase your profits.

ISP generally gives you a limited amount of web hosting space on their server which is free. Dedicated hosting requires a particular server for a website and is exclusively assigned for the functioning of that website. This is the reason it is called dedicated, because it one server which is allotted to host that website. Shared hosting involves a server which hosts many websites, and this lowers the running costs of the server and is comparatively inexpensive when weigh against dedicated hosting. The ISP takes responsibility of the servers, software and other things which are needed by all the users.

So Who Really Needs Dedicated Web Hosting?

The average person or company does not need dedicated web hosting for their website; this service is more appropriate for companies or organizations with an extremely high volume of traffic: upwards of 40 million hits a day. The website and the auxiliary components are usually stored and operated at a remote location which saves the company money and valuable space. Companies prefer remote locations in case of emergencies, such as natural disasters when they must depend on safety and reliability of the web host and data.

Users who are the owners of large websites which have a lot of traffic should think of dedicated hosting. They will pay a little extra for personalized services in exchange for an increase in speed, technical issues and security. Dedicated hosting allows the website to be loaded rapidly. The owner can access the contents and change them when he wishes to.

If the user thinks he will have a lot of traffic on his website, then dedicated hosting is recommended. Dedicated hosting involves the lease of a whole server which offer a choice of scripting languages, software and the proper hardware required for the website. Dedicated hosting is preferred by large businesses or clients who need professional assistance and are also willing to pay a bit more for it. Dedicated hosting is expensive, but it offers a lot of advantages to make it worth the price. It offers personalized services and rejects the problems of worrying about issues of hardware and troubleshooting.

A huge website needs technical staff for its maintenance. Dedicated hosting companies have on-site technicians who take care of such requirements. When you are choosing a dedicated hosting company, consider the kind of hardware offered, the software, uptime including power backup, servers, kind of OS and the control panel which is used to access the website. Co-location is an alternative to dedicated hosting. Clients will have to have their own server, but the ISP will provide a location together with an Internet connection.

It is common knowledge now that security is of utmost importance now for anyone running online businesses. And keeping one\’s windows dedicated servers is a tough and unending battle. Since security and user friendliness which keeps customers satisfied are at loggerheads, it would be great help to you, if you can keep the following tips in mind and lock your cPanel dedicated servers.

Using secure passwords

Insecure account passwords are the most common means of compromising your business. Client sites can be hacked, defaced infected or can even be used to spread viruses, all by cracking insecure passwords. Using non-dictionary words, all 8 characters and using alphanumeric should be enough to constitute secure passwords.

One can edit/etc/login.defs to configure numerous password options on your system.

By Securing SSH

Another way of ensuring safety for windows dedicated servers is by disabling password authentication and enabling public key authentication for SSH instead. Since port 22 is commonly searched for accessing servers if you remove your SSH access to a different port it will keep most people out except for those who specifically know your server location.

Also make sure to always use SSHv2 for it is common knowledge now that SSHv1 is insecure. Setting Shell Resource Limits could also limit users from using certain applications.

By Securing Apache

Securing your Apache installation should be of paramount importance in keeping windows dedicated servers safe, as the most popular method of accessing a server is through the web server application. Mod security is a great tool, if you want to prevent the use of malicious Apache.

If you are a customer that wants total control of your web site administrative functions then you might want to look at unmanaged web hosting services to give you complete remote control administration over your server. The technical side of the server can be controlled by a designated administrator that you pick to handle your web information.

You have to have a technical person to install the server and manage the server if you don\’t have the expertise because you as the customer will be responsible for maintaining the server environment. That\’s why unmanaged servers are recommended for individuals and businesses with server administration resources.

As far as developing applications and controlling the applications without going through technical support personnel on the managed server side, these types of servers are usually used when companies are developing real time response systems on the internet, such as geographical, science, engineering and multimedia/entertainment applications.

Unmanaged servers allow you to add extra hard disk space to increase your space capacity and many computer companies sell physical servers that are configured for unmanaged hosting applications. Companies like Dell and HP have software programs that not only will run an office network but also handle web server and development applications.

Small businesses that don\’t need a server on site and deal with administrative web packages should go with the managed host packages that provide assistance and administrative support. Managed applications will do just fine because of the costs that are incurred with maintaining an unmanaged server. Unmanaged servers need constant upgrades of software and hardware constantly which could cost your small business a big chunk of change.

Unmanaged servers are expensive to maintain and run unless you are a small firm that develops in house web applications. The best advice is to have a consultant draw up an IT plan to see if you need this type of hosting service or not.