Server Hosting
Managed web hosting: ALL your IT data services - "in ONE unlimited space"
Secured + Monitored + Responsive + Cost Efficient
Providing all the data storage space needed
Web hosting is more than a standalone service.
Every type of company and organisation gains significant security and reduced cost benefits from cloud-based, managed hosting.
From manufacturing to insurance and financial services. Or within legal, education and healthcare services.
Today, business operations increasingly relies on Big Data. And the daily demand for instant, all-round access to vital, company and customer analytics, and information.
As companies and organisations grow the challenge is not only for end-to-end solutions.
But simply to have all the data storage space needed.
Purpose-built cloud hosting
A company's IT infrastructure can often become outpaced - by natural growth, and evolving operating systems and technologies. When this stage is reached the need for IT scale ups can become critical.
Most organisations will need to realign their operations and IT support structure to a purpose-built, cloud-based environment.
In most cases, the solution is to integrate the various IT and technical support services currently provided. Your own dedicated, web hosting server in your own unlimited, virtual space.
Cloud hosting services fastest growing
Website hosting, storage and hardware, together account for the largest part of company tech spending.
A quarter (24 per cent|) of company tech spending is towards the cloud (Source: SWZD, 2021).
Six out of 10 businesses moved their work to the cloud in 2022 (Source: Flexera).
Cloud-hosting is expected to achieve a CAGR of nearly one fifth (18 per cent) by 2025 - the fastest-growing hosting type. (Source: Fortune Business Insights, Feb 2022).
Top benefits of managed web hosting services:
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The No.1 priority of a managed hosting service is to constantly maintain a secure environment. This will typically involve a cyber Security Operations Centre (SOC), with proactive monitoring by senior, experienced analysts. And integrating IT technical support, connectivity, and cloud infrastructure.
On-site datacentre and dedicated servers
System hardware is directly managed at an on-site datacentre where dedicated servers are constantly monitored to:
Prevent access to company sensitive data and business systems.
Protect brand integrity and intellectual property.
Resolve server issues promptly and efficiently.
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A small business or organisation may be at the point of upscaling to dedicated servers for improved security and efficiency. But may not have the necessary IT trained and experienced staff resources to maintain.
Or a larger, mid-size organisation seeks to streamline a complex IT system and network.
System maintenance
A managed hosting provider can significantly reduce IT support costs. Dedicated servers and a networked operating system require considerable resources.
Including:
Monitoring and protecting large amounts of data.
Maintaining and upgrading operating systems and hardware.
An integrated IT support and web hosting service can significantly lower the costs and improve the efficiency of maintaining a dedicated server or a number of dedicated servers.
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Large and small companies, are increasingly aware they need technical expertise in multiple areas to accompany their IT support.
Technical problems are not only frustrating, they may cause wider issues affecting workflows, logistics and communications.
Minimal disruption
Managed web hosting services can often quickly resolve issues as they arise.
For many organisations, this alone, is all-important for minimising disruption. Company resources can remain focused on daily work schedules. And removes the need for retaining an in-house IT presence, which further reduces business running costs.
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Network stability is always a top priority for any organisation. It extends beyond a website connection going down on a shared hosting server.
Managed dedicated hosting offers guaranteed network stability. Not only for a company website. But server hosting also provides a reliable root access to all of an organisations vital infrastructure, such as bandwidth, hardware and storage.
Security across entire infrastructure
By combining your IT support with dedicated hosting, you gain the assured security and technical expertise needed across your entire company infrastructure.
Managed hosting services is more than having the best dedicated server and a user-friendly control panel (C-panel).
A key purpose is to remove many of the common issues often experienced in traditional, operating environments. Enabling you, and your entire team, to interact at optimum connectivity and workflow efficiency throughout the network system.
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Managed hosting providers offer all the bandwidth or data storage needed as your company and its website grows.
Flexibility is built-in. It enables natural performance expansion - without the need to migrate to a different server or finding a larger data and file storage.
Most importantly, flexibility also means:
Your integrated IT support and web hosting provider brings all of their experience and technical know-how to help scale-up your expanding data access, storage and performance needs.
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Web hosting services, combined with IT support ensures all your dedicated servers continue to be updated with the latest performance technologies.
Managed hosting providers bring their experience and insider knowledge to build higher performance configurations on your hardware. This will deliver more power to the same server.
What this means for your website visitors:
Faster page load speeds
Consistent, reliable site performance
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Managed web hosting services are set up to provide top-tier customer support, 24/7. You or anyone on your team should never be left waiting for help.
A fully managed service means full technical support and cyber security, provided by real people.
Expert field engineers
If a problem cannot be fixed remotely then the hosting provider will send out expert, field engineers. They will ensure your system is back up and running with the minimum of fuss.
IT support - together with managed server and web hosting - is a proven, reliable combination of all-round, technical expertise. To give any organisation complete customer support whenever the need arises.
Managed cloud hosting
Companies and organisations of all types and sizes understand they must keep pace with the requests and behaviours of their customers and clients.
This also means all internal and remote staff and resources. With instant, secure access to vital data and information storage, communication and distribution among all key personnel.
Improve cost efficiency
Today, the demands of the digital environment, and the challenges of economic scale, mean IT support increasingly combine with web hosting services. Which increasingly, are all about working in the cloud.
Nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of organisations use cloud technology to improve cost efficiency. (Source: Oracle NetSuite, February 2023)
A key cost-cutting benefits of managed web hosting
No need to build and own computing infrastructure or data centres.
Cloud server host supplies all required hardware, e.g. dedicated servers, storage devices, firewalls, switches, routers, etc.
Less infrastructure to maintain, requiring fewer staff and resources.
Increased agility enables easier scaling up and down - and only paying for current need.
No need to plan for long-term capacity - thanks to scalable flexibility.
Azure and data loss as cloud host provides redundancy* and high-speed connections.
*Redundancy - replicates data between two or more different locations to ensure continuous performance if one location is disturbed or fails.
What are the 3 common types of managed cloud hosting platforms?
There are several different types of cloud platforms but the most common are:
Public cloud hosting
A third-party cloud service provider - which offers ease of scalability*, online computing resources. Most well-known examples include, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and AWS (Amazon Web Services).
*Scalability - ability to increase or decrease IT resources when needed to meet changing demand.
Private cloud hosting
Managed by a company or organisation's own internal IT department - which use existing on-premises data centre infrastructure and resources.
Hybrid cloud hosting
Combine private and public cloud platforms - which provide security and scalability to seamlessly move data and applications between private and public cloud platforms.
Why is having a fully managed server often a better option?
Microsoft Azure Cloud Data Storage Solutions
What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud computing platform (following AWS).
In 2022, Azure overtook AWS with nearly 80 per cent of organisations using a portion of their computing infrastructure on the Azure cloud platform. (Source: Flexera).
1 billion users worldwide have adopted Microsoft Azure Cloud.
85 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Azure.
50.5 million Azure customers (around 1 in 12) are in the UK.
Top Ten industries now using Microsoft Azure Cloud
Retail
Information Technology and Service
Computer Software
Construction
Automotive
Hospitals and Health Care
Financial Services
Real Estates
Hospitality
Education management
(Source: Usesignhouse, 2023)
Azure Cloud provided services
Managed hosting of Azure Cloud enables you to access and manage more than 200 provided services, divided into 18 categories, including,
Computing
Networking
Storage
Migration
Mobile
Analytics
AI and machine learning
Integration
Management tools
Developer tools
Security
Databases
Web services
Choice of Azure Cloud models
Two different Azure Cloud models are available:
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
You can add capabilities to your existing network for developing and running apps.
Your managed server host provides and maintains the platform's dedicated servers, networks, storage, and other computing resources.
PaaS also includes tools, services, and systems to support the lifecycle of applications.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
You entrust all your computing and network needs to Microsoft.
Your managed server host provides access to computing resources, such as a dedicated server or servers, storage, and networks. And also manages this infrastructure.
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Every business or organisation will have their own need for a customised computing service. With Microsoft Azure, managed hosting with IT support allows you several options
Virtual Machine
Instantly create a virtual machine in Windows, Linux or any other configuration.
Cloud Service
Scalable applications within the cloud which takes care of all functions including provisioning, load balancing, and health monitoring.
Service Fabric
A much simplified process for developing a microservice that contains a bundle of smaller applications.
Functions
Create applications in any programming language by simply providing the code, and without the need for any further hardware.
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Azure offers several options for a private and secure network to communicate and access data and content.
Azure CDN
Azure CDN (Content Delivery Network) uses a high bandwidth to transfer data and content anywhere around the world at high speed.
Express Route
Connects your on-premise network to the Microsoft cloud through a private connection. Communication will only take place between the company network and the required service.
Virtual network
Enables any of the Azure services to communicate with one another privately and securely.
Azure DNS
Allows you to host your DNS domains or system domains on Azure.
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Managed Azure cloud hosting instantly solves the challenge of organisations needing just the right capacity for its data storage and access.
Azure offers a number of storage options:
Disk Storage
Enables you to choose from either HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) alongside your virtual machine.
Blob Storage
Extended capacity to store an exceptional amount of unstructured data, including text and even binary data.
File Storage
A managed file storage service accessed via an industry SMB (server message block) protocol.
Queue Storage
You are given the capability to provide stable message queuing for a large workload, which can be accessed worldwide.
Summary
Business of all sizes in all service sectors increasingly seek a dedicated server hosting solution because:
Cloud-based, managed hosting will reliably deliver: secure, flexible cost-effective resources and economies of scale - customised to individual company needs.
Managed servers and dedicated hosting providers offer: built-in 'live' monitoring and optimised responsiveness.