Types of Web Hosting

There are many different Web Hosting options available. Three of these are Shared Hosting, Managed Hosting and Colocation Hosting. This article looks at these three hosting options and there advantages and disadvantages.

SHARED HOSTING

Shared Hosting is where different sites share a server provided by a hosting company. This is the most basic hosting option and also the cheapest.

The main selling point of shared hosting is the cost. As the server is shared between different servers the hosting company can split the cost between all of the clients using the server. This option is suitable to small businesses that do not have the requirements of a more advanced type of hosting. Multiple software options are available with Shared Hosting.

There are restrictions though. The flexibility of other hosting types are not available. There is restriction to the amount of bandwidth available. The amount of bandwidth and RAM that is available is shared between all of the sites sitting on the server and therefore is limited. Although there is technical support there is a limit to the amount of support clients will get from the hosting company.

Due to the price, Shared Hosting is the best option for many businesses. If it is only basic web hosting that is needed, shared hosting is sufficient. For those who require more from their hosting, though, the service provided by Shared Hosting may not be enough.

MANAGED HOSTING

With Managed Hosting a client leases an entire server from the hosting company. Therefore they effectively have their own server to host their site on. The server is still owned by the hosting company but it is not shared with any other websites.

Managed Hosting is most suitable for large websites that expect a high amount of traffic or require large databases. It is much more powerful than a shared server and there are almost an unlimited amount of software solutions. The amount of bandwidth available is also much higher. The client can have multiple domain names on the server if required. One of the main selling points is that the client has full control over the server, although there is still support available from the hosting company.

One of the main disadvantages of Managed Hosting is that it expensive. As a whole server is being rented, the cost is quite high. More knowledge is also required when compared to Shared Hosting. Although there is much support available, knowledge of hosting is required to get the most out of Managed Hosting.

COLOCATION HOSTING

Colocation is when a client has their own server, but they store it at a colocation centre owned by the web hosting company. Colocation host’s rent rack space for companies to use for their servers. In many ways it is the same as a client hosting their own website except the server is stored elsewhere.

Colocation has many of the same advantages as if the client hosted their own website. They own the server so they can do with it as they please. They have full management of the server. With Colocation there tends to be high bandwidth availability and high uptime, although it is still limited compared with Managed Hosting. Colocation centres have high security and a controlled environment suitable for hosting needs.

Price wise Colocation is quite expensive, although cheaper than Managed Hosting. A client has to purchase their own server and then rent rack space on top of that. The skills level required to run the server is high. As the client owns the server they have to sort out any problems themselves and the support available is fairly limited, although there are sometimes packages available which come with support.

Colocation is mainly for anyone who wants to run their own server but do not have the space or budget to run it from their own premises. They therefore can store it at a Colocation centre, while still being in control.

Andrew Marshall ©

Managed Hosting