subject: Is Managed Hosting Feasible? [print this page] Managed hosting usually costs a bit more than simply having a dedicated server. Answering the question of whether or not it's worth the money requires assessing the services you're offered. They will differ slightly from company to company, but most of them offer the same basic services to their managed web hosting clients. The primary advantage with this type of hosting is that you get a tech of your own with the web hosting agreement. You'll likely never meet them in person, but they will be responsible for the maintenance and setup of the server you lease.
With a managed account, a technician will handle just about all the setup aspects of your server. This is a much more complex affair with dedicated servers than it is with the simpler, basic accounts. A dedicated web server is just a machine when you get access to it. You turn it into a web server by adding the appropriate operating system and all the needed software to make it run. You also have to handle all the technical work related to regulating traffic to the server and making sure that any domain names you add are pointed to that server.
Some companies have their own techs on staff that can handle this work. Most often, however, it's specialized enough that having a tech dedicated to that purpose is well worth the money spent on the hosting account. If you go with one of these plans, you're basically getting a technician who works with web servers for a living and you can rely on them to know what they're doing and what needs to be done if you hit bumps in the road. Cheap web hosting is not necessarily web hosting that lacks quality and many of these companies offer a lot for the little money they charge.
If you're expanding your business or if you're running out of space already, a dedicated web server may be the answer. You can find a top web hosting companies list at several different sites that may help you to guide your decision. Remember to look for reviews that are impartial. Many times, the reviews aren't so much about a company being excellent or awful but have more to do with what those companies actually offer as opposed to their competitors. You may find a company that has exactly what you need.
