Choosing a host for your web-site is no small decision. Once committed to one, it will become very difficult to move your business elsewhere - not to mention the damage that can be done to your business if you make the wrong choice. This makes it very important to "get it right the first time". Find out as much as you can about your prospective host before making any decisions.

When evaluating your host, you will obviously be considering price. But price is, of course, not the only important factor. You will also need to take into consideration:

1. The speed and reliability of the servers and hardware

2. The features the host offers and whether these mesh with your own requirements, and, of course

3. The quality of their support services.

Let's look at each of these in turn:

1. Speed and Reliability of the Servers and Hardware

The speed and reliability of your host's servers will depend on several factors, including the quality of their connection to the internet, bandwidth, and the availability of back-up systems in case things go wrong. Here's a checklist of points to consider when checking out your prospective host's servers and hardware:

" A T3 Connection (or better), close to a primary internet backbone.

A T3 connection is approx 30 times as fast as a T1 connection. Smaller hosting providers - for example, the proverbial "garage operations" --- will often use T1 connections, with no backup at all. They may be very cheap - but, be careful here, you can get what you pay for!

" Effective Bandwidth Management

In addition to having a fast connection to the internet, your host should be able to manage how its available bandwidth is used . As a guide, it should typically not be using more than 50 percent of its bandwidth.

" Backup Systems

If there is a systems, network or power failure, the last thing you want is to lose your data or to have your web-site go down for a long period. Good hosts will have back up systems in place to guard against this.

Look for a host who can provide:

" Regular, daily back up of your data

" Backup power supplies

Look for an uninterruptible power supply system (often referred to as "UPS") - a back up power generator available in case of emergencies.

" Redundancy

Do they have more than one connection to the internet, in case one of their connections goes down.

" An "Uptime" Guarantee

These typically state "We guarantee 99) uptime".

2. Features

As well as checking out the reliability of the servers and hardware you will also need to evaluate and compare the features provided by your host.

Here's a checklist of things to consider:

" Shared or Dedicated Server?

Depending on your requirements, you may be better off with a dedicated server than a shared server. Dedicated servers are typically used in cases where there is a high level of traffic, there is a strong need for security, or the user wishes to run their own customised software and applications rather than the standard ones supplied by the host.

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