There are a lot of web hosting companies out there. The funny thing is, very few of them offer web design services. If your company website is hosted with one company, and receives web design services from another, consider what options your web designer has for you. There's a chance you can consolodate both services and bring them under one roof - you'll be doing yourself (and your web designer) a big favor.
You'll find that your web designer may provide his/her own web hosting services. Hosting is expensive and extremely high-maintenance, and for this reason many designers do not host in-house. Instead, they rely on the bigger players (like Rackspace or Peer1) to host their servers for them. Yes, you could go American Gangster and go straight to the source to host via Rackspace and Peer1 yourself, but then you're cutting out your designer who's responsible for the support of your website in the first place.
The Top 3 Benefits of Having Your Web Designer Host Your Website:
For these reasons alone, you may want to consider letting your web designer host your website:
1) Security/support:
Having your website hosted by your designer keeps everything under one roof. You'll only have 1 phone call to make if you run into any issues. Your web designer knows your website best and is best-positioned to offer support.
2) Technology:
If your website is more advanced (for example contains a database, Content Management System (CMS), job board and/or data capture forms), you might be creating a headache for yourself if you host with someone other than your web designer. These bells & whistles are often built to run on specific server platforms and software with precise configurations, and not all servers/hosts are created equal. You're better off deploying your website on your web designers server which is already custom-configured and ready to rock.
3) Hosting is a tricky business:
If/when something happens with your website (a server glitch, a virus, downtime, etc) you don’t need 2 vendors (a host and a web designer) pointing the finger at each other. Anything/everything service and support related should fall on your web designers lap, which is how most of us like it. Keep your web designer accountable and responsible for all web site related issues.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Truth About Rackspace Hosting
Rackspace Hosting
This is the second installment of a large series of blog posts regarding the service and support of web hosting companies; including pros, cons, ratings and the ultimate bottom line.
Web designers rely on hosting companies to service and support their website(s). Larger web design companies rely on the "big" web hosting companies service, support, AND infastructur to support DNS servers, ftp servers, testing/production servers, databases and more, in addition to their basic web and email hosting needs.
I've developed on average 4-5 websites per month for over 15 years. By that math, I'm closing in on 1,000 websites. Each website requires hosting, so given my experience I believe I am well positioned to offer some credible (and yes, personal) opinions on several website hosting companies.
Most people use the internet as a platform to rant and voice only negative experiences. I'll try not to be that guy. While I do have negative comments I want to include some positive ones too.
About Rackspace Hosting:
Rackspace was born in the late 90's, and was recently rated one of the Top 100 Places to Work by Fortune magazine, which stands for something. They host 40% or more of the Fortune 100 and are considered by many to be one of the most accredited hosts in the world. When you start looking into Rackspace, you'll read all about their Fanatical Support program. Do not underestimate the importance of support from your web host. The hosting business is all about support, and Rackspace is all about Fanatical Support. Look into it.
Considering Rackspace Hosting? You'll Want to Read This:
Rackspace competitors do a very good job of creating nice websites, fancy banner ads, throwing around 99.9% uptime guarantees, and selling whatever smoke & mirror sorcery they can to convince you they are the best host in the world.
Rackspace doesn't play those games. If you visit Rackspace.com, you'll learn about their Fanatical Support, which is their bottom line and biggest competitive advantage. Take the time to CALL them and have a discussion about their hosting services. You will not be disappointed. If you choose Rackspace, they'll guide you every step of the way (account creation, server setup & configuration, deployment, etc).
The Good Thing About Rackspace Hosting:
Rackspace is knowledgable and reliable. I remember when I hosted my first dedicated server with Rackspace they took the time to point out a few things I could configure, including a secondary firewall, to help secure the server and protect it from intrusion as best as possible. I had never, ever, had such a consultation with any other web hosting company. Rackspace wasn't repsonsible for my server settings, and they didn't have to make these recommendations, but they did because they care. I've contacted Rackspace on several occasions for assitance with things I was sure I'd get charged for (for example, setting up scheduled tasks at the server-level), but they're always happy to help and to this day I've never received a bill for what I'd consider to be service above-and-beyond their SLA (Service Level Agreement).
The Worst Part About Rackspace Hosting:
I thought long and hard about this one. There really isn't a "worst part" about Rackspace, they're a solid hosting company and seem to have all of their bases covered.
Since I committed in this blog to write something from both sides of the fence, I'll mention one reoccuring issue I've had with Rackspace: We host dedicated servers with Rackspace and rely on their support techs to install SSL's for some of our e-commerce domains. For some reason, Rackspace always finds a way to screw up this process.
I suspect that it's one of those things where your growth and size can be one of your downfalls. A simple SSL install request involves several departments: 1) The tech you request help from, 2) The department responsible for delegating who gets what additional/unique IP addresses, 3) The department responsible for SSL and security, and 4) The department/guy tasked with putting it all together (including IIS configuration, DNS updates, etc). Rackspace techs are very dedicated and meticulous, however I believe one of their faults is letting a support request change hands more than what's really necessary.
My Advice to You:
Choose Rackspace. They're a tad more expensive than their competitors, but it's worth every penny. When sh*t hits the fan and you're dealing with a blown router, a DOS attack, a SQL injection attack or the next Nimda Virus, you'll be glad Rackspace has your back. In my years of experience, I have to say that Rackspace Hosting is by far the best host in the world.
This is the second installment of a large series of blog posts regarding the service and support of web hosting companies; including pros, cons, ratings and the ultimate bottom line.
Web designers rely on hosting companies to service and support their website(s). Larger web design companies rely on the "big" web hosting companies service, support, AND infastructur to support DNS servers, ftp servers, testing/production servers, databases and more, in addition to their basic web and email hosting needs.
I've developed on average 4-5 websites per month for over 15 years. By that math, I'm closing in on 1,000 websites. Each website requires hosting, so given my experience I believe I am well positioned to offer some credible (and yes, personal) opinions on several website hosting companies.
Most people use the internet as a platform to rant and voice only negative experiences. I'll try not to be that guy. While I do have negative comments I want to include some positive ones too.
About Rackspace Hosting:
Rackspace was born in the late 90's, and was recently rated one of the Top 100 Places to Work by Fortune magazine, which stands for something. They host 40% or more of the Fortune 100 and are considered by many to be one of the most accredited hosts in the world. When you start looking into Rackspace, you'll read all about their Fanatical Support program. Do not underestimate the importance of support from your web host. The hosting business is all about support, and Rackspace is all about Fanatical Support. Look into it.
Considering Rackspace Hosting? You'll Want to Read This:
Rackspace competitors do a very good job of creating nice websites, fancy banner ads, throwing around 99.9% uptime guarantees, and selling whatever smoke & mirror sorcery they can to convince you they are the best host in the world.
Rackspace doesn't play those games. If you visit Rackspace.com, you'll learn about their Fanatical Support, which is their bottom line and biggest competitive advantage. Take the time to CALL them and have a discussion about their hosting services. You will not be disappointed. If you choose Rackspace, they'll guide you every step of the way (account creation, server setup & configuration, deployment, etc).
The Good Thing About Rackspace Hosting:
Rackspace is knowledgable and reliable. I remember when I hosted my first dedicated server with Rackspace they took the time to point out a few things I could configure, including a secondary firewall, to help secure the server and protect it from intrusion as best as possible. I had never, ever, had such a consultation with any other web hosting company. Rackspace wasn't repsonsible for my server settings, and they didn't have to make these recommendations, but they did because they care. I've contacted Rackspace on several occasions for assitance with things I was sure I'd get charged for (for example, setting up scheduled tasks at the server-level), but they're always happy to help and to this day I've never received a bill for what I'd consider to be service above-and-beyond their SLA (Service Level Agreement).
The Worst Part About Rackspace Hosting:
I thought long and hard about this one. There really isn't a "worst part" about Rackspace, they're a solid hosting company and seem to have all of their bases covered.
Since I committed in this blog to write something from both sides of the fence, I'll mention one reoccuring issue I've had with Rackspace: We host dedicated servers with Rackspace and rely on their support techs to install SSL's for some of our e-commerce domains. For some reason, Rackspace always finds a way to screw up this process.
I suspect that it's one of those things where your growth and size can be one of your downfalls. A simple SSL install request involves several departments: 1) The tech you request help from, 2) The department responsible for delegating who gets what additional/unique IP addresses, 3) The department responsible for SSL and security, and 4) The department/guy tasked with putting it all together (including IIS configuration, DNS updates, etc). Rackspace techs are very dedicated and meticulous, however I believe one of their faults is letting a support request change hands more than what's really necessary.
My Advice to You:
Choose Rackspace. They're a tad more expensive than their competitors, but it's worth every penny. When sh*t hits the fan and you're dealing with a blown router, a DOS attack, a SQL injection attack or the next Nimda Virus, you'll be glad Rackspace has your back. In my years of experience, I have to say that Rackspace Hosting is by far the best host in the world.
The Truth About IX Web Hosting
IX Web Hosting
This is the first installment of what I feel will be a large series of blog posts regarding the service and support of web hosting companies; including pros, cons, ratings and the ultimate bottom line.
Web designers rely on hosting companies to service and support their website(s). Larger web design companies rely on the "big" web hosting companies service, support, AND infastructur to support DNS servers, ftp servers, testing/production servers, databases and more, in addition to their basic web and email hosting needs.
I've developed on average 4-5 websites per month for over 15 years. By that math, I'm closing in on 1,000 websites. Each website requires hosting, so given my experience I believe I am well positioned to offer some credible (and yes, personal) opinions on several website hosting companies.
Most people use the internet as a platform to rant and voice only negative experiences. I'll try not to be that guy. While I do have negative comments I want to include some positive ones too.
About IX Web Hosting:
What I know of this company is they provide a shared web and email hosting service. The setup for each service is done through a do-it-yourself control panel. You can get setup in minutes with a credit card and be on your way to hosting your website with this company. It's not a bad process at all. They're legit, too, I belive a US-owned company operating out of at least Kentucky but likely other States too.
Considering IX? You'll Want to Read This:
If you ever seek help from IX, you'll quickly discover that it's near impossible to reach a certified tech. You'll find yourself in a 24/7 "support" chat environment with either Anatoli, Vladimir or Sergei. These guys are the bottom-of-the-barrel support types that we all hate - they read from a script, make you jump through hoops with Q&A's, send you canned responses from their LivePerson chat software, and then ultimately tell you that they cannot help you and must escalate the issue to other techs. The majority of the time, after this is all said and done, they'll put the onus on you to create the support ticket yourself. This sucks, because you have to start from square one again and reiterate your problem.
The Good Thing About IX Web Hosting:
They're cheap. From my experience they are one of the cheapest hosts around, and their uptime is pretty good. Cheap hosts, like GoDaddy, set theirselves up for exponential growth. It's only a matter of time before this business model turns successful enough to become a hosting powerhouse and invest more money into your infastructure. If IX can hold on and make it, they'll be a serious contender in a few years.
The Worst Part About IX Web Hosting:
When their servers go down, you're better off switching hosts. This is the most logical action as it's quicker than waiting for them to resolve the problem. Their support is so bad, that when they go down they're likely down for days, even a week. My last downtime experience with them was when an email server of theirs got nailed with spam or some time of DOS (Denial of Service) attack and created a massive backlog of email on the server that brought it to a screeching halt. I experienced a similar type of outage with Alentus, who had it fixed within 48hrs, but IX took about a week to fully resolve the issue.
My Advice to You:
If you have one or two low-maintenane websites (such as personal websites) to host, go with IX Web Hosting. If you have many websites (especially client websites) and support is of key concern, do not choose IX.
This is the first installment of what I feel will be a large series of blog posts regarding the service and support of web hosting companies; including pros, cons, ratings and the ultimate bottom line.
Web designers rely on hosting companies to service and support their website(s). Larger web design companies rely on the "big" web hosting companies service, support, AND infastructur to support DNS servers, ftp servers, testing/production servers, databases and more, in addition to their basic web and email hosting needs.
I've developed on average 4-5 websites per month for over 15 years. By that math, I'm closing in on 1,000 websites. Each website requires hosting, so given my experience I believe I am well positioned to offer some credible (and yes, personal) opinions on several website hosting companies.
Most people use the internet as a platform to rant and voice only negative experiences. I'll try not to be that guy. While I do have negative comments I want to include some positive ones too.
About IX Web Hosting:
What I know of this company is they provide a shared web and email hosting service. The setup for each service is done through a do-it-yourself control panel. You can get setup in minutes with a credit card and be on your way to hosting your website with this company. It's not a bad process at all. They're legit, too, I belive a US-owned company operating out of at least Kentucky but likely other States too.
Considering IX? You'll Want to Read This:
If you ever seek help from IX, you'll quickly discover that it's near impossible to reach a certified tech. You'll find yourself in a 24/7 "support" chat environment with either Anatoli, Vladimir or Sergei. These guys are the bottom-of-the-barrel support types that we all hate - they read from a script, make you jump through hoops with Q&A's, send you canned responses from their LivePerson chat software, and then ultimately tell you that they cannot help you and must escalate the issue to other techs. The majority of the time, after this is all said and done, they'll put the onus on you to create the support ticket yourself. This sucks, because you have to start from square one again and reiterate your problem.
The Good Thing About IX Web Hosting:
They're cheap. From my experience they are one of the cheapest hosts around, and their uptime is pretty good. Cheap hosts, like GoDaddy, set theirselves up for exponential growth. It's only a matter of time before this business model turns successful enough to become a hosting powerhouse and invest more money into your infastructure. If IX can hold on and make it, they'll be a serious contender in a few years.
The Worst Part About IX Web Hosting:
When their servers go down, you're better off switching hosts. This is the most logical action as it's quicker than waiting for them to resolve the problem. Their support is so bad, that when they go down they're likely down for days, even a week. My last downtime experience with them was when an email server of theirs got nailed with spam or some time of DOS (Denial of Service) attack and created a massive backlog of email on the server that brought it to a screeching halt. I experienced a similar type of outage with Alentus, who had it fixed within 48hrs, but IX took about a week to fully resolve the issue.
My Advice to You:
If you have one or two low-maintenane websites (such as personal websites) to host, go with IX Web Hosting. If you have many websites (especially client websites) and support is of key concern, do not choose IX.
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