With so many people launching their own websites for business and commercial purposes, there is this greater need to utilize managed web hosting services as opposed to shared hosting services. Make no mistake about it; there are many benefits to using shared hosting services. The number one benefit is of course, its affordability. Since there are multiple users sharing the cost of web server maintenance, prices can be offered at very, very low rates.

However, subscribing to managed hosting services is a worthwhile investment to online entrepreneurs and ecommerce minded business people. There are more benefits to using a single web hosting service.

What is managed web hosting in the first place?

This type of Internet hosting goes by a number of names, like: managed web hosting, managed dedicated servers, managed hosting, dedicated hosting services, and dedicated servers. In this type, web developers or website owners usually have full and exclusive control of the server(s) that they are utilizing. This means that they have a controlled pulse on the server hardware, software and operating system that is active in their website(s).

In some instances, web developers can even opt for server administration as well; and the server company can provide technical support on a regular basis.

What are the advantages of using this type of Internet hosting?

As stated earlier, there are more advantages to using this type of Internet hosting. A couple of which includes:

1. You can choose your own operating system and operating system support. You can either choose a Linux system (or other open source operating systems such as CentOS, Debian, Fedroa Core,) Microsoft Windows SPLA Server, and Red Hat Enterprise. Having the liberty to choose the application means you can avail of operating systems that you are most familiar with, which practically saves you time in regards to learning the ropes of a new system. Aside from that, you can also choose which OS would actually fit your budget best. If you are a bit tight with the buck, you can always go for OS that is open source technology based, because these are usually offered for free.

You can also have add-on services or support systems like: application patches, OS kernel upgrades, system extensive vulnerability resolutions, and even upgrading on the latest security fixes.

2. If you are particularly pressed for time, you can easily outsource the managerial duties for this Internet type of hosting. You can very easily hire a 3rd party service provider to do: backups and restoration; database administration; DDos (distributed denial-of-service attack) protection and mitigation; disaster recovery; DNS hosting service; firewall services; intrusion detection; load balancing; monitoring duties in regards to the server; performance tuning; programming consultation; software installation and configuration; technical support; user management; and updates on the application, antivirus programs, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) hardware and the operating system itself.

3. Finally, since you are having exclusive control of the web server, you can use extreme security measures on your website(s.) This is particularly helpful to online based companies who rely on the gathering, storing and the encryption of large volumes of data. The Internet hosting company can very easily provide you anti-virus applications as well as scanning systems and firewall protection against possible hackers, spammers and worms.