Top 3 Benefits of Managed Hosting

As technology becomes more complex and businesses look for ways to streamline processes and improve productivity, managed hosting is rapidly becoming a valuable resource for many companies. Find out what managed hosting is and how your organization can benefit from it.

What is Managed Hosting?
Simply put, dedicated hosting services, a dedicated server, or managed hosting is a type of Internet hosting in which the client pays for use of a server that will not be shared with anyone. Unlike shared hosting, organizations enjoy full control over the server(s), including choice of operating system, hardware, etc. A complete managed hosting solution usually includes server administration provided by the hosting company. Dedicated servers are most often housed in data centres, which provide redundant power sources and HVAC systems. Managed hosting service providers are typically also responsible for your network, devices, operating system and application infrastructure components.

The Benefits of Managed Hosting
There are several benefits to managed hosting. Below we will examine three of the most valuable benefits of using a managed hosting service.

Greater Value
Managed hosting can in most cases provide greater value by increasing the cost efficiency of the entire process. Service providers have fully trained experts readily available and there is no need for you to invest in education and training as you may have to do with your own staff in order to get them to the level of efficiency that service providers already have. Thus managed hosting allows you to focus on your core business, rather than spending extra time and resources managing your technical infrastructure. Furthermore, there is a cost advantage with managed hosting. Because service providers distribute the cost and amount of available bandwidth among several clients, they are able to offer better prices on bandwidth and services than the client would be able to obtain n their own. The cost savings available to users of managed hosting solutions include not having to invest in.

Better Responsiveness
Managed hosting provides better responsiveness by guaranteeing 24-hour service and building in many layers of support and contingency planning. Because it is the core business of managed hosting service providers to proactively manage and optimize resources, they are in a much better position to conduct effective risk management and provide timely and efficient responsiveness to any unexpected issues. Because they know what they are doing, service providers provide better case management than internal IT staff could hope to achieve. Furthermore, because a large part of their business is customer service, most managed hosting companies pride themselves on quick response times and expedient solutions.

More Features
Investing in managed hosting often buys you even more than you bargained for. Many managed hosting services include an array of features that provide even greater value than the solution itself. Some of these features are invaluable for a company that relies heavily upon technology infrastructure but does not have the time or resources to consider all the 'extras'that work towards optimizing the company's network. Some of the features commonly included or at least available with managed hosting are:

- On-going management, optimization and technical support
- Customer portals with user-friendly reporting functionality
- Online trouble-ticketing
- Risk assessment and management services
- Data back-up and disaster recovery services
- Managed firewall, VPN and intrusion detection services
- Content strategies for web optimization
- Content delivery services

For the reasons detailed above and many others, managed hosting is simply the wisest and most comprehensive solution for companies with complex operations and business processes. Though some of the features listed may vary from provider to provider, a good managed hosting service will provide great value.