Managed Server Hosting

Self Managed Dedicated Hosting

Self managed dedicated hosting, which is also called unmanaged hosting, is a type of hosting in which you lease your own server that will be kept in an off-site data center. The server is for your use only, meaning it is not shared with other websites or companies. With self managed dedicated hosting, you'll be required to have some technical experience with web servers so you can perform your own management and administrative tasks. If you don't have technical experience, consider hiring a technical person to handle these tasks if you feel the self managed server is what your business needs.

Managed Dedicated Hosting

Self managed dedicated hosting is not to be confused with managed dedicated hosting. With managed hosting, a hosting provider gives technical support and basic system helps. You will still have complete control over your server, and the server is dedicated entirely to your business web site as with self managed hosting. You'll also be offered optional managed services such as upgrades, security patching, firewalls, and backup systems.

With both types of hosting, you can choose between two operating systems, Windows and Linux. Also with both, you'll have control over the hardware, bandwidth capacity, and processor so you can expand your site as needed.

Managed hosting is a hosting solution whereby the hosting provider takes care of all the running and administrative tasks of your dedicated server. It is the perfect solution for customers who are looking for a full turnkey service of managing a web server, encompassing hardware, software, space, network and all related requirements. It is commonly subscribed by companies who are looking for a dedicated support to provide 100% service uptime while maintaining a level of control on their servers. The infrastructure, technical support and responsiveness of support provided by the hosting provider are definitely greater than other hosting services.

Managed hosting breaks the traditional method of having to spend capital expenditure up front in purchasing and setting up hardware and software for a server, into an operating expenditure-based model of paying monthly fee for a fully managed service. From a company’s point of view, it is very similar to outsourcing the IT and technical aspects of their online business. This hosting service is ideal for large online businesses that prefer to focus their effort on their core business rather than having to spend extra resources and time of managing their dedicated servers. Managed hosting greatly alleviates the issues security and performance normally associated to an unmanaged or shared hosting environment. While looking expensive on the outset, managed hosting is actually the cost-effective solution due to the fact that technical expertise, uptime, responsiveness and reliable infrastructure will be guaranteed at a fixed cost.

The service included in a managed hosting extends to products such as private networks, database administration and security products. There are also hosting providers that include managed SQL server hosting services. In terms of server administration, customers can expect services such as load balancing, managed storage, database hosting, connectivity, reporting and monitoring of their servers. Physical maintenance such as equipment servicing would also be covered by the hosting providers. For an additional fee, hosting providers also normally offer software-related services. Definitely this is a solution for webmasters and companies who require fully managed services while maintaining control over the server.

In summary, managed hosting is an environment tailor-made for online businesses to focus on their core functions while at the same time have their web servers run and maintained at peak efficiency by the experts. Furthermore, all these can be enjoyed without having to spend up-front expenditure related to a web server. With an uptime of virtually 100%, businesses can be assured that the servers would function seamlessly with optimum performance.

What is Managed Hosting?

Managed Hosting is for customers who prefer to have their web host provider maintain and monitor their dedicated servers, operating system and all supported applications. Companies or individuals who do not have the required system administration resources on-staff, commonly choose this option to augment their dedicated hosting service.

When do you need a Managed Server?

Managed Hosting is an excellent solution for mid to high level hosting needs. Designed to host busy e-commerce sites and dynamic, database driven Web pages, Managed Hosting offers small and large business owners a fast, powerful, reliable and professionally maintained Web presence. If you have a need for a dedicated server, and don’t have the IT resources, expertise, or time to manage your own servers, then Managed Hosting is for you.

Why shouldn't I choose Managed Server Hosting?

Managed Hosting is only an issue if you have a need for a dedicated server. If you have the resources and desire to manage all aspects of your server(s), then you may be a candidate for Unmanaged Hosting.

What is the difference between a managed server and a co-located server?

A managed server is a server which is managed by Firstserv up to and including operating system level. Managed means that the server processes and hardware are monitored, data is backed up and any problems covered by our support policy are resolved by us.

Colocation is where we give you rack space and bandwidth in our data centre and you are responsible for all other aspects of your server. Server monitoring is still available, and backup can be arranged on our enterprise tape machines.