As a business owner, you understand that having a website or application is essential to success. What you may not realize, however, is that behind-the-scenes infrastructure is just as important. Whether you run an eCommerce site or a development agency with multiple web apps, servers play a crucial role.
More and more businesses are using public cloud providers for their server needs. However, these services can be complex and time-consuming to manage, especially for small businesses with limited resources. This is where we come in.
What is Managed Hosting?
Managed hosting is a kind of web hosting where an entire server is dedicated to host a single website or application. This is in contrast to shared hosting, where one server hosts multiple websites. Although managed hosting is often more expensive, it offers greater personalization, security, and flexibility.
Managed hosting takes websites to the next level by giving businesses the option to lease dedicated hardware from a service provider, including servers, storage, and networking hardware. Because you have sole use of these resources, it’s referred to as a single-tenant solution.
As a business owner, you need your website to be available 24/7, but the process of maintaining one yourself and ensuring uptime is costly and time consuming. This is where the magic of managed hosting comes in.
Managed hosting offers a variety of services including OS updates, network infrastructure and hardware monitoring, basic security measures (e.g. virus and spam protection), and more. This way, you can focus on running your business and leave the hosting to the experts.
Managed hosting is a great solution for anyone who wants to improve their website without investing the extra resources.
The Tradeoffs of Unmanaged Hosting
While managed hosting promises a hassle free experience, unmanaged hosting leaves you responsible for administering the server remotely. This includes, but is not limited to keeping up with software upgrades, patching, security, and monitoring
Even though you’re spending valuable money renting space from a hosting company, managing your own website is largely a do it yourself experience. Hosting companies are only responsible for maintaining the physical environment of a server, leaving you to fend for yourself when it comes to protecting your investment.
The Consequences of Unmanaged Hosting
Leaving your website in the hands of unmanaged hosts can have disastrous consequences, like your server going down, making your customer base unable to access your website.
While this is a nightmare scenario, it’s far from the last problem that can arise. Other common issues include:
🔹 Slow-Loading Website
When your website’s loading speeds are slower than usual, you risk a drop in lead pipelines, resulting in high bounce rates..
🔹 Cyber Security Vulnerabilities
Cyber exploits hit your company hard, causing major problems that could have been avoided had