Website hosting usually involves basically renting space on a
�server� or another computer set up to publish the content of
your website onto, providing fast and safe methods for your
customers to retrieve the information from, for viewing on their
computers. The numbers of available packages are staggering, and
frankly overwhelming to try to sort through for the best choice.
Prepare yourself for creative applications of the word �free�, a
lot of size-comparisons about bandwidth, hard drive space, page
hits, etc. While the hosting specs definitely should matter,
most basic hosting plans are going to be enough to support any
basic website. The more imminent concern with choosing your host
should be the fact that you�re going to entrust them a lot more
than you may realize up front. Of course, your information is
important. But hey, you WANT people to see it, right? Then,
there�s your customers� information. And then there�s little
things like the fact that small business servers have opened up
such a gaping security threat for user bad guys (hackers,
terrorists, etc.) to �relay� anonymously across hundreds of
these small business hosting servers. This is a real threat
developing at an epidemic measure. Further information can be
seen at The United States Cyber Emergency Response Team�s site.
Then, of course, there�s those other nagging issues like
viruses, worms, SPAM, and online casinos to contend with, now
layered with the new wave of intelligent spy and adware � ALL of
these things run a pretty solid DEFINITE likelihood of
interacting with your server. The integrity of whatever company
you choose for your hosting services may easily be the
determining factor of whether you CAN stay online. Check these
guys out before getting stuck with a company that turns out to
be the world�s largest distributor of male enhancement products�
targeting the valued customer list you unknowingly provided
them. Do they just pass you on to another actual hosting company
while they monitor your web traffic? What safeguards have they
put in place to protect YOU?
About the author:
Chairman, GeorgiaNewBusinessAssociation.com; Co-Founder,
SouthernSites.net
