At this point in the game, it’s safe to say that almost every business needs web hosting. Whether you’re ecommerce enabled, exclusively web based, or just have a website to feature your services and coordinates, you’re going to need hosting.
But when it comes to choosing web hosting for businesses, it’s important that you get the right blend of capacity (i.e. uptime, storage, and bandwidth) and price-point (i.e. not investing more than you need).
There are two questions you should ask yourself when deciding on the right hosting package for your business. First, where does the web fit into your business model? And how does it fit into that business model?
WHERE Does the Web Fit Into Your Business?
The web can factor into your business in a number of ways. It can be your main revenue driver, it can be an auxiliary perk, or it can fit in anywhere in between.
If your business is entirely brick & mortar, for instance, the web is going to be very much an afterthought in your strategy. This means that the web hosting you need probably doesn’t need to do much more than handle a static site with a few pages related to your services and coordinates. Chances are, shared hosting will probably suffice.
However, if the web is an extension of your brick & mortar presence, and you’re doing business online, then you’re going to need reliable web hosting that can support your needs. This means a hosting package with sufficient bandwidth to handle your traffic and preclude downtime which can translate into lost sales.
Finally, if your business relies on the web for all its revenues, then you’re going to need a customizable, dedicated hosting package that can be tailored to your technology and needs. This means having access to dependable IT staff, and that staff having access to all aspects of your server configuration.
HOW Does the Web Fit Into Your Business?
The way in which the web fits into your business is as important as where it fits in. Basically, it’s a question of your technology.
If your technology is not the core of your business, then you might opt for some kind of cloud or VPS style hosting. If this is you, you’re probably an ecommerce merchant or enterprise level publisher that relies on a third-party CMS to manage your site user-experience. In this case, once that CMS is installed and running, you’ll be most interested making sure that your servers can fluctuate with your traffic trends.
On the other hand, if your technology is the corner of your business, then you have to take your hosting much more seriously. After all, if your hosting goes down, so does your entire business and product. Here we’re talking about companies whose main product offer is some web-based application.
If this is you, then chances are you have an IT team in-house who will be managing your network. This means that you’ll want some kind of enterprise-level dedicated hosting package that can be built out around your need, and that your team can then continually modify as your business needs evolve.
Choosing Your Business Web Hosting
When it comes down to choosing your business’ hosting, rely on the resources you have at hand. If you’re primarily brick & mortar, then ask the guys who designed your site about your hosting options. You might end up paying a bit more a month on the middle-man fees, but it will be well worth it when you can outsource the headaches that come with managing it yourself.
If your business it more web-centric, then you probably have an IT team, so involve them in the decision making process. After all, they’ll be the ones that have to manage your hosting so they’ll know what questions to ask.
