Before You Buy A Server
Vanessa Wood
Design to Spec LLC – Website Design in Darien, CT
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a server in your office and avoid paying a yearly hosting fee? I have some clients who have opted to do just that, usually at the urging of a PC consultant. While a server can be a useful piece of hardware for your network, think before you jump to get a server just to host your website. Here are a five questions to help you evaluate your need and whether having your own server fits your needs and lifestyle.
1. Do I have any conditions in my office that may effect a server? This can be the most troublesome for home-based businesses. Only you know if you have small children or other family members who may inadvertently turn off your server or a pet that may have hair, dander, or be in the early stages of house-breaking. Weigh carefully, for when the server goes down, your website will go down.
2. Who will reboot the server when the electricity shuts off? A server isn’t as demanding as a newborn, but there will be times like with any computer hardware that it will shut down and need to be rebooted. If you travel for business, vacation or are simply busy with life, you will need a back up plan to have someone come in to your office to reboot. When the server is down, your website is down. When you host with a hosting company they watch the server so you don’t have to.
3. Will the server be configured for privacy and security? I’ve seen PC consultants who set up a server exposing all of their client files, allowing them to be viewed by anyone who logs on. I’m always uncomfortable when I access an FTP account and can see other users’ files. That means that they can see my client’s files when they access the server! I don’t like knowing that someone else can get in and wipe out my client’s website!
4. Will the server provide the same service as a shared hosting account? Shared hosting accounts provide an outrageous amount of service… that’s how they stay competitive. What kind of goodies would you get with a shared hosting plan that may not be configured on your own server? Site statistics, PHP, web-mail, html editor… Most shared hosting plans offer technical support and 24/7 customer service.
5. Will my website files be reconfigured by the PC Consultant? One client’s nightmare– their PC guy wiped out all of the website’s keywords and meta tags when he reconfigured website files to work on a server and dropped the client right off the radar of every search engine! Their business also dropped off because people could no longer find their website in when they searched.
