CRN Recognizes Edge Hosting in its MSP (Managed Service Provider) Hosting 100


edgehosting

CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company has named Edge Hosting in its MSP (Managed Service Provider) Hosting 100 list category for the year 2016, primarily on off-premise, cloud-based services. For Excellence In Managed IT Services company, it is acknowledged for Continued Focus on Business Outcomes for Customers. With reduced cost and complexity it is maintaining secure, compliant and high performing customer experience.
Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company says:

“MSPs meet a critical need in the IT market, providing customized, turnkey services that allow for predictable operational expenses, effective control of expenditures, precise allocation of limited resources and convenient access to on-demand and pay-as-you-go technology.

Visit the below link for Company Profile at SiteGeek:
https://www.sitegeek.com/about-edgehosting

“We congratulate the service providers of the MSP 500, who continually reinvent themselves to meet their customers’ successfully changing needs, helping businesses get the most out of their IT investments and sharpen their competitive edge.”

A Purchasing Guide to Virtual Private Servers


vps

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual machine which is sold as a service by an Internet Hosting Service. A VPS has its own copy of an operating system which it run so that they can install any software compatible with OS. They are equivalent to a dedicated physical server by functions. Their price is much lower than an equivalent physical server.

VPS Service Providers:

InMotion Hosting, Bluehost, A2Hosting, GoDaddy, Arvixe are few of the renowned vps service hosting providers. They are offering different VPS hosting plan. Some are offering best Vps-1000S. SSD drives are used in this plan which is foundation for data transmission and quick page loading. Some are offering Cloud VPS plan. This plan allows people to increase and decrease the amount of storage, bandwidth, RAM which is according to the business requirement. SSL certificates are provided by some companies to enhance the website security which is helpful in taking payments. Some common features are there which all companies are providing:

  1. Free Technical support 24/7 and 99% uptime.
  2. Free website transfer.
  3. Minimum 30-day money back guarantee.
  4. Full root access.

Get these answered from your hosting provider:-

VPS Hosting plans cover the gap between entry level web hosting plans that offer particular services such as PHP, MySQL with a limited amount of disk space on a shared server and dedicated servers. VPS plans are hosted on FreeBSD or Linux but exist on Windows operating system.

What are the specifications of the host server?

VPS Hosting Server has some specifications which are following:

Software: Vps can be configured with multiple Linux distribution, CentOs-based, Plesk web hosting environment.

Network Connectivity: For network four independent providers are necessary: Level (3), Abovenet networks, Cognet Communications and Tinet.

How many VPS instances are run on the host server that you’ll be on?

Dedicated servers ensure that nobody can share any type of resources with anyone. Anybody can get the full memory, storage, power and network access from its hardware. VPS resource sharing may lead site downtime if demand will be increased according to the capacity.

Resources provided under VPS hosting:

  1. VPS hosting provides independence to one user from other users on the same server. Users have all resources to themselves.
  2. VPS hosting is filling the gap between the dedicated hosting services and shared hosting services. Anyone can connect technically to shared hosting environment but at the same time one enjoy the privacy in a dedicated server.
  3. Vps hosting is providing power and functionality of the dedicated server at lower cost.
  4. User can install any kind of software.

Resource Contention in VPS:

There is a concept of noisy neighbour who is the customer on a server uses his or her share of server resources. Disk IOPS (I/p o/p operations per second) have shared resources in VPS and cloud environment. The customers of VPS can purchase server with IOPS without any investment in a dedicated server. Resource monitoring will be done according to time and will decide predetermined limits past which user will upgrade.

Advantage & Limitations of VPS:-

Many advantages and limitations are there:

  1. Reliability: A good VPS hosting provider has better uptime reliability.
  2. Server security: VPS provider gives assurance of security programs and policies.
  3. Standard top of the line hardware: For a good VPS provider hardware is housed for virtual private space. It includes a dedicated RAM, top-of-the line CPU and a sizeable storage.
  4. Customizability: A good VPS should be easily customized according to the users’ requirements.
  5. Affordability: VPS is hybrid between a dedicated server and a shared server. VPS plan is able to deliver the power of dedicated server as well as shared server on the same.
  6. Individual gateway: It should provide Individual Web, POP, FTP, SMTP gateway and IMAP servers.

What VPS is not/ what vps lacks? :-

The VPS is least concern about hardware. VPS looks like a device with a specific set of hardware. If the VPS hardware fails then this can be difficult to restore as well as require a high per hour “remote hands” fee. User don’t gain root access but the files and scripts are spread across a cluster of machines with automatic scaling.

Conclusion:

Many companies are providing VPS hosting as an extension for web hosting services. A VPS hosting is dynamic means it can be changed at run-time. Additional resource of hardware can be added at run-time.During the server runtime VPS can be moved to other hardware.

Contributors:

Rajat SudanYeshaswiDeepali Bansal

Types of Web Hosting


The basic types of the web hosting available in the market are:

1. Free hosting This type is free because the service would usually be compensated with advertisements on your website. Free hosting usually offers little or probably no support at all. It could also have a lot of disadvantages. This could be considered as a thing of the past, because hosting has actually become more and more affordable through the years.

2.Shared hosting This hosting is most popular as well as the most widely used kind of web hosting. Shared hosting would basically mean that multiple websites are being hosted on just one hard drive and server. This would mean that each user would just have a limited disk space as well as bandwidth or data transfer.

3.Reseller hosting This would be the reselling of hosting accounts for another web host under a brand of your own. You would be determining the pricing structure and other aspects. As a reseller, you would be provided with everything that you need and you would not need any hardware anymore.

4. Virtual Private Server This would be the low cost alternative for having your own server. Virtual would mean that you are not renting a real server, but you are rather splitting hardware with the other virtual servers running on the same machine.

5. Dedicated Server This is an advanced kind of web hosting which would include the rental as well as the exclusive use of an internet connection, a computer and software. This kind of server would provide the most control compared to all the other types but would also require the greatest responsibility.

6. Managed Hosting This is like an expanded dedicated web server hosting. In dedicated servers, the client has to take care of his or her own server but in managed hosting, the provider would have the responsibility of doing that.

7. Colocation This would be a hosting type that would require you to bring your server to the data center of your host.

8. Clustered hosting This type of hosting is commonly used by the biggest and most important websites. Clustered would mean that the same content would be served on a number of servers enabling better redundancy and resource.

Managed Hosting


Managed hosting services are type of web hosting where the hosting supplier takes care of fundamental software and settings. Managed hosting is an extension of dedicated hosting where the required hardware is acknowledged by the hosting provider. It is most appropriate when anyone need powerful hosting without taking any pain about the routine maintenance and management tasks.

Costing to Managed Hosting:

Moving data to managed server hosting takes time and resources as moving from one hosting provider to another. Some tasks may take longer like user may need to request a reboot of server. The upfront costs of managed server hosting is much lower than in-house server whereas ongoing costs are constant. There is a limitation of software in managed server hosting so user has to choose the software according to the requirements of the server which is right for the long-term.

Some top managed hosting provider companies are:-

  • GoDaddy
  • LiquidWeb
  • SingleHop
  • Inmotionhosting
  • 100tb

Managed hosting provider:

Managed hosting provider is very important to business. There are no official guidelines for managed hosting provider as each offers different packages at different prices, with different levels of security and support. User need to know what level of support can expect from managed hosting provider. These are as follows:-

  1. What support has to be offered?
  2. Who should take responsibility for backups?
  3. What is hardware replacement policy of this hosting?
  4. Will they provide support for the software?
  5. Who restores the data and gets the server running correctly?
  6. Whose responsibility is there to reinstall all the software?

How does it benefit your customer?

There are some points on which managed server provide benefit to the customer:-

  1. Customer support: It should provide 24/7 technical support with their core focus being hosting.
  2. Better cost profile: There should be moving costs from capital to operational budget for economies of scale.
  3. Control: There should be full control over IT solutions to be maintained.
  4. Reduced risk: Business data centers should be more secure with full redundancy. It provides managed security offerings including load balancer, intrusion detection and prevention, platform monitoring and management.

Who should take Managed Hosting?

Users need to look for industry and business related qualifications to choose managed hosting provider which are as follows:

  1. ISO27001 Information Security Management.
  2. ISO20001 IT Service Management.
  3. ISO9001 Quality Management Certification: It explains quality throughout the business.

User also wants to see some specific software and security qualifications such as:-

MCSE, RHCE, LPIC, Ethical Hacker

What Managed hosting includes ? 

Managed Hosting includes the following:

  1. Server Monitoring: This is the process of scanning the servers in search of any potential failures; these failures can be removed before they convert into major disruption.
  2. Security: This includes virus scanning, firewall configuration and OS updates in addition of data centre security measures.
  3. Full Back-up & storage: A company losing data can cause a loss of money, time and customer trust. All reliable and personal information is stored securely.
  4. Server Configuration & Maintenance: Managed hosting providers offer expert staff to ensure that hosting solution is configured to meet the customer’s requirement.

Some Risks:

There are some risks using managed server hosting:-

  1. Sensitive data:  Although hosts guarantee safety of data on user’s site, but they cannot guarantee about their employee violation of trust and access sensitive material.
  2. Fraud: There have been cases of customer’s bills with hidden charges by hosting providers. User should take time to research of hosting provider before signing a contract.

Contributors:

Rajat SudanYeshaswiDeepali Bansal

All about Managed hosting


Managed Hosting bridges the gap between the ease-of-use of standard webhosting services to co-location. Managed Hosting is essentially a service where you have complete administrative abilities over a system provided by your internet service provider, but they set it up, provide the computer to your specifications, and keep it up to date.
Web hosts have been offering dedicated servers for a while now, however, because dedicated servers can be difficult to operate technically, there has been a demand for web hosts to provide extra services such as: reporting and monitoring; managed load balancing; managed security; managed storage; and, managed databases. These extra services are referred to as ‘managed hosting’.
Managed hosting is ideal for the new online businesses person, looking to build a large online business, and wanting to avoid the extra time and resources spent in-house on managing their dedicated servers. In-turn, managed web hosting has provided a profitable outcome to many online businesses by preventing a waste of valuable resources spent on high skilled employees; months of staff training; and, costs of hardware and software.

What should I look for in a managed hosting provider?

When choosing a managed hosting provider it is a good idea that your host provides the following qualities:

Reliable and fast support a good way to find out the response rate and the quality of the services offered by a web host is to send them an email before you sign up with them. If you receive a good response from your web host then this should give you a good indication of the services they are offering.

Freedom its important to have as much freedom as possible and having the ability to choose from a wide range of services is essential. With managed hosting you might decide that you don’t require firewall support, its important that your web host will provide you with the option of selecting exactly what you need and what you don’t need. Also having the ability to pay monthly is a huge advantage. It will be less of a drain on your budget and you can avoid any expensive yearly contracts.

Fast and reliable connection You should find out exactly what sort of connection the web host has to the Internet. By asking the web host they should be able to send you their network and connectivity details, you might even be able to find this out on their web site. Also find out where the web hosts Network Operations Center (NOC) is located, it is an advantage for the web host to have its NOC located in the USA as the USA has the fastest and most reliable internet connection in the world.

Competitiveness When searching for a managed hosting provider it is important to do your research. Each web host will be offering different managed hosting services all at different rates, you might find that one web host may offer one attractive managed hosting service while another doesn’t. However, as many more web hosts are beginning to offer managed hosting, a new competitive market is developing and the prices for managed hosting are becoming much more affordable with many more services being offered.

Managed hosting A great option


For managing a very high traffic website you will definitely tuned for Dedicated server as it is suitable for handling heavy load on your website.But as far as management is concerned many companies go for ‘Managed Hosting‘.

Its natural that this question may arise in our minds that’What is the difference between Dedicated Hosting and Managed Hosting’?

A dedicated hosting solution you are given your own private server and have complete control over its use. That is why dedicated servers are capable of handling too many visitors of a website.However you are responsible to manage that server yourself. Some of the issues you will deal with include selection of hardware and operating systems, choosing applications, dealing with security issues, backing up your data, monitoring for up-time and lots more.

Managed hosting is a gateway for dedicated hosting. You not only have your own dedicated server, but the Managed Host provides all or part of the management, maintenance, and monitoring needs for you.

Cost of Managed Hosting:

To be frank, managed hosting costs much then other hosting.But this cost can be amortized through high quality maintenance.When compared to the cost of having full-time IT staffing in-house managed hosting becomes very cost effective. One benefit is that the outsourcing can be scaled to your particular needs. The managed host can provide a little or a lot depending on your growth and traffic.

Brief about Dedicated Server


What is a Dedicated Server?
Dedicated Servers give a company the flexibility of having a dedicated machine for their website(s). All dedicated hosting service, dedicated server, or managed hosting service are internet based where the client or website owner took an entire server on rent and it is not shared with anyone. This provides flexibility and reliability, as organizations or client have full control over the server. They have independence of choosing their own operating system, hardware or anything.They rule the server and have all the authorities of it. They may load multiple websites on their servers.

Bandwidth and Connectivity

Bandwidth is a fundamental parameter that determines the quality of web hosting service provider. E-commerce websites that sell products or services online are likely to have high volumes of traffic to their websites. More web traffic requires increased data transfer levels and thus higher bandwidth.It is usually represented in bits (of data) per second (bps). Access providers provide the connectivity that supplies the bandwidth, or data transfer rate, through various connection points across a network or multiple data centers, where dedicated servers are located.

By securing multiple vendors for connectivity and using redundant hardware, providers are able to guarantee higher uptimes; usually between 99-100%.

Operating System Support

Factors like availability, price and familiarity, often determines which operating systems to choose for dedicated servers. Variations of Linux, an open-source operating system, are often included at no additional charge to customers, whereas, Microsoft requires additional license fees, which can increase the monthly cost of a dedicated server operating on a Windows operating system. The Microsoft Windows Server, is offered through the Microsoft SPLA program. Commercial versions of Linux are offered to web hosting providers on a monthly fee basis. The monthly fee typically provides OS updates through a network, using specific applications. Other operating systems available from the open source community at no charge, include centOS, Fedora Core, FreeBSD, Debian, among others.

Support operating systems utilized, usually depend upon the management level afforded by individual dedicated server plan. Operating system support may include updates to the core system in order to acquire the latest security fixes, patches, and system-wide vulnerability resolutions. Updates to core operating systems include kernel upgrades, service packs, application updates, and security patches that keep server secure and safe. Operating system updates and support relieves the burden of server management from the dedicated server owner.

Managed Hosting


Managed hosting is a dedicated server that is accompanied by a full suite of technical support, maintenance and monitoring services. This differs from dedicated Web hosting, where customers are provided with their own servers but are still responsible for virtually all administrative and maintenance duties.
Managed hosting are meant for those websites that are designed to host busy e-commerce sites and dynamic, database driven Web pages. Perfect for organizations that don’t have the time or capital to invest in server administration.

MANAGED SERVER = DEDICATED SERVER + COMPLETE SUPPORT TO SERVER ADMINISTRATION

A managed server will come equipped with all the features of a dedicated server, plus instead of leaving most of the administrative tasks to the customer, a managed provider will typically handle that as well.

Hosting companies offer a supplementary suite of features and services that related to managed hosting, including application and database management, high-availability services and load balancing. These hosting companies will back up their services with performance guarantees and Service Level Agreements.
Conclusion on managed hosting.

If you’re unsure about which service to choose, give serious consideration to choosing a managed server. While taking the managed route is more expensive, it is also much more reassuring for the inexperienced administrator. Remember, you can always downgrade your account to an unmanaged service later, once you’ve acquired some expertise in server administration. Though once you opt for the personal attention you will receive through a managed host, you might think twice of turning into an unmanaged service later on.

Brief about Dedicated Server


What is a Dedicated Server?
Dedicated Servers give a company the flexibility of having a dedicated machine for their website(s). All dedicated hosting service, dedicated server, or managed hosting service are internet based where the client or website owner took an entire server on rent and it is not shared with anyone. This provides flexibility and reliability, as organizations or client have full control over the server. They have independence of choosing their own operating system, hardware or anything.They rule the server and have all the authorities of it. They may load multiple websites on their servers.

Bandwidth and Connectivity

Bandwidth is a fundamental parameter that determines the quality of web hosting service provider. E-commerce websites that sell products or services online are likely to have high volumes of traffic to their websites. More web traffic requires increased data transfer levels and thus higher bandwidth.It is usually represented in bits (of data) per second (bps). Access providers provide the connectivity that supplies the bandwidth, or data transfer rate, through various connection points across a network or multiple data centers, where dedicated servers are located.

By securing multiple vendors for connectivity and using redundant hardware, providers are able to guarantee higher uptimes; usually between 99-100%.

Operating System Support

Factors like availability, price and familiarity, often determines which operating systems to choose for dedicated servers. Variations of Linux, an open-source operating system, are often included at no additional charge to customers, whereas, Microsoft requires additional license fees, which can increase the monthly cost of a dedicated server operating on a Windows operating system. The Microsoft Windows Server, is offered through the Microsoft SPLA program. Commercial versions of Linux are offered to web hosting providers on a monthly fee basis. The monthly fee typically provides OS updates through a network, using specific applications. Other operating systems available from the open source community at no charge, include centOS, Fedora Core, FreeBSD, Debian, among others.

Support operating systems utilized, usually depend upon the management level afforded by individual dedicated server plan. Operating system support may include updates to the core system in order to acquire the latest security fixes, patches, and system-wide vulnerability resolutions. Updates to core operating systems include kernel upgrades, service packs, application updates, and security patches that keep server secure and safe. Operating system updates and support relieves the burden of server management from the dedicated server owner.

All about Managed Hosting


A new trend, appearing in the Web Hosting industry, is the concept of Managed Web Hosting. Web hosts have been offering dedicated servers for a while now, however, because dedicated servers can be difficult to operate technically, there has been a demand for web hosts to provide extra services such as: reporting and monitoring; managed load balancing; managed security; managed storage; and, managed databases. These extra services are referred to as ‘managed hosting’.

Before you think about managed hosting you will first need to decide whether or not you need a dedicated server. You will need a dedicated server if you have a high-traffic web site. If you only have a small web site with low traffic levels then a shared hosting arrangement should be fine. A dedicated server is more expensive to rent and more difficult to operate than a shared hosting solution but if your business depends on a steady service then you should seriously consider renting a dedicated server.

The only disadvantage with dedicated web hosting is that you will have to do a lot of the server administration yourself, and to do this you will need to possess some technical skills; hence the demand for managed hosting. If you fall into this category of needing a dedicated server but you need your host to provide system administration services such as security, firewalls, monitoring and reporting services, and data backup then most likely you will need managed hosting.

When choosing a managed hosting provider it is a good idea that your host provides the following qualities:

Reliable and fast support, a good way to find out the response rate and the quality of the services offered by a web host is to send them an email before you sign up with them. If you receive a good response from your web host then this should give you a good indication of the services they are offering.

Freedom, it’s important to have as much freedom as possible and having the ability to choose from a wide range of services is essential. With managed hosting you might decide that you don’t require firewall support, it’s important that your web host will provide you with the option of selecting exactly what you need and what you don’t need. Also having the ability to pay monthly is a huge advantage.

It will be less of a drain on your budget and you can avoid any expensive yearly contracts. Fast and reliable connection – You should find out exactly what sort of connection the web host has to the Internet. By asking the web host they should be able to send you their network and connectivity details, you might even be able to find this out on their web site.