Narrow Your Choices

It is rather easy to become lost in the array of web hosting providers and types of hosting on the market.  You have many considerations, including companies that offer budget hosting as well as those that allow you to lease your own server with a dedicated hosting package.  The search gets even more confusing when factoring in features and technical jargon such as disk storage, data transfer and domains.

All of this can be very overwhelming for someone who does not possess the first clue of which type of service is best for their particular needs, and due to the sea of options, these feelings can even be perceived by seasoned webmasters.   A good way to arm yourself with knowledge about the web hosting market is to read many reviews.  Some of the review sites categorize these hosting providers based on their niche, price and the type of service they offer.  When reading over the details, you can gain valuable insight on which service you can afford and what company you can trust.

Avoid the Disasters

The web hosting industry has become immensely popular in recent years and with this popularity came many sharks and shady practices.  Today, it can be rather difficult to pick out the reliable hosting providers from those simply out to make a buck or a run a scam.  By turning to web hosting reviews, you can avoid these shady companies and find yourself one that can actually be relied upon.  Best of all, the chances of you landing a great deal are tremendous.  The review game has become a business in its own right so the individuals running these sites make it a habit to list providers offering the lowest price on the best service.

Learn About the Hosting Market

Web hosting reviews can help you become more familiar with the market and give you a better idea of what to expect.  They tend to highlight key areas that the novice may not be aware of but should know before purchasing a hosting plan.  When reading reviews you generally learn about the features offered, server capacity, the level of security and more.  In the end, this could help you save precious time you would have otherwise spent researching web hosting companies that may or may not live up to your expectations.  What you can take from these review sites is a list of potential hosting providers and a piece of mind by knowing that you don’t have to overloaded with the rigorous investigating process.

Conclusion

Though researching a web host for yourself is never a bad idea, taking the time to read reviews can let you know just what’s out there and give you an idea of what company may be able to pave the road to your success online.  Whether you need a simple personal site or plan to start up a web-based business, some good reviews will put you in the right direction.

Netcraft is well known throughout the web hosting industry for measuring and publishing the response times of the top 50 leading hosting company’s servers.  The firm’s measurements are made at 15 minute intervals from individual points around the web while the averages are calculated immediately over the following 24-hour period.  According to the data compiled by Netcraft, 34SP is currently ranked as 25^th amongst the world’s top 50 web hosting providers.

Stuart Melling, 34SP cofounder, stressed the importance of upholding server uptime for their customers in a recent interview.  Melling states that 34SP was founded on the core values of high availability and reliability, qualities that enable every individual, developer and small business owner to get the most out of their hosting solution at a reasonable price.  34SP has been able to thrive in the industry by utilizing the best server hardware and software technologies coupled with an expert support staff that works tirelessly to make the customers happy.   Now recognized on a global scale by Netcraft for its network reliability, it is clear to see that these investments have paid off.

According to a recent statement, 34SP dramatically enhanced the reliability and overall performance of its network and hosting services by investing in an extensive infrastructure upgrade.  This upgrade was powered by the substantial increase in sales for the provider’s hosting solutions, an impressive lineup that features personal hosting, business hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, reseller hosting and add-on products that range from SSL certificates to additional scripting technologies.  34PS has also made significant improvements to its customer service and technical support system.  Investments have been recently made toward hiring additional support staff members, upgrading local office and data center hardware, and expanding the customer support operations within the 34SP global headquarters.

The reasoning behind the additional support investments came as the result of an active client survey 34SP conducted early 2009.  This survey involved a large number of approximately 15,000 34SP hosting clients with personal, business, VPS and dedicated server accounts.  The provider revealed some intriguing statistics from the survey regarding its referral rates.  When presented with the question of whether or not they would recommend 34SP’s hosting services, 98% of the clients involved responded with a definite “Yes”.  The host points to this finding as confirmation of the positive impact its reliability and quality customer support has on referral rates.

About 34SP

Based in Manchester England, 34SP is an award winning web hosting provider that specializes in solutions designed for individuals, web designers, seasoned developers and small to medium sized businesses.  The company puts an emphasis on delivering industry leading reliability, personalized support and world-class service.  34SP compliments these qualities with generous incentives and a money back guarantee to assure customer satisfaction.

The major issue with shared hosting has always been the same – the availability of security and the fact that this platform can only be so secure.  Without adequate protection, the web host’s server is vulnerable to a wide range of threats including DDoS attacks, malware infection and network intrusion.  You could also be exposed to attacks such as SQL injection, cross site scripting and even the malicious actions of your neighbors on the server.  When your hosting environment isn’t properly secured, you stand the risk of losing the most sensitive of information.

Security is definitely an issue in the shared hosting environment, one that could make the low cost an uneven trade.  The good thing is that several web hosting providers are aware of these vulnerabilities and they are taking the necessary approaches to deliver a secure service.  When looking for a company to host your site, we recommend keeping the following security considerations in mind.

Protection from Thy Neighbor

When assessing the security of a particular web host, you must not only analyze the protection offered against outside threats, but security that keeps you protected against other website owners on the server.  You never know who you’re sharing the server with, as they could be into dealing porn, distributing spam or malicious software.  A few of your next door neighbors just might be prolific computer hackers.  To keep yourself protected in this regard, you should make sure the provider doesn’t allow any unsolicited code to be executed or access to your directories.

Clean Code

One of the biggest threats to your website lies in the code used to build your applications.  When they are not properly scripted, intruders can use them as an entrance to your data and reap major havoc.  You can minimize the possibility of common website exploits by ensuring that the web hosting company offers the latest in development tools whether its PHP and MySQL or ASP and MS Access.  Most importantly, it is up to you to make sure you are coding your applications and web pages in a secure manner.

Security Features

There are also a number of features that will give you an idea of how secure a particular web hosting platform is.  This includes protection for the actual server such as software that defends against DDoS attacks and viruses as well firewalls and network intrusion systems to fend off hackers.  If your site is to involve online business transactions, you will also require SSL support to protect your customers’ credit card information.  When making sure all the vital security issues are addressed, you can better your chances of enjoying a smooth run in the shared hosting environment.