Security is a major concern for any individual or business maintaining a website. Before subjecting yourself to the basic security issues that come along with internet usage, your first assessment should be made through a web hosting company. While you may not necessarily comprehend the ins and outs of web hosting, servers and all the technical aspects, there are a few standards that you should be familiar with.
Lets start with the equipment a web host utilizes. Their servers should be frequently monitored and supplied with dual firewall components. This helps to protect your website against power failures or any natural disasters that may occur. A firewall will also keep out internet hackers looking to break into a server and steal confidential information.
A reliable web hosting provider will store their servers in remote locations for additional security, applying multiple backups so that your data can be quickly recovered if disaster strikes. You can actually conduct your own research by visiting the following website: www.whois.com Whois provides a useful service that will tell you exactly how many sites your provider is hosting on their server. Do not shy away from companies hosting a large number of sites. In most cases, the more sites they house, the better. For instance, BlueHost is a well known company currently hosting well over 570,000 domains.
When it comes to making sure your site is secure, you should never hesitate to drill providers for information. Security is even more important if your site will be storing sensitive customer data. In order to keep the intruders away, you must know every measure a web host is taking to make sure it happens.
More security related questions you may want to ask are:
How would you rate the overall security of your service?
What measures do you take to prevent malware and spam?
How can you assure protection from unauthorized users?
How can you assure protection from authorized users sharing server space?
When the integrity of your business is at stake, you never want to assume anything. Make sure you cover all the critical areas that need to be addressed. Also remember that an affordable, feature-rich service doesn’t translate into one that is secure. By conducting deep research in the beginning, you have a better chance at ensuring the protection of your website.
You can learn more about web hosting companies by reading reviews that are posted online. Many reviewers will cover all the qualities of a particular host along with the drawbacks. If a company is known for security issues, these flaws are sure to be listed. They may also indicate security-based features that are provided such as .htaccess files and spam filters. A quality web host will openly advertise it’s reliability and security.
Just as you want your business to be secure at home or in a remote office, you want the same considerations for your online venture as well. While there is a lot of media hype behind it, online hackers and viruses do pose a real threat to sensitive data. Because of this, you should never fall for the gleam and glamour of the first web host offering cheap service. If their servers aren’t secure, your personal information could easily fall into the wrong hands.
September 03, 2008
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