Considerations You Must Make Before Buying Managed Dedicated Server Plans

Regardless of the size and scope of your business, selecting the ideal dedicated server is imperative when it comes to ensuring all customer experiences are of the highest quality. While you may be aware of the importance of a managed dedicated server plan, with the sheer amount of service providers on the current market, the task of selecting the best provider is much easier said than done. In order to assist in this challenging task, there are several primary considerations you must take into account before you make your final decision.

Consideration #1 – Fully Managed Plans

Unlike shared hosting accounts, dedicated server plans are complex and require near-constant attention to ensure it operates as it should. Perhaps the most common and effective solution to this situation is to purchase a fully managed hosting plan. Ultimately, this means that the hosting provider agrees to fully manage your server for you. Although there are several options when it comes to selecting a fully managed dedicated server, there are several essential coverage areas you should look for, which include:

1.) Server Monitoring
2.) Storage Management
3.) Database Management
4.) Automatic Backups
5.) Comprehensive Server Security

Consideration #2 – Data Centers

Perhaps the most important element to uncover before you purchase a dedicated server plan is to determine where and what kind of data center facility the server will be housed in. The geographical location of the data center is imperative. Along with ensuring the server is local within the United States, there are several other elements you must discover, which include:

1.) Power Redundancy
2.) Bandwidth Redundancy
3.) Cooling System Infrastructure
4.) Physical Security
5.) Projected and Experienced Downtime

Consideration #5 – Server Speed

The most essential aspect of your server is it's speed. Determining if your website is fast enough with a tool like this one is recommended for any webmaster or network administrator. There are many authoritative resources that analyze web host speed, reporting the results in a detailed manner. A recommended page to review is http://webhostingprof.com/fastest-web-hosting-providers/ which tests web hosts from the US as well as internationally, so you can make an informed decision about what network is most important to you and your hosting needs. Typically, web host speed is determined by three main factors: hardware components, distance from an internet backbone (latency), and distance from the root server to the end user. Your domain registrar and DNS provider is also an essential chain in determining the speed of your website. Be sure to carefully vet any web host, and run an external website speed test on some of their hosted sites before purchasing.

Consideration #4 – Remote Server Reboot

Another essential consideration you must make when it comes to choosing a dedicated server is whether or not you can force a server reboot from a remote location. You should be given the opportunity to reboot the server without having to physically contact the server provider. This ensures maximum control when it comes to performing server maintenance and software updates – which are imperative if you’re operating a large-scale website.

Consideration #5 – Availability of a CDN

A Content Delivery Network, or CDN, is one of the most efficient and effective ways to deliver content to users across the world. In our modern digital world, Internet users have very little patience for website loading times. Therefore, a CDN interface can significantly reduce load times and increase responsiveness. It’s imperative that your server provider offer CDN capabilities within your actual package. Although there are third-party CDN providers, the sheer cost of having a dedicated server should include a CDN option to help keep your overall operational costs as minimal as possible.

A Brief Overview of Cloud-Based Website Hosting

Within the modern digital world, there’s a buzz going on around cloud-based website hosting. If you've spent any time looking for a new hosting provider, you've likely run across information proclaiming the wonders of cloud-based hosting. While this is becoming a popular solution for digital enterprises of all levels, because it’s so new, few people actually understand what this level of hosting actually is.

If you’re interested in learning more about cloud-based website hosting providers and what it can do for the productivity of your business, then you should continue reading. You may just find that this advanced form of website hosting is exactly what you've been searching for.

Cloud-Based Website Hosting Defined

In the most fundamental explanation, cloud-based hosting is a form of web hosting that calls upon the resources of numerous servers that are clustered together. Basically, this means that your website utilizes multiple servers to accommodate the various demands of your website. Unlike shared hosting, which uses a single server for multiple websites, cloud-based hosting utilizes multiple servers to ensure your performance, uptime and security is never compromised. Advanced-level websites that operate numerous high-performance applications and web elements find cloud-based servers are ideal as they allocate the necessary power to keep their site running at an optimum pace.

Who Needs Cloud-Based Hosting

In the most generalized sense, cloud-based website hosting is ideal for digital enterprises that have outgrown their current shared hosting plans. This typically happens when a website grows in popularity and experiences a massive growth in daily visitors. Another common reason to upgrade to a cloud-based server is when a website is redesigned to utilize a variety of high-performance applications and databases. Many customers find that cloud-based hosting offers the same level of performance and flexibility as a dedicated hosting provider without the need to constantly upgrade and monitor the server performance.

The top shared WordPress web hosts are Dreamhost, Bluehost, HostGator, Siteground and GoDaddy. Dreamhost is a bit cumbersome, and really specializes in VPS platforms. Both Bluehost and HostGator are great options, and very similar in their feature-sets. Siteground is great, but a more premium host, and GoDaddy is a solid middle player as explained here. It is recommended that you consider Bluehost or HostGator if this will be your first hosting purchase. For more details on these web hosts and others, visit Web Hosting Prof.

Servers Grow With Your Business

It should come as no surprise that web-based businesses are experiencing exponential growth. The modern consumer is slowly moving away from traditional shopping experiences and are turning to digital enterprises to purchase products and services. The biggest issue many web administrators experience is the lack of scalability when it comes to traditional shared hosting accounts. However, when you have a cloud-based hosting provider, you’re able to instantaneously expand and allocate additional resources as your business grows. The best part is this expansion doesn't require server downtime or lengthy upgrades. In many cases, additional resources can be allocated to your server with  a click of a button and the entire upgrade process is as quick as a few minutes.

Should You Have a Website and a Facebook Account

 
When it comes to making an impact within the digital marketplace, you may think it’s as easy has hosting a website and putting up a couple of blog posts per week. While these are two essential elements, they aren't the end-all to ensure digital success. Within the modern digital marketplace, establishing a business Facebook account is by far one of the most influential steps to solidifying your online presence.

The Importance of a Business Facebook Account

While establishing a business Facebook page won’t guarantee any level of success, it is an important building block. Because this social media platform is utilized by over a billion individuals throughout the world, the possibility of growing your business awareness is practically limitless.

The proliferation of Facebook has given a platform to millions of businesses that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. As with any social network site, Facebook can give your business the extra reach a website alone can’t give you. It can help you promote a product or service and create genuine connections with your target demographic without costing you a dime. The features and capabilities of Facebook provide you with a unique ability to become creative and develop your online image that’s rich and filled with personality. Within the demanding digital marketplace, this is key for true, lasting success.

However, you shouldn't rely on Facebook alone to accomplish these tasks. The biggest problem with social media platforms is the lack of ownership and control. At any moment, the site can alter its policies, lose essential data or even go out of business. Therefore, if you rely solely on Facebook or any other social media platform as your sole means of the customer outreach, you’re setting yourself up for unnecessary risk.

This being noted, it’s an excellent addition to your entire digital infrastructure. A website administrator should think of the actual website as the foundation of a business while social networking sites, such as Facebook, are the walls and decoration. Remember, the foundation of your online presence should always be within your own control. However, to truly maximize your digital fingerprint, you can use social media platforms.

When doing so, it’s important to follow these simple guidelines:

Retain Uniform Voice – The voice of your brand should be universal across all digital platforms. Continuity is paramount to solidify your brand and outreach.

Create Personality – As a website administrator, you should strive to cultivate a unique personality for your brand. Social media sites are excellent platforms to refine and solidify this level of your business.

To sign up for a Facebook business account, go here.