Fundamental Questions every client should seek before selecting the potential Virtual Private Server

anchal_bhatt122

Pandemic has taught businesses that they should have an online strategy. Being Online was the sole reason where many businesses were able to survive and flourish during the lockdown. With online business gaining importance, more and more business are now moving their business to Virtual Private Server from virtual/shared hosting plans, Where you shared resources with 100s of other websites. Shared resources on virtual hosting are often the main culprit for slow website loading, Which results in loss of business and customers online. 

With a website being the center of strategy for online business, it is always ideal for taking proper due diligence before selecting one. 

Points to inquire before selecting a hosting partner:

1. What kind of Server Hardware Deployed?

It is vital to have full disclosure around the type of server that would host your website/application, their capacity, and scalability features. Most users make the common mistake of comparing the provider based on the price when devils are hidden in details. Have a good idea about the server can help you compare providers.

2. What levels of Securities Do they Offer?

Security is the most important concern that any online business has. Being with the secured host guarantees less downtime and enhanced security for the business. It’s important to know the kind of security firewalls implemented, Antivirus deployed, security updates routines adopted, and the monitoring policies adopted by the host.

3. How easy is it to Upgrade/Downgrade Hosting Plans?

Flexible Payment plans based on resource utilization can help businesses predict peaks in demand – Seasonal Offer, Promotional Plan, for example, sometimes it is known there is a surge when it’s happening. The host should allow total flexibility for the account in such surge and must reply quickly, will they be able to keep you on your chosen infrastructure, and how will they charge you for scaling? 

4. Customer Support provided?

The 365 days support via email, ticket, and chat can be a lifesaver in cases of failures and downtime. The provider should also offer support across multiple channels so that the one that works, rather than the one that suits them.

5. Server Management is included?

Most service providers offer Virtual Private Server only, While some providers bundle it with managed services. If you are looking at a good service, we suggest that you are opt-in for a provider that offers VPS + Managed Services that includes proactive monitoring, patch management. These will ensure that your server is guarded well against threats. How proactively do they respond to any threats and downtime issues?

6. What kind of backup options provided?

With so many viruses and malware attacks, It has been evident that having a backup is of critical importance for the enterprise. It is important to inquire about the intensity and frequency of backups taken. Having the right backup can be used to restore data rapidly in the case of an onsite catastrophe, which is vital for mission-critical websites.

7. Billing Policies

Various providers follow different payment policies, a Flat Monthly Fee, or by capacity used. There is quite a bit of information stored in Fair Usage Policies. It is advisable to review the Fair Usage Policies and Terms of Service, and many have straight billing plans, some implement penalties for excessive resource usage.