This question is often asked by both newcomers and seasoned professionals, alike .  The ambiguity lies more in the Hosting providers ability to deliver additional managed services, than with its unclear definition.

Simply put, Managed hosting is a form of Dedicated hosting, where a hosting company undertakes the upkeep and management of a server (normally a Dedicated Server), its operating system and a number of critical applications which allow it to serve webpages or function within its core role, typically a web Server Hosting a website. The servers and devices are owned by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or hosting provider and leased by a single client only. Unlike standard Dedicated Hosting, the ISP manages the day-to-day management of hardware, operating systems and standardized applications

Typically built into Managed Hosting are technical services such as hardware and software setup and configuration, maintenance, hardware replacement, technical support, patching, updating and monitoring. Also available, usually at additional cost, are advanced services like vulnerability scans, DDoS attack mitigation, data backups, load balancing, firewalls, intrusion detection and more

Ideally when selecting your Managed Hosting provider, you should be sure that they are someone you can trust and have a good relationship with.  Three of the most important benchmarks to consider for managed hosting companies are:

Reliability

Most companies now have this under control, but it’s always important to check up.  Reliability usually applies to their network and connectivity.  At Netcetera, we guarantee that our network will be available 99.9% of the time. Many companies offer this but not many have gone to the extent of having a fully Gigabit switched network, Multiple separate backbone providers, redundant routers and fibre coming in at multiple points to the building.

Support

The responsiveness of the support team as well as their technical ability are also critical factors.  Netcetera’s award winning Support Team are available 24/7 and are committed to helping individuals and businesses get the most out of our hosting service.

Hardware

Hardware is also an important factor in performance and Netcetera’s range of Virtual and Dedicated Servers offers reliability, power and independent management, from an easy to manage control panel. Various packages are available to suit all businesses.

Netcetera offers a full range of hosting options, depending on your organization’s needs. Whether you’re launching the next hit blog or creating an online shopping empire, Netcetera’s range of Managed Hosting options cater to your needs. We are perfect if you’re promoting a new business venture, launching a full e-commerce shop, blog or small business portal. Our UK based hosting packages can help create a professional backbone for your online business.

To find out more about Netcetera’s innovative products, contact our friendly Sales Team.

Netcetera are proud to announce that we have enabled SSL on our Webmail.  This is an important improvement since it ensures secure transactions between web servers and browsers.

Please follow this link to access the secure webmail at https://mail.netcetera.co.uk

So what is is SSL and why do I need it?

SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer, an encryption technology that was created by Netscape. SSL creates an encrypted connection between your web server and your visitors’ web browser allowing for private information to be transmitted without the problems of eavesdropping, data tampering, or message forgery.

Contact the Netcetera SalesTeam today to find out how we can help you, if you are looking at adding SSL to your own site.

We are very proud to announce that Netcetera is ranked as the Most Reliable Windows Hosting Company worldwide for the month of July 2011, by Netcraft.

This is a great achievement for Netcetera as the ranking is measured against the world’s top Hosting companies.

From a customer’s perspective, the percentage of failed requests is very important and for this reason the ranking is measured by a table of fewest failed requests, rather than periods of outage.

Netcetera was formed in 1996 and today is one of Europe’s leading Web Hosting service providers, offering a full range of products, from a basic hosting service catering to individuals who need to host a single website, to large companies who require more complicated setups using, for example, our latest Managed Windows Cloud Server, a Virtual Machine or a Dedicated Server. Whatever your hosting requirements, our range of Managed hosting options will provide you with a solution, and our UK based hosting packages can help create a professional backbone for your online business.

Netcraft measures and makes available the response times of approximately forty leading hosting providers sites. The performance measurements are calculated at fifteen minute intervals from different points around the internet, and averages are calculated over the immediately preceding 24 hour period.

If you would like to contact us or find out more about our products, please contact the Netcetera Sales Team, who will be pleased to assist you or visit: www.netcetera.co.uk

We are very happy to announce that Netcetera has been selected for the 4th consecutive month,  as one of the Top 25 Most Popular Companies by Web Host Directory in UK for March 2011. This month we are ranked #14!

The Top 25 Most Popular Companies is based on the number of votes a company receives and the amount of times their profile has been viewed each month.

Netcetera was formed in 1996 and today is one of Europe’s leading Web Hosting service providers, offering a full range of products, from a basic Hosting service catering for single individuals who need to host a single website, to large companies who require more complicated setups using, for example, our latest Managed Windows Cloud Server.  As always everything comes with our excellent customer service 24/7!

To vote for Netcetera this month please visit the Web Host Directory UK awards.

If  you want to get in touch to find out more about our fantastic products contact the Netcetera Sales Team.

We are delighted to announce that Netcetera website hosting has been nominated in the Top 25 Most Popular Web Hosting awards held by Web Host Directory UK. The award, which is based on the number of votes a company receives and the amount of times their profile has been viewed each month, has been won by Netcetera for three consecutive months now.

Here at Netcetera we strive to give our customers the best value for money, which is why we are always launching innovative products, unbeatable offers and investing in the latest technology for our customers. We are very pleased to see that customers are responding positively to our efforts.

Web Host Directory, established in 1997, is a brand of Serchen Interactive and a market leader in the Hosting industry providing free resources and information for customers researching web hosts online.

To vote for Netcetera this month please visit the Web Host Directory UK awards here.

Managed web hosting is a certain type of Hosting that entails being given an entire server. It shares much in common with a dedicated server, with the difference being that maintenance service and technical support are also included. Managed hosting involves your server being maintained by your host, saving you the expense and hassle of doing so yourself. This means that the provider can carry out all administrative and maintenance duties. All of these advantages make managed Web Hosting a perfect choice for those who want good quality, reliable hosting that affords them some freedom, while also not having to deal with the complicated technical issues of managing a server that requires experience and ability.

Managed hosting is ideal for individuals who lack the technical knowhow to manage their own server, or for organisations that lack the time or capital to invest in server administration. Unmanaged servers are sometimes a better choice for those individuals and companies that have a high level of expertise in server maintenance and administration, as well as sufficient hours and resources to maintain them, but even these people often prefer to leave it to the experts.

Managed web hosting is more expensive than a Dedicated Server because of the additional support that comes with it. On the other hand, it also provides greater reassurance. It is for this reason that many people choose managed hosting services when they are just starting out, before moving on to Dedicated Servers once they have gained some technical expertise and their company has grown to the extent that it makes sense for its website to have a server of its own. This may also allow you to save money.

Finding the right websites offering managed web hosting

If you are looking for a site that offers managed web hosting, you will have several key priorities. You will want to find a competitively priced managed hosting package that allows you to host the number of websites that you would like to have hosted, whether you have one website or more than five – indeed, the best such firms will be able to host an unlimited number of websites on one package. The best such companies will also offer plenty of web space on which to host your site. The best companies offering managed web hosting should also offer a large amount of bandwidth and numbers of emails.

The best company will have a strong reputation as a result of having spent years providing customers across the world with Dedicated servers, managed infrastructure services. Such a company will use “best of breed” technologies, offering superior quality bandwidth and expert IT personnel along with well-defined processes to deliver reliable, cost-effective services.

The managed web hosting company that you choose should be able to provide the best possible services for your money, delivering solutions that meet the needs of your business regardless of its present size. It should offer everything from single server co-location to fully customized dedicated servers, provide companies with all of the IT solutions that they require to concentrate on their core business instead of managing servers, networks and firewalls, often saving significant amounts of money.

Web Hosting is a service that allows users of the web users to display web pages on the internet. It offers the technologies and services that websites need to be shown on the web. Choosing the right type of web Hosting for your website can be a confusing process. You will have to decide between free and paid hosting as well as between shared or Dedicated hosting. Other hosting solutions are available, including Virtual private servers (VPS) or Cloud hosting. It can leave you overwhelmed to have to choose between these options.

Managed web hosting may make most sense if you expect your website to be popular but you do not yet have the staff or knowledge to deal with the administration and maintenance of your server.

What is managed web hosting?

Managed web hosting involves the web host taking care of the server’s operation so that you don’t have to do so. The term ‘managed web hosting’ used to be specifically applied to Dedicated hosting. Although this remains a high prevalent use of Managed hosting, managed services can also be applied to other hosting solutions such as Cloud hosting, co-location or VPS.

Managed hosting can make a great deal of sense if you lack the knowledge to set up a server space of your own or in order to allow you to concentrate on your core business. A managed hosting solution is also a good solution if you don’t have the time to manage your server.

Reasons to choose managed web hosting

Managed web hosting tends to be used for two basic reasons. Individuals and businesses use it to reduce the amount of IT work that it needs to perform on the server to keep it maintained.

If your website is especially popular, you may require a more robust solution for web hosting. The business owner or staff are likely to prefer to focus on their business rather than the hosting solution, and simply do not have enough knowledge to properly administer the server space. They will appreciate being able to rely on managed hosting that ensures that everything is properly set up.

There may not be sufficient time to administer the server as needed even if the resources are available, as a business owner may prefer to dedicate such resources to other tasks. In situations where there is not enough time to devote to the server, managed web hosting can therefore be greatly convenient.

Finding the best company offering managed web hosting

If you are looking for a company that offers managed hosting, you will have several key priorities. You are advised to check what the web hosting services include as part of the basic cost. Some companies provide particular services as part of the basic cost, while others are available as an optional extra and only paid for whenever you need them. They may incorporate such services as trouble shooting, server monitoring, on call maintenance, hardware upgrading, software upgrading, software installation, backup services, security auditing and control panel set-up. You will also appreciate being able to find a company that has a strong reputation, with a long list of satisfied clients.

We are confident you will like all the features of our Web Hosting packages that we offer you a 30 Day FREE trial of our ONE Package to see how robust our affordable web Hosting packages are and experience and use the advanced features that are included as standard.

Don’t let our low cost prices fool you. Netcetera offers state-of-the-art technology, and we’re willing to prove it! We offer a Hosting Package for any budget, starting at just £3/pm or try us out for a FREE Hosting TRIAL – without paying any money upfront!

Terms: One free trial per person. The Trial Expires after 30 days from start date and you will be notified 5 days before the expiry date reminding you to upgrade your package. Full promotion details available at http://www.netcetera.co.uk/promotions