Managed versus unmanaged – An alarming number of web hosting providers that offer managed dedicated server services do not publish exactly what they manage, rather attempt to sway prospects with vague marketing mumbo jumbo.
In contrast, ProlimeHost publicly posts not only what is managed, but offers written guarantees that let you sleep at night, knowing that competent, experienced on-site technicians are on guard 24 x 7 to protect your mission critical data.
ProlimeHost’s server solution packages offer complete SATISFACTION.
Basically, what’s covered is:
- Installation
- Configuration
- Optimization
- Security and
- Monitoring
Our support team has extensive experience specializing in advanced server management in:
- Web servers
- Databases
- Storage
- Security and
- Virtualization
The end goal? Providing our clients with 24 x 7 piece of mind because we know security, speed and uptime are paramount. Again, an alarming number of businesses that lose their data go under in less than one year after a compromising breach. That’s why we put years of experience into practice deploying advanced security measures to protect your business from malware.
Response times are important, but resolution times are critical when issues arise.
Let’s face it, stuff happens to servers from time to time, and the mark of a competent provider is how well they handle those issues.
Not only does ProlimeHost promise to begin case examinations within one hour, we average 30-minute response times and six-hour resolution times (for 90% of all support tickets). In fact, on average, we close tickets within 1.5 hours.
Reboots?
Yes, we monitor your server every five minutes and offer guaranteed reboots in 15 minutes.
ProlimeHost managed services include weekly health checks including
- Proactive Security Audits – to search for suspicious activity and possible exploits
- Proactive Security Patches & Software Updates – to perform critical security patches and third-party server software updates
- Proactive Backend Server Updates – for Kernel, PHP, MySQL and Apache updates (can also be scheduled depending on your preference).
- Proactive System Updates – to download and apply operating system updates to your server
- And Reports – compiled and posted to your account
Maintaining a server requires hard core practical knowledge and industry best deployment strategies.
At the very least, server management is a time-consuming, hard job best performed by experts. The key to resolving issues is to be proactive, minimizing their occurrence in the first place. Your time is best served by running your business successfully. Ask yourself this:
- If anything were to go wrong with the configuration or software on your server, could you afford the downtime? For most businesses, that answer is a resounding no.
- Is time management critical to your operations? Would fixing your server or applying patches at midnight create additional issues?
- Do you have the necessary skills and ongoing training to competently troubleshoot unexpected issues like database or application issues?
- How current are you trained to combat new malware attempts?
- Are you comfortable managing shell commands and control panels?
- Do you have a contingency plan in place to maintain (and test) regular backups?
If you answered no to any of these queries, you need to ask yourself if cost-cutting is worth the extra work on your end, and the risk and responsibility.
Unmanaged in a nutshell
When a client leases a dedicated server from a DSSP (dedicated server service provider), it’s typically unmanaged, meaning the client has total control over that server, the applications hosted on it, its operating system and inherently, its security. This differs from managed solutions where the MSP (managed service provider) would perform necessary maintenance, admin and support.
The issue with unmanaged dedicated servers has always been simply keeping up with technology, thus it’s become increasingly more financially feasible to outsource management to an MSP, especially in those industries that are highly regulated or demand enhanced security requirements, such as in medical and financial circles.
Managed services are value-add
Allowing an MSP to proactively monitor your server 24x7x365 allows that client’s IT team to concentrate on what it does best. It transfers typical in-house concerns to the MSP so that the client’s online presence continues to perform at peak levels. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
- Does going managed make good business sense to you?
- How much will managed services cost and what is the benefit and payoff, both in hard and soft dollars.
- Does your IT staff possess the skill set to competently manage your server/s?
- What are the risks, if any, by contracting for managed services?
Choices, choices
With any choice, there are always going to be some trade-offs. You could lower your operating expense by going self-managed, but this often places your business at increased risk, especially in downtimes or dealing with security breaches.
Here’s the reality of in-house IT teams
First, in-house IT support is expensive. These technicians go through advanced training and expect premium wages. Even if they’re exceptionally talented, and many of them are, issues don’t always occur at the best of times, rather just the opposite (like on New Years Eve at 1AM in the morning). What if members of your IT team get sick or go on maternity leave? Other in-house considerations include vacation schedules, training days, bereavement leaves or compensation hours. Do you add staff which increases your operating budget, or do you outsource management?
More and more businesses are finding out that retaining smaller IT teams, in conjunction with leveraging ProlimeHost’s economy of expertise allows them to remain focused on their core business.
Today’s trend in server hosting
It has been predicted that MSPs will grow sixty percent quicker than DSSPs in the next few years. Why? Businesses are waiting up to the reality of hosting as so much more than a simple commodity service. It’s being viewed more often as a business investment, and rightfully so. Self-managed certainly isn’t for everyone, especially for larger organizations because as their infrastructure grows, their need for more full-time staff increases.
The peace of mind factor
If you’re new to server management, managed hosting is certainly a responsible decision as it will provide peace of mind. Conversely, if you’re content on dealing with server issues yourself, have no time restraints or uptime requirements, then unmanaged services will save you money.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY PROLIMEHOST
We’ve been in the web hosting industry for over a decade, helping hundreds of clients succeed in what they do best and that’s running their business. We specialize in Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated servers, with data centers in Los Angeles, Denver & Singapore.
VPS SERVICES: LIGHTNING FAST SSD VIRTUAL SERVERS
Our Virtual Private Servers all feature high performance Xeon processors and SSD storage in a RAID10 configuration to optimize your server’s performance, which dramatically enhances visitor experiences on your site.
That speed is backed by unparalleled 24/7 support, featuring both outstanding response AND resolution times to maximize your uptime.
Now is the time to join the ProlimeHost virtual private server revolution.
DEDICATED SERVERS: BACKED BY A 99.9% SLA NETWORK UPTIME GUARANTEE
We only use enterprise-class hardware in our dedicated servers [1] and offer a four (4) hour hardware replacement. Throw in IPMI for remote management, support for public and private networks, free operating system (OS) re-installs, and SATA, SAS & SSD (including NVMe) storage. Call 1-877-477-9454 or contact us [2]. For everything from gaming servers to cheap dedicated servers, we’re here to help.
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