1. Shared
hosting or dedicated servers?
A good web hosting company has to be able to offer both packages.
Shared hosting on Unix and Windows platforms and dedicated servers
on Windows, Unix and Linux platforms. They have to be able to
offer you several options starting from a basic level till a
managed or dedicated server level. They must be able even to
offer you even an initial free web hosting option and options
to easily design your site.
2. Hard-disk
capacity and storage
A professional hosting provider has to offer you enought hard-disk
capacity and storage and most important has to follow the needs
of your business as it grows. So they need to offer you a scalable
option that you can easily activate.
3. Near-100%-availability
Your site has to be accessible to visitors and customers 24
hours a day and 365 days a year. No downtime. Super fast access
maximized through load balancing and clustering techniques.
4. Encryption
and security
The security and personal information of your visitors and customers
must be your top concern. The web hosting company must supply
you with the possibility to have SSL (Secure Sockets Layer protocol)
services.
5. E-mails
services
E-mails accounts are a must. Beware of the hosting companies
that are not able to provide you with e-mail services. Ideally
you must have also the possibility to manage your autoresponders
and your mailing lists.
6. FTP
& Telnet services
You will certainly need FTP and Telnet account access to your
website. You have also to check if you can set up a FTP site
in order to give the possibility to your visitors and customers
to download your files and documents.
7. Utilities
& programs
You need to have the possibility to run your CGI programs and
at the same time to have some useful application as for instance
a banner campaign manager or a simple help to design your site.
8. E-Commerce
options
Are you ready to sell your products throught the Net? In this
case you need an e-commerce platform in order to secure transactions,
collect the money and respect the privacy of your customers.
Does your web hosting provider have this kind of option?
