Managed Hosting: A Guide

Managed hosting solutions are relatively new, but worth checking out.  Here we will explain where managed web hosting may prove beneficial for you.

Many people think that there are only two web hosting options available to them. They either do it all themselves in-house or place their site with a hosting company on a shared server. The former option is really only cost-effective for companies with the resources and money to cover the potentially high manpower and equipment costs. The latter web hosting option, however, can suit most small- to medium-sized websites in an extremely cost-effective way. Over the past few years, another web hosting solution has appeared - that of dedicated hosting. And, as this service has developed, we've seen a move towards full hosting management with managed web hosting solutions appearing on the market.

Dedicated hosting took website hosting to another level. Dedicated hosting allows larger websites to be hosted externally rather than have to be managed in-house. These larger websites (i.e. those with a high-volume of visitor traffic) generally need to live on their own dedicated server to function properly. Historically, companies would do this in-house, but with dedicated hosting, they can lease a server for their sole use from a hosting company.

This move to dedicated hosting services has been a boon to many website owners. It offers them the option of having all the advantages of a dedicated service to meet their needs without all the related costs. However, for many people, this still wasn't the ideal solution; not all hosting companies with dedicated plans could or would offer a full range of server and website management options. So, you would still have to manage some of the technical issues, such as server administration, yourself. This is where a managed hosting option can help cut your costs and solve your technical problems.

With managed web hosting, you don't only get to lease a dedicated web server for your site, but you can also choose from a range of support and technical services. These can take care of some or all of your hosting related needs. Services on offer will vary from managed hosting company to company, but most will include managed hosting options such as monitoring, advice, administration, support, security, updates and upgrades, testing, and troubleshooting. Managed hosting allows you to run a dedicated hosting management service in an extremely cost-effective manner and closely mirrors an in-house operation. The difference is, with managed web hosting, you pay a package or component price for the service rather than having to shell out for equipment and the fees and salaries of external and internal technical experts.

As you might imagine, managed hosting plans will be more costly than the option of simply having your site placed on a shared web server. As a rule of thumb (please also note that services offered by web hosting companies can vary greatly here) managed web hosting is really only an option you should be looking at if you have a site with high-volume traffic that needs a dedicated server. For many small- to medium-sized websites managed hosting simply won't be a cost-effective solution in the short-term.

View our list of Top Managed Hosting Companies