A Beginner’s Guide to Hosting Support
Hosting support is business-critical. Get it wrong, and you’ll be left with an underperforming website that bleeds conversions and nobody to guide you through the complex world of bandwidth, firewalls and SSL certificates.
We don’t want to sound all doom and gloom, but it’s absolutely crucial to research packages and providers before signing a contract.
If you don’t know where to start, the following mini-guide explains everything you need to know, including three tips for choosing good hosting support.
Why is hosting support important?
Put simply, unless you have technical skills or an internal IT department, you’ll need third-party expertise to keep your website up and running.
Some companies are tempted to choose unmanaged hosting because they’re cheaper. However, they always run into problems when the volume of data and maintenance surpasses their capabilities.
The good news is that hosting support handles mundane everyday tasks, including data backups, routine malware scans and software updates, freeing up your schedule to focus on business development.
Who needs hosting support?
Ideally, everyone should invest in hosting support, from small start-ups to large multinational corporations.
However, the businesses that need it most are those without resources – this could be time (your IT department is already stretched), expertise (your team lacks specialised skills) or money (you don’t have the budget to hire in-house support).
What hosting solutions offer the best support?
When searching for hosting packages, you’ll come across the terms “managed” and “unmanaged”.
We’ve already touched on the latter. Unmanaged hosting offers minimal support, which some businesses prefer because it’s cheaper and they have more control. However, you’ll be expected to manage day-to-day hosting tasks, including software installations, hardware optimisation and security audits.
In contrast, managed hosting hands everything over to your provider. They oversee administration, management and security, giving you unbeatable peace of mind.
Three tips for choosing hosting support
Negotiate a comprehensive Service Level Agreement (SLA)
An SLA is a contract between the client and provider outlining the exact terms of service. Here’s some of the information it includes:
- What services are provided
- How the level of service will be measured, such as uptime guarantees
- What happens if the level of service isn’t met, including compensation
- Security protocols and emergency response strategies
Find support packages that are scalable
It’s a good idea to ask your hosting provider whether they can accommodate sudden growth and increased website traffic.
Trustworthy providers often offer tiered packages so you can scale up and down as required. For instance, our managed hosting solutions start from around £86/year for basic support and increase to around £420/year for premium support.
Check out what other businesses are saying
Lastly, check out what other businesses are saying about the provider on social media and reliable review sites like Trustpilot.
Testimonials will help you gauge the quality of service.
Enjoy premium support with a managed hosting package
If you want to upgrade to a managed hosting package, please get in touch today. Simply email sales@nullswiftinter.net or call 03330 347500, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.