Small Business Web Hosting

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are one of the marvelous invention in the affordable web hosting industry. It enables customers to save on costs without cutting back on the service they currently get.

Basically, the core idea is that a single physical dedicated server is divided into minimum of four virtual servers, which are still be able to supply all the resources of a dedicated server. This service is the service which lies between shared and dedicated hosting.

The best aspect about VPS hosting is that it is so simple to use that the software & application you install runs with ease. VPS offers an option to add additional resources whenever required, which makes it an ideal solution for many businesses. Hundred’s of websites can be hosted on a single cheap VPS hosting server. Virtual private servers are ultimately known as a cheap hosting uk solution than other hosting services.

Unlike cloud hosting, here the VPS server is the customers responsibility such as sorting out security, getting updates and performing maintenance of your vps. The performance issue may occur as the resources are being shared amongst other vps on the same node.

Whereas, cloud hosting is a kind of service which provides power and resources from a network of servers. Often called the cloud is the planning of computing resources that have been bind together and delivered via the Internet. The customer is enabled to add as much or as little resources as they require without any limitations.

Another benefit is that the billing of the customer is done on the basis of only what they use. Hence, Cloud Hosting is known as an extremely cost-effective and ultimately a reliable solution.

Socail Bookmarking

The Cloud can mean different things to different individuals. But 2 aspects that can be applied globally about cloud is that : Private Cloud is a catalyst not just just for the IT efficiencies, but in a broader perspective, the shared cloud also holds the capability to force changes in other areas of IT as well. Cloud has brought along a major break through for businesses seeking cheaper yet highly efficient IT services.

The IT department of any businesses should have a better understanding about defining and supporting crucial business priorities along-with managing the vendor relationships and internal initiatives.

There are certain questions that must be asked when deploying cloud optimization:

What is the reason for switching to cloud computing ?

The U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as: “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

There are 3 defined categories of cloud services which can be applied internally or externally:

• Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): The cloud hosting provider deliver applications to customers over a cloud infrastructure which can be accessible via. a web browser.

• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): In this type, cloud-provider offers both a cloud infrastructure and applications related tools and resources such as programming languages to an internal or external customer/user.

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): The providers provider cloud infrastructure support to support user requirements for running applications and operating systems.

Socail Bookmarking

A cloud can either be a public cloud or private cloud. A public cloud is a set-up where the services are offered on customer demands. Whereas in a private cloud type of service only a single customer owns the entire cloud similar to a dedicated hosting server. When both these Cloud types are used in combination, it is known as the hybrid cloud. In a hybrid cloud a private cloud is hosted in a public environment.

Generally, the cloud computing has a front-end where the clients can log-in and perform tasks in the back-end which is hosted by the cloud hosting provider. The front-end covers the customer computers and the applications essential for accessing the cloud. Internet is the medium used to communicate between the two.

Below is an elaboration of the different types of Cloud hosting services.

Types of Cloud services:

• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS): As the name itself suggests, in this type of service offering, the Infrastructure is provided as a service. Here the customers application interface access the virtual servers and storage hosted by the provider.
• Platform as a service (PaaS): Platform within the cloud/ shared cloud is a set of applications or software’s that operates on the platform that is hosted in the cloud. The customers can run the applications in the platforms hosted by the cloud hosting provider through the platform or Application Program Interface (API).
• Software as a service (SaaS): In software as a service model, both hardware as well as software infrastructure is offered for usage to customers.
• Hybrid cloud: A hybrid cloud is a cloud computing environment in which an organization provides and manages some resources in-house and has others provided externally. For example, an organization might use a public cloud service, for accessing data but still continue with its maintenance in-house storage for operational customer data. Ideally, the hybrid approach allows a business to take advantage of the scalability and cost-effectiveness that a public cloud computing environment offers without exposing mission-critical applications and data to third-party vulnerabilities.

Related Articles :

• What is the difference between public clouds and a private cloud ?
• An Evaluation of the Private Cloud vs. the Public Cloud
• Understanding Cloud Computing and its effects on current technology

Socail Bookmarking

Since sometime, its been a debating scenario the advent of cloud computing means for the future of enterprise architecture. Few claim that the increasing use of cloud computing would render enterprise architecture obsolete or irrelevant, whereas few have a more moderate approach and see the two developing in tandem.

Though cloud computing might alter the nature of how software’s are used, but it is unlikely to change the requirement for a coherent strategy which would incorporate the business and enterprise targets of any business, hence in-order to achieve this , the enterprise architecture would always be a necessity.

Experts have stated that a shift towards cloud computing, “doesn’t change the underlying reality that there has to be a strategy for putting together all the people, processes and tools that the cloud supports in order to maintain security and reliability.” Yeah it may so happen that the role of an enterprise architect changes.

No matter if the software, data and communication services is supplied by a third party vendor, the fact still remains that the processes for incorporating these will stay with the business itself. May be, there would be a better way to look at the cloud computing revolution is as a tool that would enable more efficient and dynamic enterprise architectures as we move ahead in time.

We must understand that the evolution of Cloud (both Private Cloud as well as Shared Cloud) and Cloud Hosting is inorder to make technological resources further accessible and potentially more affordable web hosting ultimately.

Socail Bookmarking

Many a times it may happen that a bad DNS entry would get cached and it becomes essential to either flush (or clear) the DNS cache to bring things back to normal, or simply hold on until twenty four hours to get dropped from the cache on its own. Instead, there is a way to forcible flush it out from the system.

Here is how you do that :

For Windows users
In the command prompt you must type the command “ipconfig /flushdns” to flush the DNS resolver cache.

C:\ipconfig /flushdns

For Mac OSX

In Mac OSX, you need to type the command “dscachetil -flushcache” for flushing the DNS resolver cache.

bash-2.05a$ dscacheutil -flushcache

For Unix and Linux versions/editions

For Linux, the nscd daemon is responsible for managing the DNS cache. For flushing the DNS cache, you simply need to restart the nscd daemon.
For restarting the nscd daemon, use the command

/etc/rc.d/init.d/nscd restart

Most web hosts offering Virtual Private Server, Cloud Hosting and other Web Hosting UK services would allow you the privileges to flush DNS.

More Resources :

• How to Clear/Flush DNS cache in Windows / Linux / Mac Machines

Socail Bookmarking

With the emergence of smart phones, there are lot of things happening in the web-designing and development arena. Apart from considering only the user experience, the clean codes or the CSS (Cascaded Style Sheets), making a website mobile compatible is one of the most important aspects of website designing and development.

With an increasing volume of users for the mobile phones and the packages that are now being offered by the providers, the demand for a mobile friendly websites is on its peak now a days.

Let us now take a look at the factors which would help you create mobile compatible websites

Fluid Width Layouts

Fluid width layouts are considered to be one of the most important steps for making your website mobile compatible. It enables you with the stretching or shrinking the site as per the browser size. But as a matter of fact,to have a layout that flows with the width of the screen’s resolution is more convenient, more often than not the website was originally laid out for a desktop in mind. To compress a fluid layout to 320 pixels can prove to be fatal for the layout. Hence, it is good to have a mobile style-sheet and laying out the content specifically for that screen and have more control on the display.

One of the best things is to try and identify the type of platform which is connected to the site and disable or alter the tools and effects to make it look a level better.

Keeping the Page size to minimum

When in process of creating your website mobile friendly, it is important that you keep short webpages on your site. Considering the fact that, no matter how large a mobile screen is, its still small as compared to a laptop or a PC screen (monitor). Hence, design your webpage with an intention that the users would require to scroll as minimum as possible. Also, webpages that offer short but to the point information are admired by users, this would further help in decreasing the load time.

Assuming that your website would be accessed by users who do not have mobiles with QWERTY keyboards, for them it would be easier if the have to type less. So, shorter urls can be helpful to users.

Easier Navigation and Search bar

Easy and user friendly navigation structure of any website plays a crucial role in its success. So when designing a navigational structure, make it a point that even the mobile users should be able to easily surf through your website. As far as possible try and keep your webpage content in the center, this should ease users from straining their eyes while reading your webpage. A clearly visible search bar with easily findable function keys can prove useful. Google can be considered to be an ideal website even when accessing it over the mobiles. An easy navigation structure can prove to be useful to users.

When it comes to browsing website with a Mobile, take utmost care when writing the Website Code

Clean code is an important aspect when considering the diversity in the handheld devices. Some cell phones might understand only WAP. While some cell-phones would understand WAP2, which enables rendering websites with XHTML and CSS. Most mobiles won’t display tables, floats, frames, JavaScript, and dynamic menus. Usually, no mobile-phone doesn’t support cookies.

But, with the regular improvements taking place day-by-day in the industry of mobile telephony, some mobile manufacturers such as BlackBerry, iPhone etc are capable of supporting almost anything similar to any computer.

Socail Bookmarking

Below is a step by step description of the steps for configuring the EnableRSS (Receive Side Scaling) and EnableTCPA registry value

1. Go to Start, select Run, then type regedit, and OK.
2. Identify and click the below registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
3. In the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, and insert EnableRSS.
4. Double-click EnableRSS, type 0, and then click OK.
5. On the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, and then type EnableTCPA.
6. Double-click EnableTCPA, type 0, and then click OK.
7. Now exit the Registry Editor, and restart the web hosting server.

Below is a step by step description of the steps that would in configuring the DisableTaskOffload registry entry

Incase you get the RPC errors, following steps can help you get rid of it:

1. Go to Start, then Run, type regedit, and click OK.
2. Identify and click the below registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
3. In the details pane, check if the DisableTaskOffload registry entry exists. If it doesn’t, you need to add the entry. The following steps should help you do so:
   1. In the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value
   2. Type DisableTaskOffload.
   3. Double-Click DisableTaskOffload, type 1, and click OK
4. Exit the registry Editor, and restart the web server.

Socail Bookmarking

In this article, we have decided to provide an information on two types of business hosting in order to be a successful leader in the UK market.

Today in UK, every business has a website offering their services online and world wide. It doesn’t matter whether it is a small business or a large organization, a website is the best way to attract and provide services to the new consumers at their door.

Even if the business is small someday it can become a huge and successful business, thus it is much more essential to be managed properly and the website is accessible 24 hours a day. In order to be accesible 24hrs a day, the website will require a reliable and stable solution, which is usually Dedicated Hosting or Small Business Web Hosting solution.

Normally, Dedicated Hosting is a primary option choosen by most of large businesses. This hosting enables them to have a better and total control over their server configurations and environment. Also, much more responsibilities comes along with the dedicated server, such as administration and technical support. Usually, the client need to have technical knowledge and requires to manage the server.

Although, you can get rid of the server administration tasks by opting the managed hosting. It will free you from the administration tasks and let you to focus on your main business or you can opt for UK Business Hosting which is a complete solution for online buisnesses.

Continue Reading… Safe and Secure Business Hosting in UK – Part II

Socail Bookmarking

Choosing the affordable web hosting company is where we decide on whom to give the responsibility to host our online business or website. It also depends on where our visitors are coming from. And of course, we also need to think about the necessary comfort that a great website requires.

Here we offer a brief guide that will help you to take the decision to choose hosting company that will suit best for your hosting needs.

A web server must provide the website hosting for our website every day and every hour of the year. To do this, the first thing to note is that the provider must be serious and should have an image of continuity. A company must be confident of itself and should ensure that we remain “on air” for a long time which is a good starting point.

Also, the more important the service they offer (but not most expensive) plus we ensure that our website will take the shortest time possible to load once our visitors access it. Therefore, relying on big names in web hosting companies is to ensure an rapid response times in terms of page load. For both visitors and ourselves while working on updates of our website.

Read More : What To Look For While Choosing a Web Hosting provider?(Part II)

Socail Bookmarking

As there are different types of hosting plans available in the web hosting industry, there are different types of management levels available for hosting plans too. There are hosting providers who offer fully managed dedicated hosting plans and there are hosting providers who do not offer any kind of management with the hosting plans and due to this reason, they can be cheaper if compared.

This kind of comparison is mostly seen when it comes to Dedicated Hosting and there are hosting providers who offer Dedicated Servers which are fully managed and some do not offer any kind of management with the servers they offer. The price is ofcourse cheaper, however, it is always better to consider UK Dedicated Servers with full management and few reasons for this are given below.

The best benefit of managed Dedicated Hosting is the fact that it is provided with 24×7 support through several means of communication due to which it is possible for the client to contact the hosting provider i.e. the support department at any point of time. Due to this reason, Dedicated Servers offer better uptime guarantee with availability which is very necessary.

The servers offered are also monitored by the hosting providers in order to make sure that they offer high uptime guarantee. If needed, it is also possible to get help to troubleshoot on the Dedicated Server.

Why Consider Fully Managed Dedicated Servers? (Part II)

Socail Bookmarking