A website consists of many
individual files on a computer. The computer has to be connected to the
Internet in such a way that allows users to see the files that are stored on
it. This computer is referred to as a web server. Web hosting is a service that
stores, maintains, and serves the website files on a web server. Some robust
computers are servers which provide access for many different websites all at
the same time. Disk space on one of these servers is what is referred to as a
hosting account. Web hosting removes the need for novice individuals to handle
complicated and expensive web servers to make their web site visible online. Web hosting companies provide
space and internet connectivity to their clients. The physical area where this
occurs is called a data center. The data center consists of many computers and
Internet IP Addresses. The IP Address is the actual physical address of where
your web site is hosted - the same way your home address is the real physical
address of your home.
Another major component of
web hosting is the functional ability to process e-mail. This is called e-mail
hosting and most often occurs on the same hosting account as the web site. When
choosing a web hosting provider, it is imperative to ensure that it will also
handle the company’s e-mail needs.
There are hundreds of
Internet service providers (ISP) that own web space on web servers in data centers.
When obtaining a hosting account, one is actually renting space on a server,
from the ISP. This is very similar to a homeowner renting their home, or a room
in their home, to various tenants. In much the same way, the client must agree
to the respective terms and conditions of the hosting provider.
The hosting provider will
assign a user name and password that will allow a client to access his or her
space on the World Wide Web. Using this password will allow a person to
transfer web files to cyberspace thereby making them available to anyone on the
Internet. The web hosting provider will also provide access to a control panel,
which is simply an interface to tell the computer software how to operate and
what programs (applications) to run. This control panel is also used to set up
e-mail addresses.
The Internet offers a
tremendous opportunity to grow a business in a global climate. To achieve this
end, a strong web presence and a reliable hosting provider is tantamount to
success. A compelling web site with robust connectivity from the hosting
provider will put a business miles ahead of their competitors.
In today’s competitive
environment, there are many companies that offer web hosting with low rates.
One must be careful to choose a company that also provides
superior technical support, easy procedures for domain name renewal, 99.9%
uptime, and is willing to customize the features of a hosting account to
conform to customers’ specific needs.
In the world of web hosting,
the real estate of your cyberspace is simply disk space on a computer optimized
for network transfer. This disk space is measures in megabytes or gigabytes.
This refers to the actual amount of disk space that is used for web site files,
documents, and other data. Similarly, network transfer is also measured in
megabytes or gigabytes. This refers to the amount of content that is downloaded
by users worldwide.
The cost of web hosting can
be contingent upon a variety of factors. Some of the more common functions that
can increase the cost are:
* Increased amount of disk space of
transfer (bandwidth)
* Web Hosting with FTP access
* Mail Server with Web Mail feature (like
Squirrelmail or Horde)
* Easy and secure control panel access
* Dedicated IP address
* Video hosting or streaming
* Image hosting | 
