Website Hosting
The hosting of your website is another one of the very important decisions you make for your business. If you website is down, because something has happened to the host, suddenly your gateway to the world ceases to exist.
So how can a site go down:
- the server may also be used for the websites emails, and it may be hit by a spam email attack that drags down the server and any websites on it
- there may be a vulnerability in any of the software packages on the server, that lets people into the backend of the website and creates processes that use up all the server resources - ie the hackers may use the server to send out millions of spam emails...
- your website may suddenly get very popular due to a mass Facebook "like" fest that sends people to your site to check something out.
- at the host end, there are also many issues. Hardware can break down. Power can be compromised. People could break in, and vandalise the hosting company, telecom gateways may go down...
It is up to a competent hosting company to have answers for as many of these situations as possible.
- backup power generators
- spare on hand hardware
- fallover devices and switches that move traffic to other operational parts of the network
- security systems
- alternate power companies and telecom companies permanently available to switch to if one provider fails
- firewalls that stop bad traffic that could bring down servers
- having mail on separate servers to websites
- ...
One such provider is hd.net.nz, a provider I have been with for a number of years and have had less trouble with than any provider I have been with in the past. Check them out.