Why a web site, and why web hosting?Imagine having a filing system that could withstand a nuclear war. Hmm, I wouldn't like to prove it, but in theory that is what the Internet could resist with its virtual existence. If you transfer files of information around the Internet, operating in virtual space, it would be difficult to lose that information if you had a mind not to. Possessing a website has advantages for many varieties of users; serving a range of different purposes. For example, Net presence is of enormous benefit to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Conventional filing systems, where everything is stored as a hard copy, are cumbersome, and space consuming. With a website, all existing documents can be transferred one way or another, to the Internet and neatly organized using 'hyperlinks' (virtual pathways) for quick, easy reference. You no longer need to waste your time digging through a mile high pile of paper to find what your looking for, with your own website all it takes is the click of a 'mouse'. A website wouldn't only save you space and time, but cost too. The Internet is worldwide and a website can be used as a powerful promotional and marketing tool, viewed by prospective clients around the world. One can see what you offer in Hong Kong and Madrid at the same time. Imagine the money you'd save on promotional printing costs. Your website could reach the four corners of the globe and be available 24 hours a day. There is no longer a need to allocate high budgets to printing promotional material for prospective clients, they are able to access the information instantaneously, and download what they need. Imagine, neatly organized links that move you, quickly to your destination. A website is your identity on the Internet, kind of like an interactive 'business card'. It can be the prospective client's first point of contact, presented by a knockout, easily updated, design, your site can sell you, your products and your services. Once you have organised your web site and patted yourself on the back, that you have made your first flight into 'cyberspace', your next step is to have somewhere to 'dock' it, a place to put your website. A place such as M6.net - http://www.m6.net a 'web host' a place to 'host' your web site. A web hosting company provides a space for you to put your web page documents (FrontPage, Dreamweaver files), images (gifs, jpgs), and more advanced pages such as ASP's, those pages that have intelligence behind them creating such items as forms, news, bbs, chat; interaction. If the Host is clever enough, friendly, supportful; it will offer a whole range of facilities, that you or your webmaster can take advantage of, to create an interactive, humanised, mechanised and automated business presence, on the Internet. For businesses in the new millennium there is no future without an Internet presence. Trade costs will lower; communication will get smarter and faster. Reliability will be greater. Thus there will be a vast gap between businesses with Net presence and those without. Every one will have a presence on the Internet some day, wether it is a corporate business, Aunty Flo's bric-a-brac stall, or the family's photo library. Alec Ellis m6.net - www.m6.net GloPro - www.glopro.com
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Choosing The Wrong Server Will Literally Make Or Break You
Rich Hamilton
Choosing The Wrong Server Will Literally Make Or Break Youby: Rich Hamilton
Choosing the right web server will be one of the most important decisions you will ever make with your online business. Why? Because the web server you choose will literally make or break your online business.
Today I am going to talk about two types of servers, one is Virtual Web Hosting and the other is Virtual Private Servers.
Over the last couple of years Virtual Web Hosting has been the only way to go when choosing a web server. One of the reasons that Virtual Web Hosting became so popular was because they supported the necessary files and allowed you to have more freedom than other conventional web hosts. But now you can have more freedom than ever before with Virtual Private Servers. Moreover, Virtual Private Servers should not be confused with Virtual Hosts, because they are completely different.
Before I go any further I must explain what the difference is between a Virtual Host and a Virtual Private Server, so that you can fully understand. In this article I will also go over the advantages and disadvantages of both types of servers, to help you decide which is right for you and your business. Let's get started with Virtual Hosting.
Virtual Hosting
Virtual Hosting is also known as Shared Web Hosting, where you are sharing the physical server and a single set of software applications with other users. Virtual Hosting has been extremely popular in the past for it's fast deployment, strong resources, and most importantly for having a very reasonable price. Another advantage to Virtual Hosting is that you have a powerful, reliable, and professionally managed server without having to have advanced technical skills, making it ideal for an individual, small business, or even a beginner webmaster.
The disadvantage of Virtual Hosting is that you are sharing the server with other users, which are configured and controlled by an administrator, not you. So basically you have your hands tied behind your back, because you have to contact the administrator everytime you have to adjust or change your configuration settings. Even if you managed to get a hold of the administrator, they may not fulfill your request. It's up to them, they are the administrator. If you were the administrator you wouldn't have these limitations and would have full control.
Virtual Private Servers
Virtual Private Servers are a hot topic these days and for a good reason. Before I get into the advantages of a Virtual Private Server, let explain what it is first. A Virtual Private Server is a single server that is partitioned at the root into multiple dedicated servers. This allows you to share the cost of the network connectivity, hardware, and system maintenance with other hosting customers, while maintaining your flexibility and freedom.
The real advantage of Virtual Private Servers is that they allow you to have complete control and they have the security advantages of a dedicated server at the fraction of the cost. You have access to the virtual root, Telnet, web configuration files, and full CGI-BIN access. I can't forget to mention that you also have access to your password, aliases file, and sendmail configuaration file. For many reasons you can see that a Virtual Private Server is an excellent solution for small to medium size businesses that have an increasingly complex needs.
Moreover, there is one disadvantage with Virtual Private Servers, you need to have some program knowledge to control and configure the settings. Sounds overwhelming, most businesses that offer Virtual Private Servers have very detailed manuals making them easier to configure and control no matter what your program level is.
Which one is right for you? Well, that all depends on you and the size of your network.
If you have or plan on having just one web site and have absolutely no programing knowledge, then Virtual Hosting is the recommended and economical way for you to go. A Virtual Host can cost anywhere from $20 - $50 a month for an account, rather than a $100 or more for a Virtual Private Server.
On the other hand, if you have a larger network that requires multiple web sites, like ours, and you have some programing knowledge, then a Virtual Private Server is ideal for you. You can host up to 50 web sites on a Virtual Private Server account, instead of having multiple Virtual Hosting accounts, which is not as economical.
When it comes time to get a web server, make sure that the server fits your needs and that it supports the essential software for a prosperous online business.
Rich Hamilton Author of: "Inside Internet Marketing" www.InsideNetMarketing.com
HostingChecker.com - help for all your web hosting needs.
Article may be republished if this portion is not removed.
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Handling Your Email Addresses--Company Email Addresses--
Web hosting companies should provide company email accounts for each person in your company. Email addresses should appear like this:
yourname@domain.com
lester@definiteweb.com
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