To help ease you into the modern trends of web hosting, we’ve compiled a handy list of the most common terms in the business. We’ll do our best to explain them, but if you find yourself befuddled after we’ve done our best, don’t hesitate to hit up Google: There are plenty of more complex definitions out there, and we won’t blame you for skipping our more generalized information.

We’re ready if you are, Astronaut, so buckle up and get ready for blast-off! Here we go, Major Tom:

Domain Namee: A domain name is the exact URL title of the site you’re looking to host. For example, Google’s domain name is www.Google.com. There are two parts to the domain name, that being the name itself, as well as the .com address. This doesn’t have to be .com (There are lots of other options, including .us, .org, .edu, etc.) but you need both to have a domain name.

Nameserver: If a domain is your address on the Web, nameservers are the phonebooks. Once you’ve registered a domain name, it’s these server banks that log your registration and “agree” that you’ve locked down that space. This usually takes a while, but once it’s done, it’s like your domain has been etched into the pavement concrete of the World Wide Web.

Technical Support: This one is a bit more explicit, but it might still need some clarification. Tech support is the organization you call when something within your server has gone wrong. The body you dial will be different depending on which operating system you’re using, but you’ll still have to ring these gurus, no matter who or where they are. Server tech support is no different than tech support for your credit card or computer: It’s just tailored specifically to your hosting experience.Some host companies offer professional US based technical support services.

Data Center: This is where the physical servers are actually stored. This is the building where all of your files are stored on a block of memory in a case. In essence, it’s the warehouse where your server is treated like a piece of cargo locked into a crate.

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• September 9, 2011 – Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back
• September 6, 2011 – Understanding Colocation Hosting
• September 5, 2011 – Premium Domain Names: What Are They?
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• August 30, 2011 – Data Centers Still Running Following East Coast Earthquake

Your best defense: preparation

You can’t be prepared for everything: as a reminder, a week before Irene the east coast was hit with a rare earthquake.  But most events can be forecast, and that leaves the responsible web host with the time to prepare.

In this case, your best preparation is your people.  Make sure that your data center work schedule is well covered, and also make sure that there are a few veterans in the mix.  Not only will they have the best technical expertise to handle any sudden problems that surface, but they will be the best at keeping the younger employees focused and calm should things really get bad.  You will also want to make sure that you have enough employees to stay in constant communication with concerned (or in some cases, far over-panicked) users.

Make sure as well that everyone is aware of the fact that the storm may force them to stay way longer than normal, and they should have food and other preparations set.  An older worker is also good to have for these situations, to keep the office from turning too much into a slumber party.

Dual-location: taking advantage of the internet’s original strength

The internet was originally a military creation.  The idea was to make an information and communications network that could survive a nuclear attack.  It seems ironic, then, that the web hosting world is only now starting to take the best advantage of this strength through the use of multiple, spread out data centers.

If you are one of the hosts considering going this route, then now that you’re thinking along these lines, it’s important to consider something that you might have thought originally was irrelevant to the web: location.  Some places are simply more geologically safe than others.  Any second data center should take this into account, and should focus its construction on preparing for the most common types of harsh weather for that area.

For example, with InMotion Hosting you can choose your data center location. Moreover, InMotion Hosting’s exclusive Speed Zone technology helps keep your website and email fast by locating your data as close to you as possible. Check InMotion reviews if you’re thinking about switching web hosting providers, the company really stands out from the crowd.

Communication with customers

Lastly, communicate with your customers at all times, no matter how bad it gets.  Start by issuing warnings ahead of time.  You may scoff at this because of the early paranoid set that will send you end-of-the-world pleas about their web site.  Deal with it: by paying this small price, you gain confidence with your entire customer base.  They can see that you are working on problems before they start, and that you are not afraid to tell them the truth: that some things, like Mother Nature, are simply out of our control.

Hurricane Irene was a good test.  It should be used by the responsible web host to reassess their procedures to make sure that they are ready for the next big one.  To quote one famous sci-fi heroine: “If not boom today, boom tomorrow.  There’s always boom tomorrow.”

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• September 27, 2011 – Common Web Hosting Terms And What They Mean
• September 6, 2011 – Understanding Colocation Hosting
• September 2, 2011 – Pioneering Cloud and Colocation Facility Opens
• August 30, 2011 – Data Centers Still Running Following East Coast Earthquake
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• June 14, 2011 – Ascent to Partner with Comcast
• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• March 31, 2011 – The Freedom and Flexibility of Colocation Hosting

Shared web hosting plans are ideal for small websites and flourishing web businesses. However, things undergo a drastic change of scale when it comes to bigger and better companies and websites. These require their own dedicated servers to handle all the strain of the website. Normally, a web hosting service does not quite fit the bill for these companies. So what does? It is collocation hosting that comes to the rescue and here’s how.

The Definition

Colocation hosting is a modified web hosting service where the client uses its own server and lugs it down to the data center of a web host where all the care and maintenance activities are handled by the serving web host. The idea behind using such a service is to be able to use a self owned server custom configured according to the needs and supplement it with the rented resources of a sophisticated data center where all the environmental and Internet connection activities are carried out by the web hosting company.

Benefits Of Colocation Hosting

Programmers and website developers prefer to have the standard activities of website hosting assigned to a service provider and like to have considerable breathing space in terms of the software and hardware capabilities of the server that powers the website. Colocaton hosting is the ideal service to achieve these ends. The control you have over the content and services you can render to your clients through your websites running on a collocation web hosting system is simply amazing.

You know your objectives of creating a website precisely, and might not find a hosting plan that caters to all your needs. A collocation hosting plan allows you to set the hardware and software configuration of your server and thus allows you to enjoy a great deal of flexibility in working with the server. As you concentrate on creating a website that serves your customers, your web hosting service provider takes care of the server’s environment and power supply needs. The responsibility of the upkeep of the server, however, rests with you.

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• August 31, 2010 – CoreLink Making Big Changes
• September 27, 2011 – Common Web Hosting Terms And What They Mean
• September 9, 2011 – Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back
• September 2, 2011 – Pioneering Cloud and Colocation Facility Opens
• August 30, 2011 – Data Centers Still Running Following East Coast Earthquake
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers

Statement from the CEO

In a recent statement by the CEO of ScaleMatrix, he said that the newly constructed facility leverages modern data center hardware to create a highly efficient location, whereas, most competitors operate from facilities that are at least a decade old. Therefore, ScaleMatrix creates a new industry standard with regards to density and overall efficiency.

Facility Characteristics

The facility features innovations in thermal management and cabinet design to create the most efficient, highest density data center location in the region. These attributes allow customers to maximize their hosting investment while minimizing their environmental impact.

Economic and Environmental Impact

The opening of this facility creates two impacts on the surrounding area. The first is from an economic point-of-view as San Diego’s technology sector will benefit from the several hundred new jobs created as well as the capacity requirements. Environmentally, ScaleMatrix’s data center will decrease the requirement for construction of corporate hosting facilities which tend to be much less efficient and have a much higher impact on the environment.

San Diego a Prime Location

The decision to select San Diego as the location for the data center can be attributed to the thriving information technology community and three native San Diegans in high places within the organization. This allows the company to feature best-in-class efficiency while creating new jobs for the region.

Preparing for Future Growth

Cloud computing is currently the fastest growing technology sector. Therefore, ScaleMatrix is positioning itself to rapidly grow through the customization of cost-effective and efficient solutions for a fast marketplace. These data centers are engineered to support scalability and expansion requirements which are the basis of cloud computing technology.

ScaleMatrix Company Information

As an industry-leading Private Cloud Solutions Provider (PCSP), ScaleMatrix has expertise with colocation and dedicated server hosting. Founded as an effort to design, deploy and manage the best private cloud and dedicated hosting technology, ScaleMatrix services a variety of customers from small start-up companies to Fortune 500 organizations.

The new data center confirms their position as one of the leading cloud hosting providers in the industry. The new facility was built to optimize all equipment from an environmental and storage aspect. Hopefully this will entice many new customers to the hosting provider.

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Data Center Preparedness

Buildings in Boston, Washington, New York City and Philadelphia were evacuated immediately following the earthquake. Also, a Virginia-based nuclear power plant initially lost power but continues to operate on reserves. This large quake (by east coast standards) has brought an interesting question to the table, how should data centers equip themselves to manage natural disasters?

HostGator Slow Speeds

Earthquakes can occur at any time in almost any region regardless of the location of a data center facility. Therefore it is critical for data centers to be prepared for every natural disaster imaginable. Following the quake, it was reported that the data center for HostGator experienced disruptions which resulted in slower-than-normal connection speeds.

Other Data Center Reports

Also, Hosting.com reported that it felt the earthquake at its location in D.C. but all equipment is online and functional. Additionally, another hosting provider, PEER 1, tweeted that the data center had not been affected by the earthquake. Furthermore, ServInt, Carpathia Hosting and ICANN tweeted that their services were functioning the same as prior to the quake and all employees are unharmed and accounted for.

In another tweet from Windows and Android phone development community XDA Developers, they stated that their systems could be slow for several hours as a result of the earthquake but several data centers would be shut down. However, the company did not specify which data centers went offline. Additionally, PAETEC, Contact Solutions, Razor Serves and Amazon Virginia also announced that they continue to be operational.

Data Centers Operational

Like all earthquakes this was an unexpected hit against the Eastern portion of the United States. Luckily no major damage or injuries were reported. The ground simply rumbled for several seconds and then stopped. Once evacuations were cleared, business continued in major cities and remained operational.

This natural disaster proves that data center across the east coast are ready for anything Mother Nature throws at them. With upcoming Hurricane Irene in the next several days, the data centers across the east coast will certainly have another chance to prove their durability and preparedness.

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• September 9, 2011 – Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back
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• September 2, 2011 – Pioneering Cloud and Colocation Facility Opens
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• June 14, 2011 – Ascent to Partner with Comcast
• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• March 31, 2011 – The Freedom and Flexibility of Colocation Hosting

Location of the Data Center

The data center is located on a 40-acre data ranch campus in Austin. The opening is the initial phase of the 250,000 square foot facility which is fully functional. Despite the recent opening, the first customers have already begun to move in. Data Foundry currently operates two other carrier-neutral data centers in the state. The first is the ADC which is also located in Austin. The second is the HDC in Houston.

Texas 1 Specifications

Aptly named, “Texas 1”, the infrastructure boasts a diversity of independent power sources, water and network connections with no single points of failure in its cool, power and network systems. The location’s power system is maintained by two independent substations. Also, there is an unground power connection that is enclosed in a concrete duct. This is an extremely rare feature at colocation facilities.

Cooling Solutions

The water system is chilled allowing for flexible cooling solutions which include high-density configurations and single cabinet deployments. Therefore, the most complicated, high performing computing environments can be effectively cooled by the Texas 1 data center. Furthermore, the location boasts over 17 network carriers so customers have a choice between providers.

Announcement from Data Foundry

According to representatives from the Data Foundry implementation team, Texas 1 is the result of 17 years of experience in the operation of data centers. Throughout those years, the team has toured many facilities across the globe which has led to the creation of the Texas 1 data center. These visions will allow the company to compete on a global level. The facility provides an innovative design with flexibility which will benefit customers for many years.

The amount of planning that went into the design, development and opening of the data center is incredible. The company is even offering a full online tour of Texas 1 so customers can view the incredibleness of the location. No detail was missed so customers have complete security and control over their equipment in this high-tech colocation facility.

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• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• June 14, 2011 – Ascent to Partner with Comcast
• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• September 1, 2010 – Colocation Hosting – Is it Right For You?
• August 6, 2010 – Telehouse America Expands to China
• September 27, 2011 – Common Web Hosting Terms And What They Mean
• September 9, 2011 – Hurricane Irene: Taking a Step Back
• September 8, 2011 – Colocation Hosting – A Hard Fit
• September 6, 2011 – Understanding Colocation Hosting

Three Options

The new location will be a colocation facility with low, medium and high-density options. The facility will also play host to physical servers, server virtualization, networking, virtual storage and processing. The company is attempting to cater to clients attempting to post applications in a private or public cloud. Due to the popularity of cloud hosting, Telconet must offering the service to remain competitive with other hosting providers.

Basics Specifications of the New Data Centers

Additionally, the new data centers will be specifically designed to meet Standard 942-2 TIA. Also, the Uptime Institute will provide Tier ratings of the facilities. Tier ratings are an industry measurement of different aspects of the center. Furthermore, each location will feature 1500 square meters of floor space, all of which will be dedicated to computing. The Quito location will be a Tier III with 180 racks. The Guayaquil facility will be Tier IV and feature 400 racks.

Equipment Providers

GE, Schneider Electric APC and Cisco will be a few of the many providers of equipment which will all be interconnected by a fiber optic network with a maximum transfer rate of 20 Gbps. This speed will certainly enhance available backup options.

External Connections to the World

Each data center will be externally connected to Ecuador and the rest of the world through NAP of the Americas high speed connections which is based out of Miami, Florida. Additional connections will be made through Cloud Latin or Cloud Latin American Internet Peering Group which connects Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

The Growing Demand for Internet Services

With more individuals accessing the Internet on a daily basis, the demand for web hosting services continues to grow. In emerging markets such as South America and China, Internet connectivity is growing a rapid pace. Therefore, website creation and access to websites is also expanding. With the construction of these two new data centers in Ecuador, all South American customers will benefit from the technology.

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• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
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Data Center Specifications

The data center is a 20,000 square foot, SAS Type II certified facility located in RIDC Park, O’Hara Township; approximately 12 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The combination of services between the two companies is a response to the growing demand for cloud hosting services. Both companies are hoping the partnership will offer small and mid-sized businesses with the resources to improve data security and information technology through a point-to-point connection.

Growing Success of Both Companies

Comcast is excited about the collaboration as it will help to continue driving success for both companies through a dedicated Metro Ethernet bandwidth that provides a secure and scalable solution to meet customer’s expanding bandwidth demands. The pairing of services also bring Comcast’s fiber-optic based network together with Ascent’s secure data center to provide customers with quality, performance, robust solutions and exceptional value.

Ascent Company Information

As the leading provider of data center services in the Pittsburgh area, Ascent offers a variety of services including managed, colocation, server virtualization, data security, cloud hosting and business continuity. All customer information and applications are protected by their state-of-the-art data center. Applications and infrastructure is outsources to third-parties which significantly improves operational efficiencies and decreases business risk.

Comcast Business Services Company Information

Comcast Business Services is the leading provider of business-grade Ethernet, video solutions, phone and internet for all types of customers. The voice and data plans come packed with features developed to assist the continued growth of businesses. Comcast’s Metro Ethernet features a 40 gigabit fiber-optic backbone, the largest in the nation. Packaged with the Ethernet is reliable, around the clock support resulting in a robust, scalable solution for organizations of all types.

Ascent Data and Comcast Business Services are leading service providers in their respective industries and regions. Therefore, the partnership between the two organizations should result in a major increase in new customers for both parties. As Comcast continues to expand its services into other industries, the company is continually improving its products and services provide for to a wider audience.

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• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• September 1, 2010 – Colocation Hosting – Is it Right For You?
• August 6, 2010 – Telehouse America Expands to China
• September 15, 2009 – How Will You Host Your E-commerce Site?
• August 25, 2009 – Layer Technologies Breaks Through on Inc. 5000
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Expanding Efforts with the Extra Credit

The new funds will be utilized for supporting customer growth and expanding capacity at Latisys’ 123,000 square foot data center campus in Northern Virginia. At the beginning of 2011, the firm added 14 megawatts of power and expanding the floor space at the facility by 26,000 square feet. At the same time, Latisys announced a new data center that was optimized to meet the growing demand for high-density space, power and cooling.

Other Recent Expansions

Since then, Latisys has strategically improved its overall operations by acquiring and expanding current facilities while investing in resources toward improving the managed hosting arm of the company. Additionally, the enterprise has expanded its cloud computing capabilities. By increasing the credit facility, Latisys is able to take advantage of the many business opportunities in the Greater Washington, D.C. area and other large markets.

Source of the Credit Facility

The $125 million credit facility is primarily funded by an existing group of eight financial institutions including, RBC Capital Markets, Bank of America, CapitalSource, GE Capital, Caterpillar Financial Services, TD Securities, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Madison Capital Funding.

Current Facilities

Latisys currently boasts state-of-the-art data centers in Northern Virginia, Denver, Chicago and Irvine, California resulting in coverage across all U.S. time zones. This allows for unmatched scalability and multi-site redundancy for all information technology infrastructure demands, setting them far ahead of the competition.

Information about Latisys

Latisys provides managed hosting and services, colocation hosting and disaster recovery solutions to government agencies, enterprises and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 1994, Latisys has been serving customers utilizing multiple high-density SAS70 Type II data centers across the United States. The company continues to offer its popular scalable outsourced IT infrastructure management solutions providing everything a customer could need.

Latisys is a major player in the web hosting industry boasting some of the most hi-tech facilities and best managed solutions. With this credit facility expansion, the company will be able to further its presence and continue to have a commanding edge over the competition.

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• June 14, 2011 – Ascent to Partner with Comcast
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• April 1, 2011 – Three Reasons Why Colocation Hosting Is More Expensive
• September 1, 2010 – Colocation Hosting – Is it Right For You?
• August 6, 2010 – Telehouse America Expands to China
• December 1, 2009 – Nine Unique Advantages of Managed Hosting
• September 15, 2009 – How Will You Host Your E-commerce Site?
• March 18, 2009 – Hosting Considerations for E-commerce
• December 11, 2008 – Peak 10 Makes Enhancements to Raleigh Data Center

Futuristic Data Centers

A “colocation facility” is actually a data center, which is a large building that houses hundreds (or even thousands) of web servers in futuristic environmentally controlled rooms. Overall, a datacenter contains millions of dollars of equipment, and many of them maintain multiple high-speed Internet connections with various Internet service providers simultaneously. By providing multiple connections, colocation hosting providers can offer redundancy, so that your web server will be online at all times. Data centers are also equipped with highly effective fire extinguishing systems, professionally trained in-house Internet technology specialists, and air filtration systems that cost as much as $10,000 in each room. In order to provide this server care and service stability to customers, colocation hosting providers must charge a more expensive monthly fee.

State-Of-The-Art Surveillance

The second reason why colocation hosting is generally more expensive than conventional web hosting is the amount of effort and the monetary investments that the hosting provider devotes to keeping your web server secure. Not only are the facilities monitored by state-of-the-art surveillance technology, but all of the equipment (including your web server) is insured, so there is no risk of having the hardware damaged or stolen without it being restored or replaced. Colocation datacenter facilities are usually guarded by several tall watch posts, and barbed wire fencing exceeding the height of 8 feet around the entire perimeter the facility. Since the colocation hosting provider has a lot of expenses in terms of employee payroll and equipment overhead, these additional expenses have to be passed on to the customer to make the business profitable.

The Additional Value of Optimizing Web Server Performance

By dealing with a colocation facility you are gaining access to multiple high-speed Internet connections from various Internet service providers. Thus, you have the advantage of maintaining an optimal connection to the Internet for your web server at all times, regardless of the local or regional circumstances affecting the Internet and other hosting providers. This type of assurance is not possible if you choose to store your privately owned Web server within your home or office, because if the single Internet connection is lost, so are all of your current server tasks (such as keeping your websites online).

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• September 6, 2011 – Understanding Colocation Hosting
• July 21, 2011 – Data Foundry Opens Data Center in Austin
• June 30, 2011 – Telconet Scheduled to Build Two New Data Centers
• June 14, 2011 – Ascent to Partner with Comcast
• June 1, 2011 – Latisys Expands Credit Facility to $125 Million
• March 31, 2011 – The Freedom and Flexibility of Colocation Hosting