An introduction to the different types of hosting is not that big a deal, and all it'll need is a few paragraphs. Unless, of course, each type also needs to be matched against a customer type for whom it is suitable. So let's do that, but after the geek stuff about each type.
The main categories under which any and all packages are classified by web host companies are based on the choice or type of server. It can be a shared server or a dedicated one, or a virtual private server. It can even be cloud hosting, where shared resources from the cloud are provided to customers on demand via the internet.
That pretty much covers the introduction. Not enough? OK, let's look into each type a bit more closely. Under the first type - shared hosting, the customer shares the same server with many others and is given limited resources and tools, with no administrative rights. On the other hand, if a single customer is granted exclusive use of an entire server along with administrative privileges, that's a dedicated server.
There's also VPS, which is somewhere in between the above two choices. It uses a technology called hypervisor which enables the creation of multiple instances of virtual servers, one for each client. What the client gets, apparently, is full and exclusive use of a server. What it is, actually, is just one of many partitions on the same physical server. But the virtualization makes the VPS solution as good as a dedicated server, in terms of control and flexibility.
Of all the choices, the most powerful one is hosting on the cloud. The customer can throw away the in-house IT setup with servers, complicated networking and the staff required to maintain it. Whatever the company needs will be made available via a simple web browser. It's obviously difficult to explain here, but consider it like a massive electrical grid where many customers share the power but pay only for their own usage.
Shared hosting doesn't have a lot of sub-types, but the other three do. Customers can choose from managed or unmanaged servers. Under the managed type, the host company will take care of the administration. Under unmanaged, the customer has the responsibility to install and manage everything from the OS to the web server and the tools necessary for setting up a website on the server.
That should definitely be enough to understand the choices. What needs to be done now is to match these choices against specific types of customers. Let's start with small companies or individuals planning to run a personal or commercial site. For these customers, a simple shared server package is adequate, since the site will get relative low traffic and has no need for additional security.
Bigger companies will have different hosting needs, with popular websites that store customer data and process financial transactions, not to mention the company's secrets and valuable product data. Such websites need a lot more power and capabilities than can be had on a shared package, so this calls for a dedicated server solution. Some companies may be on the cusp of such requirements but don't have the budget for a dedicated server. These companies should make do with a VPS in the interim, until such time as the traffic and website growth and budget both are big enough to warrant a dedicated server.
For companies whose IT infrastructures have grown bloated with servers and networking equipment, not to mention IT staff, transferring everything to a cloud can provide a lot of relief. It completely eliminates the need to maintain the IT setup, and offers the hugely powerful capability of a data center, but without the cost since the company only pays for the resources accessed and used.
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