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Hosting
After you develop your website, you will have to decide where to host it. Your files must reside on a web server that is connected to the Internet 24 hours a day. The server can be a computer located in your home or office, or you can use a web hosting service. They take care of the technical details, allowing you to concentrate on publishing your site. Either way, there are pros and cons to consider.
In-House vs. Out-of-House
Web servers are becoming easier to configure and run, but still require considerable time and technical know-how to manage, not to mention the cost of the equipment itself. If you're just starting out, or you have a relatively small site, we recommend that you go with a hosting service. (Your Internet service provider may also provide this service.) It will save you time and money initially. Many individuals and companies start by placing their site with a hosting service. As the site becomes larger and more complex, you can reassess the situation to see if it makes sense to host the site in-house.
With a hosting service you will not have to incur the expense of hardware or software which can run anywhere from US $2,000 to US $10,000 or more, depending on the type of equipment. You also won't have to hire someone to administer the site, although you might want to retain a consultant part-time to help with ongoing maintenance.
If you don't own your own hardware or already have dedicated staff, the difference in costs for your first year can be dramatic. With equipment and personnel, running your own server could cost you US $50,000 or more in the first year; going out-of-house will cost you much less, perhaps only a few thousand dollars. Keep in mind that regardless of whether you do it yourself or go out-of-house, you are still responsible for the cost of generating your own content and maintaining the site.
Costs vary significantly depending on your geographic location and the different packages available from your ISP. Prices are more competitive in larger urban areas. Development and maintenance costs rise dramatically as the size and complexity of your site increases. The more traffic your site generates, the more expensive it becomes to use an out-of-house provider. If your company already has a robust computer system and an in-house system administrator who has the time to administer the site, running your own server might be a better option.
For details on the art and science of webmastering, visit Web Reference. As far as hardware goes, web servers can run on old Macintosh SE's and IBM 486's, but for the best performance, get the fastest processor you can afford.
Another option is co-location. With co-location, a hosting service physically maintains your computer at their site. This is a good option if you can afford to buy your own equipment, but don't want the hassle of maintaining a 24-hour per day, uninterrupted network connection.
Package Providers
Some hosting services offer "turnkey" packages, everything from planning and designing the site to programming and physically maintaining it. If you go with a package deal, evaluate each option carefully. Be sure to get a written estimate with hourly rates and a cap on costs for each phase of the project.
Choosing a Hosting Service
If you decide to go with a hosting service, find a stable, cost-effective, customer-friendly provider. Here are some questions to guide your decision:
How fast and reliable is the connection to the Internet? Do they guarantee 24-hour a day service and support? Do they have uninterrupted power supplies and robust backup systems?
Nothing is worse than spending thousands of dollars to develop a site, then hearing complaints from customers about slowness or server outages. Your hosting service should have at least two high speed connections (T1 or T3) to the Internet. In these days of power shortages, having backup generators is a must.
How long have they been in business? How many employees do they have?
Avoid one-man start-up operations. They are fine if you are looking for a deal for your personal home page. But when it comes to your business, you need an operation that has professional programmers, network specialists and offers responsive customer service.
Do they offer full domain name service (i.e.www.myname.com)?
Some hosting services do not want to go through the trouble of creating the full pathname aliases required to support different domain names. Instead of offering you the option of a www.myname.com domain name, they will offer you something that looks like this: www.lazyhosting.com/myname. This type of URL looks unprofessional, and is usually too long and cumbersome to fit on business cards and marketing materials. (It's also difficult to remember.) If the ISP doesn't offer full domain name service, look elsewhere.
How many megabytes of data storage are you allowed? Are there extra charges for a high volume of traffic to your site?
Look for a provider who offers at least 500 MB of space. Larger sites may require considerably more storage, especially if your site has multimedia content. Most providers charge extra for bandwidth that exceeds a certain threshold. Find out how much data transfer your plan allows each month and what it costs when you exceed the limit.
What kind of traffic log reports does the hosting service provide?
You should receive detailed traffic reports about visits to the site. There is a wealth of data in those files that can help you fine-tune your site to the needs and wishes of your readers.
How will you update your pages? Do you have FTP access?
The most common way to update pages is to edit them on your computer and upload the files to the web server with an FTP program.
Does the hosting service support CGI so you can use forms, database searches and image maps? Does it support FrontPage, Cold Fusion and other applications?
If you want to have forms or image maps on your site you will need to have full access to a cgi-bin directory (the directory where CGI scripts and other executable programs are stored). Most large hosting services offer this.
What are the provisions for security and keeping hackers at bay?
First, keep in mind that your provider is just as concerned about security as you are. The entire business depends on happy customers. Customers will most assuredly not be happy if their data is not secure. Perfect, absolute, and unbreakable security does not currently exist on the Internet. However, you can minimize your risks if you know what to look for in a hosting service. The first question to ask is whether it employs a security expert. If you have special security concerns, ask to speak with this person. If they don't, and this is a big requirement for you, find another provider.
What you want to hear is that they monitor activity on the site 24 hours a day so as to spot suspicious activity before it can cause damage, and they have a program for proactively installing and using state of the art firewalls or other methods of addressing known security problems. The Computer Security Resource Center has a comprehensive website with general information about Internet security.
Good luck with your new website!
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