What do you get with Managed Hosting?

Managed Hosting is a type of web hosting, whereby the service provider manages the hosting needs for the customer. This is ideal for those who require complex hosting solutions but do not want to, or don’t have the expertise to, manage it themselves. It is most widely used within business. So, what exactly do you get for your money.

You can expect your website to be hosted on a dedicated server, meaning it will not be shared with other sites. All hosting equipment and hardware will be of high quality. If you wish to, you should be able to have a choice of operating system.

If your hosting is fully managed uptime should be high; at around 99% or more. You are paying for a quality service so any less than this is not really acceptable. There shouldn’t be many problems with the hosting in general, and any issues should be quickly resolved by the service provider. There should be plenty of bandwidth available, although this will depend on the package you choose. With Managed Hosting the overall hosting service should be of a high quality.

Administration is a task that a lot of people would rather not do, and this is often taken care of. Again, this is dependant on the provider and package you choose. This will mean there is even less to worry about.

You shouldn’t have to think about your website’s hosting too much as it is the hands of the experts. The support should be of a high level, which is something many people believe to be the most important part of web hosting and a major advantage of managed hosting. You site will usually be monitored twenty-four hours a day, meaning any issues are spotted and fixed in a timely manner.

There is plenty of technical support and assistance on hand with Managed Hosting. The hosting companies’ employees are experts so have the relevant skills and experience to deal with your hosting. Their expert assistance is especially useful if you are a novice and don’t fully understand web hosting yourself. This is why a lot of people and businesses choose Managed Hosting.

There is plenty of choice as to the package you go with. There are plenty of options available – from fully managed to hosting where only certain aspects are managed. It is important to choose a package that suite your needs and prices vary depending on the package.

Not all companies offer the same services. Different companies define managed hosting differently. Some only managed some areas of you site but still call their service managed hosting, while others offer a fully managed service. It is important to know what service you will be getting before you purchase your managed hosting package.

Andrew Marshall ©

Managed Hosting

A look at safety regulations

These days there are many safety checks on everything we come across. From our workplaces to town centres and any equipment we use, everything is rigorously tested to make sure it is safe for its purpose. Hear we look at some areas where health and safety has an impact.

CAR SAFETY
Car safety has improved dramatically over the last few decades. When the automobile was first used there were no regulations and the industry was still relatively unregulated until half way through the last century. Seat beats have been the most important development in car safety and have been given credit for saving thousands of lives. Car manufacturers started introducing seat belts in the late 1950’s with Volvo the first to do so. They were made compulsory in the front of cars in 1983 but not in the back until 1991. More recently air bags have been introduced by manufacturers. These are not compulsory but almost all new cars now have them installed.

Cars have to go through rigorous safety check to qualify as road worthy, which includes crash tests. Safety records are also used as a marketing tool by manufacturers, with those with the best records selling cars off the back of this. Cars are specifically designed to be as safe as possible. As well as checks before they are put on the road, cars also have to go through an MOT (specific to the UK). This is a group of tests carried out three years after a car is first used, and then every year thereafter. These test decide whether a car is deemed safe for use on the road.

PAT TESTING
PAT Testing stands for Portable Appliance Testing and is the regulatory test that must legally be carried out regularly on portable appliances. A PAT test will give and pass or fail result that will tell the users whether or not it is safe for use. PAT Testing is required for any portable appliances that are in public use. This includes any appliances (including fridges and ovens) that are supplied as part of a rented property, any equipment used in schools or the workplace, and anything that is used by or around the general public.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS
All public buildings are now subject to health and safety checks and regulations. They have to abide by certain rules to make sure the public are kept as safe as possible. Fire prevention methods need to be in operation and there must be sufficient fire escapes that are clearly marked. Any potential dangers, such as slippery floors, also need to marked. Other public areas also have regulations they must abide by.

WORKPLACES
Strict health and safety rules apply to all places of work. They are subject to many of the same health and safety regulations as public buildings. Regulations have been put in place to protect staff, and if applicable, customers. Employees need to be trained correctly so they are able to use any dangerous equipment correctly. Accidents also need to be recorded and reviewed to make sure a similar incident does not occur again if avoidable. Rules vary depending on the industry.

RESTAURANT & OTHER EATERIES
There are strict regulations for restaurants and eateries with regard to hygiene. For example, staff have to wash their hand regularly. Depending on the establishment and the job role specific clothing may have to be worn and other clothing may be banned. Employees with long hair who work in the kitchen must wear a hair net or have their hair tied back. Restaurants are subject to regular inspections and there can be on-the-spot inspections by health and safety officers.

HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CENTRES
Not surprisingly there are many regulations around medical care. It is important that decease is not spread amongst patients so there are many rules to prevent this. Visitors and staff are asked to rub their hands with alcohol to sterilise them. Everything possible needs to be done to keep the risk of spreading infection to a minimum.

Andrew Marshall ©

PAT Testing

Why Choose VoIP for Business

VoIP is becoming an increasingly popular choice for communication as an alternative to the telephone. Some however are still reluctant to switch to a VoIP service as they think that the quality is not that of a regular telephone. This isn’t necessarily the case though, and there are many advantages. This is even more the case when it comes to Business VoIP, especially for businesses that make a large number of calls.

As many people are aware VoIP offers cost savings when compared with landline telephones, and especially mobile telephones. Businesses can save a very significant amount. This is even more the case for businesses that make many long distance calls – this is where the real savings can be made. The premium put on long distance (especially international); calls by telephone providers are not a reality with VoIP. This is because VoIP works via a broadband connection so it is less expensive for the provider and therefore the customer. Many packages are just a flat monthly free for a set, or even an unlimited, number of hours. Therefore making a high number of calls could mean significant savings in comparison with using a regular telephone.

This is why call centres often choose to use this technology. They can base their call centres in countries where labour is cheap and use VoIP so they can call internationally at a reduced rate. Some would say the quality of these calls is sometime poor, but this is due to the broadband connection and not simply the fact that a VoIP provider is being used. A better quality broadband connection would result in better quality VoIP.

Maintenance costs are also often lower. In is inexpensive to set up, especially if simply installed onto a computer. VoIP phones, which are similar to telephones in terms of the user experience and look, are more complicated by still relatively cheap. If you already have a broadband connection, which the majority of businesses now do, then there is no need for an extra phone line to be installed. If you move premises there are no high costs involved.

The call quality of VoIP is traditionally poor and has this reputation. It is seen by many as the main disadvantage. This, however, is no longer necessarily the case. Contrary to popular belief a VoIP service can be of just as higher quality as a normal phone service. As mentioned above, it is dependant on the broadband connection. Poor broadband will mean poor VoIP, but a good quality broadband service will mean a good quality VoIP service.

Unlike landline telephones, VoIP can be portable. With VoIP phones this is not the case, but if installed on a laptop, then as long as you have a broadband connection you will be able to use it. If using wireless the quality will depend on the quality of the internet connection.

All the services that are available with a telephone provider are also available with VoIP. Conference calling is easy to perform and other services such as answer phones and forwarding systems are available. Depending on the VoIP provider and the package you choose, you can get fully integrated business systems and extension for different members of staff.

Andrew Marshall ©

Business VoIP


VoIP provider

Colocation Centre’s – An Overview

Colocation is a type of web hosting service, where clients store their server’s at a Colocation Centre, which is a type of Data Centre. It is becoming more popular all the time as a preferred form of hosting.

A Colocation Centre works by providing rack space for clients to rent. The clients’ server will then be placed into this rack space which they have rented from the Colocation Centre. It is the rack space that is hired, not the server itself. The server and other equipment is owned by the client. It is in their control and they perform maintenance and other tasks and are responsible for the server’s up-keep.

One of the main benefits of storing a server at a Colocation
Centre is that it is cost effective when compared to renting you own server. As the Colocation Centre has several clients they are able to drive the cost down. Another advantage is that certain other things (such as the environment the server is kept in and security) are taken care of so the client doesn’t have to worry about it. The client knows that the server is being kept in a safe place and they to not need to be concerned with providing security themselves.

Measures are put in place to make the servers as secure as possible. Protection against natural disasters and fire is provided, with the server areas being secure and fire proof. Close circuit television (CCTV) is usually provided and there are normally security guards on duty meaning the areas is protected against intruders. If clients were hosting their own server they would need to provide this themselves and this would involve extra costs.

All the necessary power that is required is provided by the Colocation Centre. It may be priced at a set amount per month for power and bandwidth usage up to a certain point. If a client requires extra in a particular month it will usually be provided automatically and they will be billed at the end of the month. This means downtime is less likely to be an issue. Using less that the expected amount of power or bandwidth will mean a reduced bill. There is normally power backup as well. There are generators that can be used in case there is a power failure or a similar problem.

The Colocation Centre’s environment is designed and managed to be the optimum for web hosting. Air conditioning is used to keep the air at the right temperature – usually between 20 and 25C.

At some Colocation Centre’s assistance is available, while at others it is not. This can be an advantage as the Colocation Centre’s employees will have high expertise, something that is especially useful if the client does not have advanced knowledge themselves. This may be part of the package with assistance included in the original price, or it may be an optional extra that can be purchased when required.

Colocation is for those who want control and their server but do not want to host it themselves. It has the advantages of the right environment and protection that hosting it at the clients premises would not provide, while still meaning they can maintain control, something they would not be able to do if it was being completely managed by the hosting company.

Andrew Marshall ©

Colocation

Famous London Streets

SAVILE ROW

Savile Row is famous for its men’s tailoring, in particular men’s suits. In fact, Savile Row is credited for the invention of the term bespoke, as suits were often described to “be spoken for” or “be-spoked” for. The street has often been referred to as the golden mile of tailoring.

Savile Row was first developed in 1695 as part of the Burlington Estate. It had been part of the gardens of Burlington House previous to this. Originally it was named Savile Street. Houses were built on one side of the street, with gardens on the other side and was therefore nicknamed Savile Row, with a row of houses on one side. The name was officially changed in 1810.

Tailors started to play a big part in the area around this time. The first tailors appear on the street in 1785, and over the next fifty years the trend continued. This is what made the area famous. Many Savile Row Tailors have gone out of business or moved elsewhere within London, but plenty still remain and it is still the place many men go for their tailoring.

FLEET STREET

Fleet Street is synonymous with the British Press. The street runs from the east end of the Strand through to Farringdon Street.

In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century the trend for printers and publishers moving into the area began. Later, and more famously, newspapers started to move their offices to Fleet Street. The first daily newspaper to do this was the Daily Courant in the early 1700’s. By the 20th century a large majority of London and National newspapers had their headquarters in the area.

This is no longer the case though, as many of the papers moved out of Fleet Street from the 1980’s. All of the main newspapers have now left and it is now more associated with law practices.

Despite the area no longer being the home of the newspapers, it is still known for this. Fleet Street is still often a collective name meaning the newspapers. If somebody says that “Fleet Street has been saying…..”, it means that this is being said by the newspapers.

HARLEY STREET

Harley Street is world famous for its medical practices. Prior to the 18th century it only consisted of a few houses and was part of the village of Marylebone; not yet part of the City of London. As London grew in the 1700’s century Marylebone became part of London. It was developed into a larger residential area between 1715 and 1720. Around a century later doctors started setting up home in the area, with a number of them setting up practices from their homes. As this trend continued the area became well known in this regard.

Over the 150 years that followed a large number of medical practitioners moved to Harley Street, with one and a half thousand believed to be in the street and its surrounding areas buy the middle of the twentieth century. It had the largest concentration of medical expertise on earth. Today there are still a number of medical practices in the street across a broad range of areas of expertise.

OXFORD STREET

Oxford Street is world famous for its shopping. It is London’s main shopping area, and is the busiest shopping street in Europe. It used to be part of the main road from London to Oxford, hence the name Oxford Street.

The street runs for one and a half miles and is full of shops, with a few restaurants and café’s. It has many major department stores and to be a major player in retail in the UK it is almost considered a must that you have a store in Oxford Street. Most of the best known shops have their main store here, with some having two or three. Oxford Street is known for how busy it can be, especially prior to Christmas and in the post-Christmas sales.

REGENTS STREET

Regent Street is another main London shopping street. In runs north from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Street. It is not as busy as Oxford Street and is different in its appearance with its grand buildings.

Regents Street was one of London’s first planned developments and built in the early 1800’s. Building was completed in 1825 and every building on the street is listed. It is considered more elegant than Oxford Street, and is famous for its Christmas lights.

Andrew Marshall ©

Harley Street Consulting Rooms


Savile Row Tailors

World Crime and Murder Trends

Murder Rates (per 1 million people)

1st Columbia 618
2nd South Africa 496
3rd Jamaica 324
5th Russia 202
24th United States 43
30th Finland 28
40th France 17
60th Japan 5

Crime Rates (per 1 million people)

1st Dominica 114,000
2nd New Zealand 106,000
3rd Finland 102,000
4th Denmark 93,000
5th Child 88,000
6th United Kingdom 86,000
8th United States 80,000
10th South Africa 77,000
31st Russia 21,000
37th Jamaica 14,000
59th India 1,000


Columbia is the world leader in murder rates, with 618 murders for every million people. It is significantly high than South Africa, which is second. Jamaica and Venezuela are the next two with Russia the highest European country with 202 murders for every million. The number of murders in the United States has fallen to 43 per million, but figures for Eastern Europe has generally risen.

In many cases the trends differ for crime rates in general. Dominica has the most recorded crime followed by New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Chile and the United Kingdom.

Although Columbia has the highest murder rate it is not in the top 60 of general crime rates. This is similar with South Africa and Jamaica. These countries have a high amount of drug related crime (although often not reported and therefore not recorded); something that can often lead to disputes and therefore murder. A large proportion of crime in these countries could be attributed to this.

Murder rates are significantly higher in Eastern Europe than Western Europe. Over the last twenty years there has been much political unrest in Eastern Europe, and this is something that can cause crime.

Some countries have high crime rates that would surprise many. Countries that traditionally have had low crime, such as Finland, Denmark and Japan now have higher crime.

Western Europe generally has a low murder rate but a much higher general crime rate. One of the reasons for this could be that a higher percentage of crime is reported. There are also more laws relating to ‘lesser’ offenses. Speeding and littering, for example, are not illegal in many other areas of the world and it is therefore easier to break the law. Research generally shows that areas of wealth have less crime, and this could be another factor. In some ways New Zealand is similar to this. They have a high crime rate, but low murder rate, with a large proportion of crimes being minor ones.

The United States murder rate has fallen significantly, but overall crime remains relatively high, much like Western Europe. Murder is still more common though, with the fact that guns are legal and easily obtainable likely to be a contributing factor. Violent crime has been reduced though, and this is partly due to greater effort being made by the authorities. New York is a good example of this, with crime rates, and especially violent crime having fallen by a large margin over the last ten to fifteen years.

Crime rates are extremely low in India and China. Some would argue that these areas have high morals and therefore lower crime. You could also argue though, that there are more severe punishments for crime, and therefore it is less worth the risk.

Andrew Marshall ©

Criminal Solicitors London

Statistics from www.nationmaster.com

World Divorce Rates and Trends

Divorce is rising all around the world. There are, however, some places where it is still fairly rare. Generally divorce has become more acceptable but there are trends as to which countries it is more common in. Some geographical areas seem to have higher divorce rates than others while different lifestyles seem to have their impact as well.

India and Sri Lanka are the two countries that have the lowest divorce rates, around one and one and a half per cent respectively. In this part of Asia divorce is still very rare, although it is more common in South East Asia. In India, for example, arranged marriage is still fairly prominent although not as common as it once was. Divorce is not deemed as acceptable as it is in other cultures and therefore many either make a concerted effort to work through relationship problem or remain in unhappy marriages. This is much less common in parts of Europe and North America. There are two ways of looking at this. It might be considered a positive that people do not get divorced as soon as any problems occur in a marriage, something that is considered by many to be a negative of the American family law system, where it can be very easy to obtain a divorce should you wish to. However it could also be considered a negative if people remain in unhappy marriages just because they feel that it is wrong to divorce.

No European countries have anywhere near the same low divorce rates. The lowest divorce rates in Europe are Macedonia and Bosnia with five per cent, nearly five times more than India. Much of the rest of Europe have much higher rates than this. There is a similar trend in North America. Sweden and the United States have the highest divorce rates, both with nearly fifty-five per cent of marriages ending this way. Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia, have particularly high rates. As mentioned above Sweden has the worlds highest, with Finland, Denmark and Norway all at over forty per cent. Other European countries such a Luxembourg, Belgium, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and France also have a high rate of divorce.

Although many of the statistics in Europe are high the Mediterranean countries do not follow this trend, with Italy, Spain and Greece having less divorces than most of the continent. This could be due to their lifestyles. Much of their culture revolves around the family, with large families often spending a large amount of time together. Due the importance put of family values, divorce may not seem as much of an option to those in these countries.

Andrew Marshall ©

Divorce Lawyer London


Divorce Solicitors London