What Is Managed Web Hosting? Key to Stress-Free Hosting

What Is Managed Web Hosting? Your Key Stress-Free Website Hosting

Managed web hosting: What it is, who it’s for, and choosing a hosting provider.

There are a handful of different ways to host your business’s website, each with its own pros and cons.

Managed hosting is by far the most hands-off, stress-free option. 

What is managed web hosting?

With managed web hosting, the hosting provider manages and supports every aspect of the setup, configuration, management, and maintenance of your web hosting. 

The exact services provided vary between hosts but generally include OS updates, patching, regular backups, around-the-clock support, network and hardware management, security measures like spam protection, and server monitoring. 

Basically, managed web hosts handle everything related to keeping customer websites and applications up and running. 

Some companies use managed hosts to avoid hiring in-house web and IT experts to maintain the company’s website. Others like managed web hosting because it frees up time for their internal experts to focus on other things.

Managed cloud web hosting

When people talk about managed hosting, they’re often referring to a single customer leasing a dedicated physical server.

However, you can also get a managed cloud hosting plan where the various servers that make up the ‘cloud’ are hosted on a virtual machine.

Managed cloud website hosting provides all the benefits of managed hosting, including customer support, without the cost of a dedicated server. It’s a fantastic option for companies who want to keep their hosting bills low without risking a technical meltdown.

Does my business need a managed web hosting service?

We hate to be the “it depends” people every time a question like this comes up, but it really does depend. 

Managed hosting is a great option if you want to leave the technical details of web hosting to third-party experts. Many businesses prefer this type of hosting because it frees up resources for other important work.

The alternative is unmanaged web hosting, which is more of a DIY situation.

With unmanaged hosting, you rent a dedicated server or space on shared servers. The hosting company operates and maintains the servers, but you’re on the hook for things like software upgrades, security, patching, monitoring, and responding to issues.

It’s also worth noting that managed hosting providers aim to deliver a stable and secure environment for all users, which can be a detriment to other issues. 

For example, managed hosts sometimes impose certain restrictions in the name of security, like limiting root access. This isn’t a problem for most business websites, but there are scenarios where someone might want to make deep server customizations or changes at the root level. 

With managed cloud hosting, the host can also limit CPU usage, RAM allocation, or concurrent processes to make sure no single site monopolizes server resources.

For the vast majority of customers we’ve worked with, managed web hosting is a fine choice. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that there are companies that benefit from unmanaged web hosting, like organizations that need more control of their hosting environment.

Choosing a managed web hosting provider

When selecting a managed web hosting provider, consider the following:

• Uptime Guarantee: Look for a host that can promise 99.9% uptime or better.
• Support: Look for a host that offers 24/7/365 support.
• Features: Compare all of the features you’ll get, including security measures, backup frequency, and scalability options.
• Pricing: Managed hosting is more expensive than unmanaged hosting, but the time you’ll save can easily make up for the higher initial cost. 

There are tons of web hosting services available. Compare and contrast a few different options, and consider adding Codepoet to your list of possible vendors.

All of our website hosting services are managed, because customer support is a huge part of our business ethos. 

We’re more than a service provider to our customers, we’re a trusted technology partner. We handle the technical details, so you can focus on growing your business and serving your customers better. Click here to get in touch and learn more.