Round Tale

There are many types of web hosting plans available in today’s market, thus it can be difficult to decide which one would be best for you. As soon as you think you have finally narrowed down your choices, that’s when you find out about another type of web hosting plan that could possibly suit your needs. With so many choices, making that final decision can be a very confusing process.

Even after you have decided upon a specific kind of web hosting plan, you then have to consider the sub-types of each type of web hosting. For example, you may choose dedicated hosting, however you then have to decide whether you want managed or unmanaged web hosting. Some of the web hosting types are very similar, and to the untrained eye there is seemingly no difference. If you;re having trouble deciding between colocation and managed web hosting then this article may help you make an educated decision that you won’t regret after the fact.

Managed Web Hosting

Managed web hosting is actually a form of dedicated web hosting. With managed web hosting you’ll have a dedicated server that is used only by you, however you will not have full administrative control over this server. In other words, the web hosting provider will be responsible for maintaining the integrity, performance, and reliability of the server. Since you will not be responsible for the administration of your server, you’ll have an added cost as you will essentially be paying for the continual service of the web hosting company. Many people choose this solution since it is much more convenient than having to manage the server themselves. This solution is especially optimal for novice users. Managed web hosting is considered one of the most expensive types of web hosting plans, right behind colocation hosting.

Colocation Hosting

Colocation is similar to dedicated hosting, as you will also have a server that is used only by you. However, the main difference is this server will actually be yours and will not be leased by you but will be owned by you. In other words, you will have to actually buy your own server which will cost thousands of dollars in startup capital. With dedicated hosting you’ll be leasing the server which is far cheaper than colocation hosting. Colocation hosting lets you store your private server at a facility that is specifically designed for server security. Therefore, colocation hosting is basically a server storage solution for larger corporations and businesses. For this reason, colocation hosting is the most expensive kind of hosting available.

The Main Differences

The primary difference between colocation and managed hosting is the amount of control you have over your server. With colocation hosting, since you actually own the server, you’ll have complete control over the server, however you’ll also need the ability to do so. With managed hosting you’ll be leasing the server and you won’t have to worry about the hassle of maintaining it. For most people managed hosting is the desirable solution between the two.

One of the biggest priorities when running an online business is website security. Having a secure website will cause your customers to trust your business, thereby boosting sales and increasing your return on investments. The online community is teeming with malicious hackers that are willing to do whatever it takes to penetrate your site’s security and compromise the delicate financial information of your clients. You should have the same fervor when attempting to deter these careless intruders. Most customers will not shop at an online store that is not secure, therefore creating a secure environment is essential in the world of online business. The following 4 tips will help make your website a safer place for your customers to shop.

Strong Administrative Passwords

Protecting your website means protecting the administrative interface. Once a hacker gains access to your site’s administrative interface, they can gain control of your entire online business in a few short steps. Once they’ve access the administrative control panel, hackers can do anything from defacing your website, to committing identity theft or fraud in the name of your business. To prevent hackers from easily gaining access to your website, you’ll want to use strong passwords that are mix of letters and numbers. These alphanumeric password should be at least 10 characters in length. Try to avoid using any commonly used words or names. Also try not to use dates that are significant in your life, as a hacker may be able to access this information.

Firewalls

Firewalls filter information that is transferred to and from your website. By configuring a secure firewall, you’ll be preventing all unauthorized access to your website. Setting an industry standard firewall at the highest possible security preference is one of the best ways you can deter hackers with ease. Remember that simply having a firewall is not enough to keep you site safe. The firewall must be configured properly.

Antivirus

Make sure you use only the best antivirus programs. If your computer contracts a virus, the hacker that distributed this virus could gain access to sensitive information on your computer. Some viruses will install hacking utilities known as KeyLoggers, which record the data inputted from your computer’s keyboard. This means that everything you type is recorded and then sent to the hacker, including your system and website passwords.   It is imperative that you ensure that your antivirus program is regularly updated to the latest definitions. This will help you to protect your computer from hackers who attack your system in efforts of gaining control or information. Simply having an antivirus program installed is not enough. New viruses are created everyday, so it is important to keep your Antivirus program updated regularly.

Security Testing

Once you have all of the above security measures in place, you’ll want to test the security of your website routinely. Try to use a security analyzing tool regularly. These tools will usually find any existing security lapses and assist you in correcting them. Remember that in order to have good website security, these security measures must be practiced regularly.

PHPCow is one of the many open-source content management systems powered by the widely used PHP language. This particular CMS is geared more towards users who want to create online magazines, newspapers, and news portals.  PHPCow offers the promise of being able to design and manage your content-rich site in simple drag-and-drop fashion, requiring no experience in XML, CSS or PHP.

Key Features

PHPCow trumps the competition with a host of great features.  There is actually too much to cover, but are some of the features that stand out the most:

Template Manager – PHPCow gives users control over the look and feel of their site with a flexible template engine.  This is made possible by an intuitive Block Handling System that allows for deeper customization of the page layout.  While the template system lets you get very imaginative with your design, users also have the option to choose from a variety of free pre-designed templates.

Article Management – Users can customize their articles with attachments, slide shows, images and much more.  PHPCow’s article management module includes a built-in WYSIWYG editor that enables simple editing on the fly.  If you can use simple word processing applications like Microsoft Word, then you can excel with this user-friendly HTML editor.  You have the luxury to filter content by author, article type, and category, along with powerful visualization features for rendering your filtered content.

Content Syndication – PHPCow offers a way to increase your readership and search engine rankings with efficient content syndication.  The software includes an RSS Generator for creating RSS and Atom Feeds, something that can be done with a few easy clicks of the mouse from the administrative control panel.  You also have the ability to import and export RSS feeds from other sites, indication that PHPCow covers just about every critical aspect of content syndication.

Dynamic Menu Management - PHPCow allows users to customize dynamic menus, a feature that works hand in hand with its built-in category management module.  The system gives you complete authority over menu properties, letting you arrange horizontally or vertically, split menus, and even rebuild on the fly with a simple click.  PHPCow also allows you to create partial menus with different formats that can be displayed on individual pages opposed to the entire website.

PHPCow Requirements

For the most part, PHPCow has the same requirements of any PHP-based CMS.  It calls for an Apache web server, but can run on a Linux, Unix or Windows operating system.  The software also requires a MySQL 5.0 database.  Perhaps the most important requirements relate to the server configuration.  In order to get an optimal performance out of PHPCow, you will need a server equipped with the GDLibrary module and the latest version of the Zend Optimizer among other components.

Conclusion

PHPCow offers an arsenal of great features.  Aside from what has been mentioned here, there is also a built-in voting system, archiving, search functionality and bread crumb navigation.  The software appears to live up to its claims of ease of use and seems a little more capable than many of its open-source competitors.  Keep in mind that PHPCow is a not a free CMS and that a license will cost you at least $100.

Devpond.com, an industry-leading provider of software solutions for hosting service providers, today announced the introduction of VSControl, a web-based control panel for managing virtual private servers (VPS) built on Xen’s hypervisor-based virtualization technology.

VSControl provides hosting companies with a ready-made platform for creating, provisioning and managing virtual private servers. Hosting companies will be able to enjoy the benefits of automation while streamlining their operating efficiencies for maximum profitability.
Through VSControl, hosting companies will be able to enhance the overall value of their offerings by providing customers with an enjoyable user experience.

“We are extremely proud of the development efforts of our engineers and designers, who put in countless hours of work to create VSControl,”
stated Greg Landis, CEO of Devpond.com. “VSControl enables hosting companies to enjoy complete management and administrative control over their virtual private servers, while providing an interface for the customer to handle their own environment.

“With VSControl, hosting companies have everything they need to drive bottom line profits, build value into their products and strengthen customer loyalty. Devpond.com is committed to helping hosting companies succeed in a highly competitive marketplace and we envision VSControl being a very important enabler.”

VSControl provides a web-based interface for managing all of a VPS’s core capabilities and features two separate views. A client interface allows the customer to administer and manage their VPS and account, while an admin interface enables the hosting company to manage its infrastructure and individual customer accounts.

In either view, users or administrators can migrate, suspend, restart or terminate the VPS. There are controls for adjusting the size of the server by either expanding or reducing the assigned disk space, RAM and bandwidth allotments for a particular server or moving to another pre-configured plan. VSControl can only be used for virtual private servers running on the Linux operating system. It is completely web-based and installed with literally a click of the mouse.

Other features include:

• Provides insight into health and status of VPS
• View disk, memory, CPU usage and bandwidth consumption details
• Access traffic logs
• Email notifications about VPS status and resource usage levels
• Traffic logs
• Monthly reporting capabilities
• Managed back-up and restore
• IP address management functionality
• Ability to purchase and provision add-on services such as monitoring

Devpond.com continues to add new features on a continual basis.

About Devpond.com

Devpond.com is a software company that brings together software engineering, design and hosting expertise to deliver cutting edge software solutions for providers of hosting services. One of Devpond.com’s best products is VSControl, a web-based solution to create, edit, manage and monitor Xen-based virtual private servers.

Learn more about Devpond.com at www.devpond.com

In-House hosting or outsource services; If you have to ask yourself this question, going with a web hosting service is likely the best option.  However, before making the final decision, you should determine what resources you have available and where you need to focus your energy to meet your goals.  Whatever road you take, each will require careful planning in order to come out with successful results.  Let’s go over these two forms of hosting to help you better determine which option is right for your needs.

Benefits of Outsourced Hosting

Outsourcing your internet hosting processes to a third-party company is a wise move whether you run an online business or simple personal site.  The minor drawback is that you will be forced to give up some flexibility.  For example, you are essentially locked into the hosting provider’s system, technologies and policies.  However, web hosting services are far less restrictive than they were years ago.  In fact, there are several companies that allow you to have a great deal of control and flexibility with your own server.  Many of today’s web hosts provide you with administrative control over your entire domain.  This typically includes the ability to add and modify database entries, set up email accounts and manage user permissions all without the aid of the network administrator.  If a particular host cannot provide you with these standard luxuries, they aren’t even worth dealing with.

The advantage of outsourcing to a professional web hosting service is that you can usually count on more reliability, a greater level of availability and cost savings right from the jump.  The burden of servers and other network hardware do not fall on your shoulders.   If the operating system and web server require updates or security patches, you can sleep well by knowing IT experts are on top of the matter.  When choosing to run these operations internally, you are opening up an entirely new world of responsibility and complexity.

Disadvantages of In-House Hosting

Successfully hosting your IT operations in-house is possible, but it does come with its fair share of disadvantages.  There are a number of costly and complex factors you need to consider, including the following:

- Server platform for web server and database applications

- Efficient disk space allocation

- Bandwidth limits

- Network connectivity

- Data Backups

- Security

- Environmental Issues

- Day-to-day Maintenance

The above are elements most smaller businesses simply cannot afford or maintain internally.  If this sounds like your situation, then an in-house hosting solution is most likely out the question.

Conclusion

With the wide variety of solutions on the market, professional web hosting services are ideal for whatever you plan to accomplish online irrespective to the size of your website or business.  While the price varies greatly among the type of service and company you choose, this option is far more cost effective than trying to host these complex technologies on your own.  On the other hand, if you have the space, manpower, financial resources and the need for the utmost control, an in-house set up could turn to be the best solution.

Since being released in the year 2000, phpBB has been one of the most widely used bulletin board solutions on the market.  Today it stands alone at the top as the number one open-source forum software in the world.  While the platform has been greatly improved over the years, phpBB has always offered a powerful set of features such as private messaging, intuitive permission systems, search functionality, a customizable template and language system and support for popular databases.

Key phpBB Features

The phpBB forum software is loaded with features that appeal to administrators, moderators and end-users.  Some of the most noteworthy features include:

Private Messages

- Send messages to multiple recipients

- Send messages to groups

- Send BCCs (Blind Carbon Copies)

- Forward messages

- Export messages

- Friends list (address book)

- Attach files to private messages

- Private message drafts

- Private message folders

- Private message filters

- Conversation view

Registration

- Limit registration attempts

- Set minimum and maximum login ID length

- Set minimum and maximum password length

- Regulate login ID characters

- Establish password complexity requirements

- Enforce password changes

- Enable and disable COPPA

- Allow and deny email address re-usage

Built-in Search Engine

- Search topics within the site

- Search within topics

- Search through multiple categories and forums

- Search within first post of a specific topic

- Enable search flood interval to reduce server load

- Search capabilities within backend database

Administrative Control Panel

- Enhanced interface with more accessible and flexible tab layout

- Modular system provides for easy extensibility

- Allow and deny access to various administrative functions

- Founder status bulletin board creation

- New design for easier use

Moderator Control Panel

- Easy management of moderation queue

- Comprehensive lists of warnings and reports

- Forum, topic and post detail views

Polls

- Multiple options for each user

- Allow and deny vote changes

Usergroups

- Multiple group leaders

- Set display color specific group members

- Set group ranking

- Create group avatars

Profile View

- Comprehensive user statistics on profile view

- Usergroups on profile view

- Signature on profile view

Permissions System

- Enhanced and more flexible system

- Easy permissions via assigned roles

- Enhanced administrator and moderator access

- Global moderators

User Management

- Advanced user interface

- Modify user preferences

- Modify group memberships

- Display and edit all user attachments

- View permissions directly

Availability and Requirements

Incorporating a forum into your website is a great way to establish a community and encourage audience participation.  There are a number of programs that can help you achieve these goals and some of the best ones are of the open-source variety.  Being that the software has become so incredibly popular, most web hosting providers offer full support for phpBB.  Hosts that utilize cPanel as their control panel allow you to install the application right through Fantastico.  In just a few easy clicks, your website can be enhanced by one of the most powerful online bulletin board systems in the world.   All you need to run phpBB efficiently is a web server equipped with the PHP programming language and a supported database.  Although MySQL is the database used most often, the platform also supports database management systems such as PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite, Oracle, Firebird, OpenLink Virtuoso and several others.