Complete Domain Management

HMS Panel provides a complete system for managing domains.  Users can add domains and sub-domains to the IP address of their choosing whether it is located on or off the server.  Wildcards can be added so that all sub-domains for a particular domain point to a specific IP address.  You can also modify domain zone files along with CNAME records, A records and MX records.

Email Management System

Web hosting customers on the client side benefit greatly from features such as HMS Panel’s robust email management system.  Users can easily create email accounts and customize their communications with forwarders, catch-all addresses and auto-responders.  While customers have access to their messages via the control panel interface with SquirrelMail, they can also integrate Microsoft Outlook Express or their preferred mail client.

.htaccess Management

HMS Panel offers a robust .htaccess management tools that can be used to apply various settings to directories within a particular domain.  This includes error handling with custom 401, 403, 404, and 505 redirects, IP and domain blocking, file and directory redirects, hotlink protection, directory browsing and much more.  The .htaccess management console utilizes AJAX technology, making it a dynamic and very flexible system.  While this system is very convenient, experienced administrators also have the ability to modify .htaccess via the standard control panel interface.

Web Application Management

Similar to most control panels on the market today, HMS Panel is integrated with a facility that enables customers to perform one-click installations of various pre-installed software applications.  The software management console makes it easy to incorporate programs such as WordPress, phpBB, phpAdsNew, Gallery, Drupal and osCommerce among several others.  These applications are mainly available due to user request, but the HMS Panel control panel offers the ability to install many more third-party scripts.

Advanced Security

HMS Panel was developed with advanced web technologies and security mechanisms.  The software utilizes sophisticated API authorization to ensure that server communications remain protected.  By leveraging an enterprise-grade authentication system, HMS Panel is able to better assure that web applications and network security features are properly configured.  The software also uses process isolation, a technology that allows administrators to isolate web applications from one another, making it so that potential issues with one application do not affect others running on the server.

A Complete Control Panel Solution

Now on version 3.5.1, HMS Panel is quickly evolving to be one of the most remarkable control panels on the market.  It has all the basic capabilities offered by other panels with a few qualities that make it stand out from rest.  If you are in search of a new control panel for your server, give HMS Panel a shot with the free 30-day trial license.

What Blog Software Will You Use?

There are many blogging applications available to you, with WordPress, Blogger and b2evolution being among the most widely used.  This is all a matter of preference, but it should help to know that WordPress is the most popular of the bunch.  Supported by a large community of developers and users, WordPress is highly customizable through a vast selection themes, widgets and endless plugins.  Regardless of the platform, you may want to put an emphasis on ease of use as some blogging applications are more complex than others.

Free or Paid Blog Hosting?

When making the decision to set up a blog site, you also need to determine if you want a free or paid hosting service.  Free services are abundant and usually do not force you to litter your pages with third-party advertisements like free web hosting offerings.  However, there are some disadvantages you should know about.  Opting for free blog hosting restricts you in terms of features and control, factors that could possibly limit your potential.  If you want to make the most of your blogging experience, it would be best to purchase an affordable web hosting plan that comes with free blog support.  Being that blogging has become such a phenomenon, rest assured that these services are plentiful on today’s competitive market.

Finding a Host

If you decide that paid hosting is the best move for you, the next thing you need to consider is the company that will be hosting your blog site.  In the past, finding a good web host was a rather tedious process that often left prospective customers worn and frustrated.  Things have changed as more resources are now available to aid in your search.  There are numerous sites online that provide side-by-side comparisons of companies offering blog hosting services.  These sites generally tell you the price you will need to pay for the service and the type of blog supported along with other specifications such as the amount of disk space and bandwidth included in the package.  Review sites also make a good source of information, particularly the ones that offer both expert opinions and feedback from real users.

Technology just keeps moving along but it is hard to imagine an internet and World Wide Web without the blog.  This medium is here to stay and will likely evolve with improvements that make the experience even more worthwhile.  If you can find a web hosting solution that provides adequate support for your specific needs, a blog can give you a viable and near flawless connection to the rest of the world.

How Does it Work?

You can sign up as an affiliate for free with almost any web host these days.  As far as making money, it is important to know that there are many ways to approach your new business.  For example, you can set up a website or blog dedicated to promoting your affiliate companies, or just include links and banners for their services on your current website.  Some of the most successful affiliates recommend creating a well designed landing page before linking the visitor directly to the hosting company.  When used in conjunction with quality, honest reviews, this method can go a long way in helping you convert your referrals into customers.  Whatever route you take, just remember that the objective is to get as many interested people clicking your affiliate links as possible.

With most affiliate programs, commission payments are distributed on a monthly basis, generally giving you the option to receive your funds via check or an online payment service such as PayPal.  After being approved, the web host creates an account and provides you with access to your own administrative panel.  This is usually where you can find links, banners and other tools needed to promote your affiliate business.  You can also view detailed reports on your number of unique visitors as well as all the referrals you have signed up.  While the web hosting company provides you with the necessary tools, it is up to you to promote the affiliate program and make yourself some money.

Do You Have What it Takes?

Thick competition on the web hosting market has resulted in the mass explosion of affiliate programs.  Today’s firms are willing to do whatever it takes to gain an edge on their competitor, even if it means giving you a cut of the profit.  While almost anyone can sign up and be approved as an affiliate, you should know that making this a successful business requires loads of commitment and patience.  The affiliate market itself is expanding rapidly so you will need to put in the extra effort if you want to stand out from the crowd.  This is where a little creativity comes in handy as it can play a huge role in whether you profit as an affiliate.  The reputation of the host is also an important factor so make sure you sign up with an established company that has a desirable service that is easier to market.

Ads

While a company may offer hosting at no cost, they are by no means not making money off of your site.  Nearly all free hosting offers will involve advertising placed on your pages.  These will be completely out of your control.  Some companies try to gear ads toward being relevant to the site topic but this isn’t always guaranteed.  Add in the very real fact that your competition may be placed on your web site and this can equal a loss of revenue for you.

No control

Another downside to hosting for free is a severe lack of control.  Most free hosting companies do not offer a control panel or an ftp access account to allow administration of a web site.  This means you cannot make page changes on the fly or add in programs that may be needed by your business.  If you are a retail business, this means no ability to add in a shopping cart or software that helps you control your inventory.  Putting a bit of tracking coding is not an option unless you can have access to the page coding.  Even attempting to change the look of your web site can be an issue.  Some free hosting sites will give you access to templates and a few will even allow some minor changes made to backgrounds.  But, all said, you are very limited to what you can do within your own site.

Support

Support is another problem with free web hosting.  You’ll be limited to perhaps some online forum areas to ask your questions but you won’t have numbers to call, ticket support systems or one of many options offered by paid hosting.  If your business site isn’t working, this can end up costing you a lot of money.

Affordable solutions

Paid hosting these days really doesn’t put a huge dent in your pocketbook.  Some hosting companies run specials on a regular basis and you’re sure to find one that will fit your budget.  You can find hosting from as low as $3-$5 a month, depending on what your business web site requires.  Many of these companies also give a lot of great features for your money – including unlimited web space, unlimited bandwidth and a huge assortment of easy to install programs to get your site up and running quickly.

What it boils down to

When all is said and done, you need to ensure your business is hosted with a company that you can rely on for support and also one that gives you the needed tools to ensure your online site is a success.  This is one time when you do not want to “tighten your belt” or “pinch pennies.”  Do a bit of research and find a good, solid hosting company with a price you can afford.

You can embark upon a mission to look for a quality free web hosting service with no advertisements and useful features, but you will likely return disappointed once your search has concluded.  While you can never really expect any guarantees when it comes to free hosting, knowing what to expect will better assure that you do not end up with a terrible service.

Understand How Free Hosting Works

There are more than enough free web hosting providers to go around.  Unfortunately, most of them force you to place advertisements on your site or only provide you with the free service for a limited time.  Some do set you up with a quality service in exchange for carrying banners while others leave you to run your site on slow and insufficient servers.  In some cases, these servers fail to respond at all, leaving you with a website that is essentially useless.  So, if the service is impractical, how do free hosting companies make enough money to survive?

More and more, we are seeing free web hosts keeping themselves afloat by persuading their customers to sign up for paid hosting plans.  If they can provide a good service, this actually turns out to be a fair deal.  Premium hosting services are very affordable these days so purchasing service with a company you trust could prove to be worth your while.   The major downside is that even when upgrading to a paid service, your package could still end up lacking features that are commonly found on the professional hosting market.  For example, you just might have to pay extra for items such as FrontPage extensions and FTP support.  So even when you purchase service from a free web host, you still have to make sure you are getting your money’s worth.

Secure Your Web Presence

Should you find yourself in a situation where you must rely on a free web hosting service because of financial restrictions, there are a few things you can do to protect your website and identity.  First, you can register yourself a domain name with a reputable company such as GoDaddy or Yahoo.  Domain names are pretty cheap these days and only cost about $10 to $12 per year.  Before registering the name, look out for domain features such as a control panel and URL forwarding.  This will provide you with the ability to redirect your domain and change the destination to where ever you prefer.  So if your free web host folds and goes out of business or things simply are not working out, you can point the name somewhere else and move your website right along with it.

Shop the Market

One of the best ways to minimize how much you pay for web hosting service is to shop around.  Regardless of what you plan to buy, comparison shopping is always a sound approach that will help you save money.  You can find a lot of great deals online but do not be tempted by the first low priced package you run across.  Instead, take the time out to compare and evaluate services, looking at not only the cost, but reputation of the company providing it.  Keep in mind that the host that can give you the best price, may not be the one that can help you save the most money.

Look for Free Setups

Another simple way to lower the cost of a web hosting package is to sign up with a firm that offers a free setup and activation of your account.  This is actually a common perk on the market, but not all hosts will provide you with this luxury.  In fact, the setup charges for a dedicated server can cost upwards of $100 if you are not careful.  Should you find a provider that advertises an attractive bottom line price, but forces you to pay exuberant fees upfront to even get started, it could possibly take you quite a while for that money to reflect in your monthly savings.

Identify Hidden Charges

Even when they exist, set up fees are pretty straightforward.  What you need to keep your eyes peeled for are other fees the hosts charges that may or may not be obvious.  For example, there may be services and features that you expected to be included in the package but are instead tacked onto your monthly bill.  When it comes to shopping for something as important as a website hosting provider, you simply cannot be too careful.  If you require additional services and features, look for a host that combines everything you need in a single package.  This will definitely help you keep some money in your pocket.

Know Who You’re Dealing With

Last but not least, the best way to save on your hosting plan is to simply know more about the company you intend on signing up with.  There is nothing wrong with going after a low price, but you must also take critical factors such as support and reliability into account as well.  A bargain deal will only end up costing you more money when your site is unavailable and customers cannot conduct business.  Therefore, you should know that saving a couple of dollars is probably not worth risking your credibility.

Reasons to Opt for Shared Hosting

Shared hosting offers numerous benefits and several of them extend into the e-commerce sector.  For one, it is very affordable as you can easily find a feature-loaded plan for under $10 per month.  In addition to that, you typically receive all the tools and services you need to get your online storefront up and running.  This includes shopping cart programs, web analytic tools and support for SSL certificates to secure your business transactions.  However, while shared hosting can provide you with a relatively secure platform, it can never assure the level of protection and reliability that can be obtained from a dedicated server.

The Dedicated Advantage

Though an advanced and often more complex hosting solution, a dedicated server is not exclusively geared towards larger companies.  In fact, it can deliver the same benefits to small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to establish and grow their presence on the web.  Leasing a dedicated server will cost you more than a shared hosting plan, but it can also guarantee you better overall security and reliability, both of which are vital for anyone who wants to be make sure there business is always available.  For many companies, their website serves as the revenue generator that keeps the business going.  If these are your plans, you need to make it a priority to invest in a solution that ensures your site can be accessed at all times and provides the secure environment your customers need to feel safe.

Capacity and Complexity

When leasing a dedicated server for your small business, you are assured a guaranteed allotment of essential resources such as disk space, RAM and bandwidth.  These features alone can give you a website that performs exceptionally better than it would in the shared hosting environment.  However, you should keep in mind that dedicated hosting is one of the most complex types of web hosting you can sign on for.  Unless you opt for a managed service, you will be responsible ensuring and monitoring security, performing configurations and backups, installing software and general maintenance of the server.

There are quite a few small businesses that can thrive with a shared hosting platform and several others that cannot.  Making a choice is difficult and the final decision will depend on various factors, including your budget, level of expertise and the requirements of your business.  Most importantly, it will boil down to the overall quality of the host providing you with service.

The Importance of Reliability

Why is it so important to invest in a reliable web hosting solution?  The easy answer would be the peace of mind that stems from knowing your site is always up and running.  Just imagine trying to log into your site to make updates or add new content and not being able to do so because the service is down.  These days, web users expect more and more from webmasters so if you can’t ensure accessibility, they will not be coming back to your site after suffering a miserable experience the first time.  Many businesses have crumbled and never really get off the ground because their websites either ran incredibly slow or were not available at all.  If you are concerned about people being able to view your website, signing up with a host that can assure its availability is a must.

Aids in Credibility

Reliability is not only essential to your website, but your overall web presence as well.  On the hosting marketplace, 99.9% has become the standard for uptime so you should expect and accept nothing less from prospective web hosts.  Some even have infrastructures in place that allow them to exceed this figure.  If a hosting company cannot provide you with a reliable services, the chances of you obtaining success online are very slim.  A website that runs slow or is always down because of technical difficulties is one that will send visitors clicking their way to competition and cause you to lose substantial potential revenues.  The web host should be the partner that helps you succeed with a website or online business, not lose money and ruin your credibility.

Obtaining a Reliable Solution

Accessing a hosting company’s reliability can be difficult without actually being a customer.  In fact,  most web host’s appear very professional and dependable on the surface.   However, there are a few approaches you can take before signing up.  For example, reviews serve as a great source of information as they tend to carry a lot of useful details about certain companies.  Aside from price and features, many of them also hint at the host’s reliability and overall quality of the service.  A good mix of expert and user reviews can go a long way in helping you decide what companies are worth a closer look as well as those that should be avoided.

]]> http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/09/02/emphasizing-%e2%80%9creliability%e2%80%9d-in-web-hosting/feed/ 1 http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/11/bursting-five-managed-hosting-misconceptions/ http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/2009/08/11/bursting-five-managed-hosting-misconceptions/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:49:47 +0000 CommunicateBetter http://webhostinggeeks.com/blog/?p=469 More small and medium sized companies are thriving due to the benefits of managed hosting.   However, with the popularity has come various myths about this service that have done nothing but confuse interested customers.  To keep you in line with the facts, this article will debunk five of the most common misconceptions about managed hosting.

1.) Managed Hosting is a Completely Outsourced Solution

The way some describe it, managed hosting is a type of service that completely alleviates you from server administration and daily management tasks, a fully outsourced service that does not require you to lift a finger.  In most cases, this isn’t true.  While you typically get far more automated assistance than offered by a dedicated hosting provider, the level of managed services all depends on the price, package and host you select.  Even when signing on for a fully managed contact, you will still be responsible for design, promotion and the basic administration of your site.

2.) Only Inexperienced Users Need Managed Services

Many have the misconception that managed hosting is strictly designed for businesses and individuals who lack the abilities needed to maintain a web server.  This comes from the fact that managing a dedicated server requires a certain level of technical skills, which is the reason that several choose to outsource these tasks to another company.  Be that as it may, managed hosting can benefit all types of customers, even those who are well versed in administration and know their way around a web server.

3.) Managed Hosting is More Reliable

Almost all companies will promise you a respectable uptime and reliable service.  The same holds true for managed hosting providers.  Although you have your own server, there are still many incidents that could possibly result in service interruptions and downtime.  The reliability you get from a managed hosting solution all depends on the company you choose.  If they have taken the time to build a stable infrastructure with redundant systems, downtime should be a very rare occurrence.

4.) Managed Hosting is More Secure

One of the biggest misconceptions you can fall into is automatically assuming that a managed hosting provider will keep your server secure.  Most companies take the necessary steps to detect and prevent common threats such as malware, intrusion, DDoS attacks and other exploits.  What you should know is that no server or web hosting system is ever 100% protected.  Different strains of malicious software are released on a frequent basis and hackers grow more sophisticated everyday.  This is why it is so important for both you and your managed hosting provider to make security a priority.

5.) Managed Hosting is Cost Prohibitive

In general, managed hosting is more expensive that your typical dedicated server plan.  However, it can also result in tremendous cost savings for your business.  These savings are obtained by the fact that you don’t have to make any costly upfront investment on hardware, software or infrastructure.  You can also spare yourself from having to hire a professional IT team.  At the very least, you can keep staffing expenses to a minimum.  Over the long run, managed hosting can be far more cost effective than leasing a dedicated server.