Web Hosting on Your Own Web Server or Renting a Server from Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
If you plan to host your website on your own server, consider the following expenses:
- Hardware expenses – You need to have a powerful server hardware and 24-hour high speed connection, a low cost PC cannot run a 'real' website.
- Software expenses – Server licenses are always more expensive than client licenses, and the limitation on number of users.
- Labor expenses – Hardware and software Installation fees, bugs and virus protection, and keep your server constantly running in an environment where "anything could happen".
On the other hand, renting a server from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is more common than hosting on your own server. Most businesses choose to store their website on a server provided by an ISP. Let's see what are the advantages:
- Connection speed – Most ISPs' provide speed connection
-
Powerful hardware – ISPs always provide powerful web server to be shared by companies. They will also provide effective load balancing as well as backup servers to prevent loss of data.
-
Security and Stability – ISPs are web hosting specialists who can provide more than 99% up time, updated software patches and the best virus protection.
When you choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP), consider the following list:
-
Do they provide 24-hour support?
-
Do they run a daily backup routine?
-
Check bandwidth and content restrictions
-
Check the traffic volume restrictions
-
Are you using Frontpage to develop your website? If yes, does the ISP supports Frontpage server extensions?
-
What are the e-mail capabilities provided by the ISP?
-
Are you plan to use data from databases on your website? If yes, does the ISP support it?
