The Challenge of Web Hosting
What Insiders Are Saying About Their Services
By Yvonne L. Lee
It used to be that to put up a Web site, all you had to do was find a high-powered machine with a redundant connection to the Internet backbone. Now, with a plethora of service and prepackaged options -- not to mention an explosion of hosting resellers coupled with the Internet service providers who offer hosting -- choosing the right place to house a Web site can be a major task.
Today's Web-hosting offerings can involve a choice of operating systems, e-commerce packages, database access, RealNetworks servers, CGI scripts, SSL servers, and credit-card verification and Web-based remote-control applications. (See "
Online").
The good news is that despite the large number of options, making the right decision boils down to a series of binary (either/or) choices. Each option will result in a different level of control and power, balanced against ease of use.
The first decision is whether to host the Web server at your own facilities or on the hosting company's. If you decide to host the server at your own facility, you'll incur all the responsibility for maintaining the machine, its data, and the connection. Of course, if you've decided to host the server yourself and you're completely satisfied with that decision, you probably aren't reading this article.
The overwhelming majority of sites are housed at hosting companies. After all, not every business has the time and expertise to take on the responsibility of making sure the server doesn't overheat, stays powered up, and maintains its connection to the Net.<>
