Describe differences between hosting services

To be able to understand the differences between hosting services, one must first understand what the term ‘hosting’ means. Hosting offers a variety of services to support a website which requires hardware, software, an internet connection and an administrator. Hosting allows businesses and individuals to have content on the web and is housed in data centers. As the level of hosting service increases, so does the cost. There are four forms of hosting:

• Shared Hosting
• Co-locatio
Hosting
• Dedicated Hosting
• Cloud Hosting

A shared web-hosting service tends to be the most common and least expensive of the forms because all domains and users will share a common pool of server resources and reside on one server connected to the Internet. Each account will share the same hardware, software and network connection. The customer maintains their account and their website while the shared host manages everything else. There are a few risks which include low security and limited performance.

Co-location hosting offers flexibility. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) supplies network connection and physical space. Essentially, Co-lo hosting makes available a steel server locker and high-speed, guaranteed bandwidth, along with a local area network connection. It allows users to interconnect to a variety of telecommunications, and other network service provider(s) with minimal cost and complexity. Co-location hosting is popular because of the time and cost savings a company can incur as a result of using shared data center infrastructure. Significant benefits of scale (large power and mechanical systems) result in large co-location facilities, typically 50,000 to 100,000 square feet. With IT and communications facilities in safe, secure hands, telecommunications, internet, ASP and content providers, as well as enterprises, can enjoy less stress and the freedom to focus on their core business.

Dedicated hosting is a data storage service in which the client rents their own server from the hosting provider. It is the most secure type of storage because the server is not shared so no one else can gain access. Dedicated servers are most often housed in data centers. You might need a dedicated host when a large number of traffic comes to your site. It’s good for companies with mission critical e-commerce, interactive sites, multiple websites, high speed and significant data transfer requirements, a unique software need, and a limited technology staff.

Lastly, unlike shared and dedicated hosting, which are limited to a single server, Cloud hosting allows for access to multiple servers. Because of the possibility to connect to multiple servers, there is unlimited processing power. Essentially, cloud hosting is ‘a massive computer infrastructure that people tap into from their local computers’, much like with Google or Yahoo. Some of the benefits of Cloud hosting include agility, reduced overhead costs, universal accessibility, reliability, scalability, maintenance and metering. A risk of Cloud hosting lies in security.

Be sure to do your research and choose the right host and data center for your needs.