Because nearly all business is online today, companies need much behind-the-scenes support for their online presence, if not more. Part of these is the secure hosting of sites. As data becomes more and more valuable, unscrupulous individuals become more motivated to obtain it in whatever means.
Securing your website information means choosing a hosting service that would give you the best possible features for your budget. But what, exactly, are you looking for? Secured website hosting services can go anywhere from $0.02 to more than $380 a month, offering an array of features that you might not have time to study. Below are three must-haves to start with when shopping for a hosting plan:
Secure datacenter
You should be aware of how your website hosting service takes care of data. Will your website be part of a secure shared, hosting server, do you get a virtual private server or dedicated hosting? Each of these types offers various features with their preferred method of hosting and will have their own pros and cons.
All of these provide one important service—keeping your data secure in case of hurricanes or earthquakes. You will not know when your headquarters would suffer a power outage, for whatever reason. The website hosting service you choose should be prepared not only for attempts at breaching your files but also for forces of nature.
Backups and restore points
Hosting companies today would include a maintenance plan for customers’ data in their offers. Although it is primarily the webmaster’s duty to keep a backup of the website, it is always a good idea to have multiple backups of data.
Look for a service that can offer scheduled backup maintenance on top of regularly hosting your site. Ideally, there should be daily backups of your website, which a good service should be able to provide. However, weekly or monthly updates are also suitable. Finally, look for hosts that can offer RAID as part of your plan—this is a system that keeps your files away from viruses or spammers, even during a system crash.
Encryption technologies
Encryption is vital to e-commerce websites because you are protecting both your and your customers’ sensitive information. SSL, or secure sockets layer technology, ensures that your customers’ payment details are transferred to you without exposing them or you to attackers.
WAF, or web application firewalls, monitors traffic across websites and applications. Hosts that have Cloudflare or Incapsula tools or services can also ensure you are protected against DDoS (distributed-denial-of-service) attacks. This is when your server is paralyzed by multiple targeted requests for information.
The bottom line
Hosting a website requires much preparation, especially today when data can be stolen or weaponized. Part of a good marketing plan is ensuring your publicity materials are always visible, which means you need a stable, secure website hosting service. You should also choose a company that can provide you with honest, detailed estimates of your specific business needs.
Virtual Host Solutions provides hosting services for entrepreneurs and small businesses. We are based in New York City and offer a range of hosting solutions. Contact us today to learn more.