Managed dedicated web hosting is necessary for businesses that use the Internet to attract new customers. It is also an excellent tool for nonprofit organizations that want to get their messages out to the greatest audience possible. There are a number of important factors that business managers need to be aware of. One of the first things to consider is cost, and whether the company offers more than one plan. The least expensive is not always the best plan. Also, if a company has more than one domain name, for example, xyz.com and xyz.net, the company managers will likely want to put both sites under one plan. In connection with cost, managers will also need to know if the payment structure is strictly a monthly fee, or if it can be paid quarterly or even annually.
Choosing a host requires an evaluation of many factors besides cost. The reliability of the managed dedicated hosting is another important consideration. Some down time is to be expected, but a historical explanation of how quickly they tend to get the process up and running again should be sought. Also, ask if paying customers are compensated for that down time with at least a partial refund of their premium payment for that month. Some firms that offer these services operate as resellers; they co-locate in some other data center without physical access to the machines.
A good customer support team is another important quality to find when determining which managed dedicated hosting outfit to work with. When a company has a problem with the web site, the entire business suffers. Managers will certainly want quick and effective service in order to minimize the disruption to the business. Ideally, the host will have a live chat site where someone's attention is immediately available. Managers can describe the problems in real time and the issues can be fixed promptly. Customer service should be prompt, professional, courteous, and effective. Another question to ask is about the control panel that is provided in the managed dedicated web hosting. It should allow managers to add, remove, and manage several domain names, sub-domains, FTP accounts, email accounts, auto responders, email aliases, and other services.
The new industry standard is for 24/7 availability. Managers seeking a host company should settle for nothing less. Another feature to consider is the availability of an auto installer. Auto installers will save time when installing a forum, image gallery, or content management system. Depending on where the company is in their website development process, they may need to determine and register a domain name. Name recognition plays such an important role in marketing a business, so protecting the website name is an important service the managed dedicated hosting provider should offer. Again, investigate the pricing options of this service. Often, a discount is provided if the domain name is registered for several years at at time, as opposed to on an annual basis.
For the nonprofit organization that wants to get out information about its services or its mission, managed dedicated web hosting is very important. They will be looking for a means of telling how many visitors come to the website in addition to the services mentioned previously. A church, for instance, wants information about its worship services to be posted, and an invitation to visitors that will make them feel welcome. The number of "hits" at the site, as well as the numbers of visitors that show up on Sunday, can measure the effectiveness of their postings. A chamber of commerce or a city will want to invite visitors to see the area's landmarks and attend local special functions through their web presence.
Because it has become such a coveted service, many companies are offering managed dedicated hosting. As with any business decision, consumers need to be cautious and exercise wisdom when choosing a host company. There are sites on the Internet where business managers can read evaluations of various providers of managed dedicated web hosting services. These reviews can be an excellent first place to look. The word of friends or business acquaintances who have had good experiences with various hosts will be helpful as well. Finally, the old standby, the Better Business Bureau will provide any negative reports that have been made about the company under consideration. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold," (Proverbs 22:1).
Any business can expand their customer base through the use of managed dedicated web hosting. No matter how good the product or service offered is, it won't sell without advertisement. There are a lot of means for advertising at your disposal, but a website is probably the most efficient of all in this day of the Internet.
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