Does Your Company Need Managed Hosting?

For many businesses, the idea of Managed Hosting may seem an extravagance and an unnecessary distraction from revenue generating initiatives. In our always connected, smartphone enabled world, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Whether your concern is having safe and secure corporate e-mail, 100% uptime and availability for your company website, or anywhere, anytime access to important business information, Managed Hosting is a key advantage for thriving in the modern economy.

Take e-mail as an example. Many small business and start ups use the same public e-mail systems that people use in their personal lives, from providers like Google, Yahoo, and AOL. Businesses that have their own dot com domains may go a step further and set up domain-based POP mail accounts in shared hosting packages. These solutions may be easy and efficient, but they provide almost zero security; a no-no for any responsible decision maker. Viruses and malware are easily spread, important e-mails and attachments are frequently lost or deleted by accident, and downtime is a common occurrence. On the other hand, Managed Hosting for your corporate email gives you unbeatable security and reliability thanks to such things as 24/7 staffing, up to the minute virus protection and security updates, and world class infrastructure.

If your company sells products or services, your website can and in most cases should be an important sales channel. The irony is that once it has become an important revenue stream, concerns like uptime, availability, and performance become increasingly important as well. Shared hosting is an entry level service, and should be looked at as such. Just as a cash register in a store is protected by physical security, locks, cameras, and other measures, your e-commerce enabled website should be similarly protected. When your website is on a shared hosting server, your security and performance is in danger of being negatively impacted by any other user on the machine. Is that a risk you can take? Managed hosting takes the risk out of the equation, ensuring that your website is up and performing at peak levels.

When it comes to your critical business data and documents, accessibility is vital. Document sharing capabilities have extended to net books, handheld devices, smartphones, and more, and businesses who fail to take advantage of network powered information tools simply can’t compete. This is another area where managed hosting shines. When applications like Microsoft Sharepoint are delivered by a Managed Hosting service provider, businesses are able to fully exploit their power and features unhampered by performance and reliability issues. Documents are totally secure and 100% available.

In these ways and dozens more, Managed Hosting allows SMBs and startups to leverage 21st century business tools at cost effective price points, and at much greater service levels than they could otherwise get either through shared hosting or in-house provisioning. The question isn’t "Does your company need Managed Hosting?" A better question might be "Can your company survive without Managed Hosting?"

By: Casey Cook

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Casey Cook is a writer, technologist, and musician living in South Florida. He worked for over a decade at some of the industry’s largest ISPs and Web Hosting providers in numerous capacities, including Director of Network Operations, Director of Corporate Alliances, and Senior Product Manager.