A lot of web hosting companies use the terms bandwidth and data transfer interchangeably.  While they are very closely related, they are not one in the same.  To clarify the matter, bandwidth refers to how much data can be transferred at a given time.  Data transfer is the actual amount of data being transferred.  Think of bandwidth as a bridge.  The bigger the size, the more vehicles can pass through.  In the same scenario, data transfer would represent the number of vehicles able to pass through in a certain amount of time.  When a web hosting company talks about bandwidth, they are usually referring to data transfer.

How They Affect Your Website

Bandwidth and disk transfer are both vital to the performance of a website.  A site that has less bandwidth will run noticeably slower than one with more.  This is the case regardless of the visitor’s connection speed.  Without enough data transfer, your site could eventually become inaccessible once you reach your monthly quota.  This basically means that your website will be out of business until the a new month begins or you upgrade your hosting plan.

Unlimited Bandwidth and Transfer

Many companies today advertise plans with unlimited bandwidth or data transfer.  However, you should keep in mind that bandwidth is a very costly resource.  There is simply no such thing as an endless supply.  Unfortunately, you typically have no control over bandwidth whether it is labeled unlimited or expressed in specific numbers. The hosting company handles the allocation.  This is even true when leasing a dedicated server.  Some providers are known for throttling, which is the practice of limiting the number of simultaneous connections.  This is something that can make your site run incredibly slow and even prevent some users from gaining access.  If this is something you are worried about, ask the hosting company how they control usage or invest in package with a tremendous amount of guaranteed data transfer.

Reducing Usage

There are quite a few ways to reduce the amount of transfer your website uses.  The easiest way is to optimize your site to run efficiently with less.  This can be done by minimizing the use of Flash or streaming media applications.  It would also be a good idea to limit the use of META tags to those that are absolutely necessary.  While this may seem as if it is hurting your SEO efforts, using too many keywords actually does more harm than good.  Another way to optimize your site is to cache it and set an expiration date in the HTTP headers.  This will make certain that the browser refreshes your content after a certain amount of time.  Taking note of these simple tips can help you preserve as much as 40% of your bandwidth.

Final Thoughts

Bandwidth and data transfer may be different, but they are both equally important to a website. If you are not sure about how much you need, try reaching out to a few hosting companies for some guidance.  The ones who don’t mind helping out could make finding your ideal host much easier.

There are a several things one should expect from a web hosting provider.  A decent amount of allowable web space, bandwidth limits that aren’t too restricting, and a consistent up-time ratio (preferably higher than 99.9%).  In what is still reverberating throughout the Internet, the web hosting provider DreamHost seems to have severely dropped the ball on the consistent up-time ratio.  What should have been a smooth data migration turned out to be a very poorly planned venture costing the web hosting provider some of its customers.

The Move

A move from Net2EZ to Alchemy Communications was announced as completed by DreamHost on November 24, 2009.  The company proclaimed its success, not knowing the ensuing issues that were about to plague them and their customers.  Starting out with a network failure, the problems quickly began to mount.  According to the technical team at DreamHost, the problems were being attributed to several factors.  The shared hosting hardware had been upgraded, the upgrade did not go as planned, and the support team frankly was at a loss as to how to solve it quickly.

Status, Technically Speaking

Starting out almost immediately and appearing to still be an ongoing slew of problems, the DreamHost status page is rife with network failures, dieing raid controllers, and continuous webmail errors.  For those with more than just a bit of technical knowledge, the offered status page may reveal more into what is going on with DreamHost and its latest move.  The average web hosting customer, however, may find the information a bit overly technical.  DreamHost would go a long way in offering information on a slightly less technical level and truly give its customers information they can use and understand.

Not too Happy

Tech-speak aside, it has been clear that DreamHost customers are less than pleased by the whole fiasco.  Twitter has been inundated with tweets from customers regarding their dissatisfaction with all the errors and resulting down-times.  Some have been content with complaining while others have decided to drop the web hosting provider and move onto a more reliable service.  The DreamHost Twitter account reported on November 30, 2009 that at least 95% of their services and servers were back online.  However, no further reporting has been made since that date (other than 2 personal responses and 1 holiday shopping URL).  As of December 4, 2009 some customers are still reporting web sites that are unavailable.

Final Thoughts

In retrospect, DreamHost could have and should have planned their data migration a bit more.  The support team should have been instructed on what might occur so they could be on the ball and ready to fix issues and errors as they arose.  Most importantly, it may have been in the company’s best interest to not crow about a successful data move until they were completely certain the network was up and running smoothly.

DreamHost may need to do a bit of good public relations to combat the fallout of this data fiasco.  It is uncertain how many customers they may have lost over the past week and how many more they stand to lose over the next couple of weeks.  The web hosting provider clearly needs to wake up and do a bit of damage control.

Determining the best hosting solution for your business can seem rather overwhelming when faced with the seemingly never-ending choices available on the web.  If you already have a hosted site, this can make the task a bit simpler.  But what if you are just now getting your business out there for all to see?  Going over exactly what your business site needs are can help make this less of a chore.

Space

The first thing to consider is how much web space your business will need.  Think about what you want to convey to the general surfing audience about your business.

If you plan on merely putting out an informational styled web site, you can figure about five pages in total – a home page, an about page, a news page, a contact page and possibly one miscellaneous page.  In this case, your space requirements will be minimal and you can choose a hosting company that offers around one to two megabytes minimum in web space storage.

However, if you will be needing a site that covers several aspects of your business, offers product information and purchasing options, will be disseminating a lot of information to the public, or will grow and expand over time, your best option is to choose a web hosting company that offers unlimited amounts of web space.

Bandwidth

The next thing to consider is how much bandwidth your business web site will need.  Bandwidth, or data transfer, is the amount of data that is transferred from your web site.  This encompasses page views, images, videos, documents and files.

If your biggest concern will be consumers visiting your web site to gather more information about your business, then you can easily work with a hosting company that imposes monthly transfer limits.  However, if you plan on allowing customers the ability to download files or documents or your business site will involve a lot of video embedding, check out the hosting companies that offer unlimited amounts of bandwidth.

E-commerce

If you plan on selling products, e-commerce is a big concern when determining which web host to choose.  Almost every hosting company on the web will offer some form of shopping cart and secured server access (SSL).  Be certain to choose one that includes this within the monthly price and that the e-commerce solution offered is simple to use.  Nothing can cause a headache quicker than when having to deal with the actual manual setup of shopping carts and connections to SSL.  Another item to watch for is hosting companies that allow you to choose from several different shopping carts.  Not every cart program is going to be suited to the type or amount of products your business offers.

Support

When looking at the hosting companies on the web, one important aspect of their services to keep in mind is their support.  Look for companies that have a “one-stop” type of support section.  This should be one easy to find link on their main page that leads you to a section that offers (at a minimum) contact options (e-mail and phone), FAQs, a knowledge base and some form of tutorials.  An even better setup would include a ticket support system, a live chat option and 24 hours a day, seven days a week support.  Even if you’re an old hand at web hosting, knowing you can access support easily and have an array of options to choose from will give you peace of mind.

Extras

Extras to check out would include the types and number of add-on programs available – bulletin boards, social media plug-ins, and blogging software to name a few.  If your web pages are going to be built with PHP, Perl or Ruby on Rails, be certain the hosting company you choose has their sites already equipped with the proper scripting language.  One very popular extra and beneficial to businesses on the web is advertising credits.  Many web hosting companies offer this within their packages.  Decide which places you would be most likely to need advertising (Google, Yahoo, etc.) and choose your hosting company accordingly.

Wrap up

While there are a few things to consider when looking for the perfect web hosting company, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task.  Simply write down your requirements as far as space, transfers, e-commerce, support and extras and you are quickly on your way to finding the hosting company that will fit your business needs beautifully.

E-commerce is a prime of example how the internet can be leveraged as a platform with endless potential.  Although success is not guaranteed, this medium has no boundaries, meaning there are infinite possibilities for your online business.  While there is a lot of money to be made out in cyberspace, you do not have to break the bank to get an e-commerce solution that allows you to sell products or services from your own website.  There are several options available to you, but shared and dedicated hosting are easily two of the most popular.  Shared hosting makes a fine choice for some, but there are many reasons why it may not be the best option for your business.

Potential Security Issues

One of the biggest drawbacks of the shared hosting environment is all the potential security issues it presents.  These days, web hosting providers grant their customers a great deal of power and this very factor can make a shared server very unstable and insecure.  All it takes is one careless user who executes a command that compromises the entire server.  And if one site can be compromised, that makes everyone else residing on the platform much more vulnerable to attack.  A dedicated server doesn’t automatically ensure better security, but it can be configured to provide an environment that is far more secure than a shared server.  You do not have to worry about anyone else making any critical mistakes so if the server is compromised, you only have yourself to blame.

Lack of Resources

Some web hosting companies make promises that would leave you to believe they can offer you the world on a string.  This includes critical resources such as bandwidth and disk space.  In fact, it is not uncommon to find a host that they offers you unlimited amounts of both resources.  What you should know is that such offerings do not exist as every network and computing resource is limited in capacity.  A dedicated server has its limitations as well, but since you are not forced to share resources with neighboring users, you have all the bandwidth and space to yourself, which should be more than enough to accommodate most needs.

Limited Flexibility and Control

As we touched on above, web hosting firms do provide their customers with far more power than in past times, but that control cannot compare to what can be obtained from a dedicated server platform.  This type of hosting arrangement gives you control over the entire server, providing the flexibility to run your own operating system, e-commerce software and other technologies you feel are best suited for your business.  If you require the control to make configurations and alterations to the server at any give time, a dedicated hosting package would be the best option for you.

When compared to a shared platform, the advantages of a dedicated server are plentiful.  Keep in mind however, that this type of environment is not made for everyone.  It is more expensive and technically challenging than shared hosting, which can generally be maintained by anyone with basic computer knowledge.  If you are absolutely certain that a dedicated server is the right move, you can benefit tremendously from a solution that provides your business with the best chance to succeed.

Web hosting has become a necessity for individuals and businesses looking to establish themselves through the internet.  Unless you have a data center, enterprise-grade internet connection and IT infrastructure, such goals cannot be accomplished without the services provided by a web host.  Several features amass a hosting package but disk space and bandwidth are among the most vital components.  Bandwidth is such an important element because it allows you to receive traffic and enables data to be transferred from your site.  Disk space is a major factor because it determines the number of files you can store on the server.  Although each costs money, it hasn’t stopped web hosting firms from offering packages that supposedly contain “unlimited” capacities of each vital resource.

Why Unlimited Disk Space and Bandwidth Simply Don’t Exist

The cable, copper wire and fiber optic network lines the transmit data over the internet and throughout the web have limited capacities.  These lines are limited by the fact that only a certain amount of data can be transferred at a given time. In a similar fashion, the computer or web server, used to store your website files is limited by the size of its physical hard drive.  So even though a great number of hosting companies advertise packages with unlimited disk space and bandwidth, they are merely overselling their service with offerings that just are not possible.  In fact, to be brutally honest, this is a marketing ploy geared towards newcomers who are not all that familiar with the web hosting market.  An unlimited plan can be exhausted just as, if not even faster than one that comes with a specific allotment of resources.

When Unlimited Hosting Makes Sense

While unlimited hosting doesn’t necessarily constitute as the most honorable of business practices, there are many instances in which this sort of package could be an ideal solution. For example, if you need a relatively small website that does not require a significant amount of disk space or bandwidth, an unlimited plan may suit your needs just fine.  Even in this scenario, you must be vary cautious of certain types of files as audio and video content tends to consume a considerable amount of bandwidth and disk space alike.  This makes your site more susceptible to exceeding these resources, regardless if a certain amount has been allocated or not.  If this is the option you decide on, be sure to carefully access your needs to ensure as few problems as possible.

When Unlimited Hosting Should Be Avoided

There are also scenarios in which unlimited hosting plans should be avoided at all costs.  If your needs call for a large website or one that requires a lot of media-rich applications or mission-critical functions, this may not be the best option.  In instances such as this, you could be setting yourself up for a world of trouble.  Even though you are made to believe that you have an endless supply of disk space and bandwidth at your disposal, rest assured that the hosting provider will not suffer losses for too long.  Pretty soon, they will either charge you exuberant fees for overages or simply shut down your website.  Because neither is good for your credibility, you need to think very carefully before buying into an unlimited web hosting plan.

Today, many people need a website to run mission-critical business applications or frequently deliver updated content to their users.  If your plans exceed the norm, you will probably expect to perform a lot of business transactions and receive a high volume of traffic.  In order to make sure visitors enjoy a smooth and safe experience on your website, you need a solution that can ensure a superior performance and secure environment.  Dedicated web hosting could be the answer you seek.

How is it Different?

Normally, when you purchase a web hosting plan, you are entering an agreement with a company that requires you to share a web server with other customers.  Even when signing on for a package with unlimited disk storage and bandwidth, you are still limited for the simple fact that other users rely on those same vital resources.  While most people can thrive with this type of arrangement, those who anticipate a lot of traffic usually cannot.  With everyone leaching off server resources, you stand to suffer from a website that experiences significant delays once traffic starts to mount up.

Dedicated web hosting offers the perfect alternative to the limitations of a shared server.  With this type of hosting, you don’t just have a portion of the server, but the entire machine.  There are many advantages to such an arrangement, including the following:

Enhanced Security – Many customers decide to invest in dedicated web hosting because it tends to offer far better security.  With the ability to install your own firewall, intrusion detection and DDoS protection software, you can better assure that people will be protected when visiting your site.

Guaranteed Disk Storage and Bandwidth – When leasing your own server, you are guaranteed all the disk space and bandwidth allocated to the machine.  This gives you a tremendous amount of storage for your images, video and applications, and an ample supply of bandwidth to assure that visitors have no trouble accessing your website at maximum speed.

Unrivaled Control – Having your own server means that you are in complete control.  You have the final say regarding what type of operating system you want to install as well as the web services you choose to run.  Dedicated web hosting allows you to use whatever control panel, mail server and programming languages best suited for your website.

What are the Drawbacks?

The obviously drawback to dedicated web hosting is the price.  When out comparing services, you will see that leasing a server is considerably more expensive than sharing web space with others, which is the road most customers travel.  However, most agree that the enhanced performance, control and security makes up for the extra cost.

Is it Time for Dedicated Hosting?

Only you will know when it is time to invest in a dedicated web hosting plan.  Telltale signs are when you constantly approach the resource limits provided by your current host.  If you can afford the monthly fee and truly have the need for your own server, make the move and take your web presence to the next level.

If you have been thinking about launching a website lately, web hosting is the critical service you need to effectively launched.  The web hosting provider is the company that allows you to store your website files on their server.  Once your website is up and running, it can then be viewed by anyone in the world with an internet connection.  The good thing is that web hosting companies are abundant.  The bad – the overwhelming array of options can make finding the right service a nightmare.  So, how many types of web hosting are there?  Several, and here are a few you may run across.

Shared Hosting

Shared web hosting is what many refer to as “normal” hosting.  Providers maximize their resources by hosting multiple websites on one computer.  This means that one server may hold thousands of customers, while another may hold hundreds more.  In this arrangement, customers are required to share all the server’s resource, disk space, bandwidth and internet connection included.  Shared hosting is easy to find even though it often comes in several niche variations.  For example, you will find these services packaged around names such as Windows, Linux, ASP, PHP, MySQL or Joomla hosting.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting often goes by the title “dedicated server.”  Though more expensive than its shared counterpart, the dedicated variety offers far more power.  As the name indicates, the server is dedicated to you, meaning there are no other customers to worry about. You can install your own software applications and completely customize the server to meet your specific needs.  A dedicated server gives you better performance and security because of the extra resources you have at your disposal.  You should also know that this type of hosting requires technical skills that exceed the typical personal computing.  Because of this, some customers need to outsource their server to a professional IT team.

Managed Hosting

You can look at managed hosting as the service that bridges that gap between shared and dedicated hosting.  You still have your own server, but instead of dealing with complex administrative tasks, the technical burdens are shifted to the provider.  With managed hosting, you can usually choose the type of services that work best for your situation.  Because the service provider has so much involvement, this type of hosting is often considerably more expensive than others.

VPS Hosting

Short for virtual private server, VPS refers to a virtualization technology that creates multiple servers from a single machine.  This type hosting entails many of the same aspects of a dedicated server but the cost is usually much less.  Most VPS packages allow you to install software with root access and provides the enhanced performance you don’t get with shared hosting.

Conclusion

Regardless of your plans, web hosting will go a long way in establishing your web presence.  It may all seem like a signifigant challenge when first setting out for service, but you will find that research is needed in order to land the most reliable host.