The development team has spent 3 months night and day to get a beta version of your product ready for testing. The COO wants to know when the customer will be able to see the product. The Venture Capitalist wants to see results for the $3 million they've invested. You just want to get everyone off of your back for 10 minutes. This is not the time to hastily pick a Web Hosting Company.
As an ASP your application is not a standard off the shelf product. Months and possibly years have been spent perfecting how your application operates. ASPs are creating applications that a few years ago would only be found in a LAN environment. These applications have similar components to their LAN brethren, and operate in a similar fashion to their LAN counterparts. It's this uniqueness that can cause problems at the hosting level.
As simple as this statement is, you might be surprised by what actually goes into your application. Think about your needs: server capacity, storage space, multiple NICs and TCP/IP addresses, Firewalls, etc. Think about your application at the processes level and how the different components interact, look at how the different servers work together. Then draw the whole server farm out and document everything. This map and specification sheet will be your guide to the hosting company and a reference for everyone when things go wrong.
The map will also come in handy at the office. I posted a copy on the wall outside my office; it's amazing who refers to it. I knew development would use this map, but a few days ago I caught our Director of Marketing using the diagram to explain our product to someone.
As critical as it might seem to just get the site up and running, it is best to take your time and research the companies you would like to use. The best place to find out information about Hosting Companies is though their web sites. For obvious reasons, Web Hosting Companies will have plenty of information about their services on tap. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is marketing material; this information should be used as a starting point not as the final place to make your decision.
When you look at the different companies you'll notice similarities. Everyone has secured facilities; they all have backup power sources, and enough bandwidth to play the ultimate game of Half-life with 10,000 of your closest friends. Not to say these are not important issues, but they are so common they should be part of the standard configuration of any hosting facility.
Most hosting companies will have different levels of service depending on your needs. These can range from just rack space and a connection out to the Internet, to where the Hosting Company has full control of the boxes and gives you access on a limited basis.
Consider if you need to get into the box. Does your software need special access to the operating system? If so, then you would want to have root control so that you can make the security setting personally.
Once a box is built, do you need to change anything? If not, then consider using a lower level of service. This is more of a cost savings than anything else; why pay for more service than you need. Check to see if they have specialized products that fit your needs, remember the diagram? Usually if a hosting company has a special service, they are not going to hide it.
As soon as you have a short list of Hosting Companies call them and talk to a sales person. Do they know the company's products? Have they worked with an ASP before? What is their background? Do they work with a project manager? Don't be afraid to ask questions! This person is here for your benefit, not just the Hosting Company.
If the Hosting Company has a facility in your area ask for a tour. During the tour take a good look at the place. Is it well lit, clean; Are the cables in the rack run neatly? Look for consistency in the way the racks are setup. The condition of the facility will tell you a lot about the staff maintaining it. Talk to the system engineers. What are their backgrounds? Do they know your operating system? Are the engineers trained on the latest installation and maintenance procedures?
No, I'm not talking biblical prophecy here. What I mean is do you go with the big established Hosting Company, or the smaller newcomer to the industry? Being a good Web Hosting Company has nothing to do with size. Not to say that the established companies cannot meet your needs.
The best of the Hosting Companies will understand what your needs are, and can provide the resources you need. Remember the ASP industry is only 4 years old. It is still a young industry. We are all trying to figure out how to do things. Don't be afraid to look at what the newer Hosting Companies have to offer. It never hurts to look. You might find exactly what you need from a David.
Service Level Agreements are a way of life for the ASP. We make our customers sign them and we have to sign the Hosting Company's SLA. This is so everyone knows where the boundaries are. But, have you thought about how the hosting Companies SLA would affect your SLA?
I'll give you an example.
In your SLA it says that files can be restored from backup within 4 hours. A major customer calls; the file they downloaded off of your system 3 days ago is corrupt. Your customer has to have this document or it will cost them thousands of dollars. You say sure, not a problem and call the Hosting Company. They say, "Yes Mr. Smith, we will restore that file and we'll let you know as soon as it's done." The time passes and no file, one of your best customers is now threatening to sue. The Hosting Company is saying that the SLA that you signed sates that they will restore a file within 24 hours.
This is just one reason why you should make sure that the Hosting Company's SLA doesn't contradict your SLA. Make sure the Hosting Company can provide the services that you are promising your customers. If they can't, then either look for a Hosting Company that can or think about taking that service out of your SLA.
As an ASP your application is not a standard off the shelf product. Months and possibly years have been spent perfecting how your application operates. ASPs are creating applications that a few years ago would only be found in a LAN environment. These applications have similar components to their LAN brethren, and operate in a similar fashion to their LAN counterparts. It's this uniqueness that can cause problems at the hosting level.
As simple as this statement is, you might be surprised by what actually goes into your application. Think about your needs: server capacity, storage space, multiple NICs and TCP/IP addresses, Firewalls, etc. Think about your application at the processes level and how the different components interact, look at how the different servers work together. Then draw the whole server farm out and document everything. This map and specification sheet will be your guide to the hosting company and a reference for everyone when things go wrong.
The map will also come in handy at the office. I posted a copy on the wall outside my office; it's amazing who refers to it. I knew development would use this map, but a few days ago I caught our Director of Marketing using the diagram to explain our product to someone.
As critical as it might seem to just get the site up and running, it is best to take your time and research the companies you would like to use. The best place to find out information about Hosting Companies is though their web sites. For obvious reasons, Web Hosting Companies will have plenty of information about their services on tap. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is marketing material; this information should be used as a starting point not as the final place to make your decision.
When you look at the different companies you'll notice similarities. Everyone has secured facilities; they all have backup power sources, and enough bandwidth to play the ultimate game of Half-life with 10,000 of your closest friends. Not to say these are not important issues, but they are so common they should be part of the standard configuration of any hosting facility.
Most hosting companies will have different levels of service depending on your needs. These can range from just rack space and a connection out to the Internet, to where the Hosting Company has full control of the boxes and gives you access on a limited basis.
Consider if you need to get into the box. Does your software need special access to the operating system? If so, then you would want to have root control so that you can make the security setting personally.
Once a box is built, do you need to change anything? If not, then consider using a lower level of service. This is more of a cost savings than anything else; why pay for more service than you need. Check to see if they have specialized products that fit your needs, remember the diagram? Usually if a hosting company has a special service, they are not going to hide it.
As soon as you have a short list of Hosting Companies call them and talk to a sales person. Do they know the company's products? Have they worked with an ASP before? What is their background? Do they work with a project manager? Don't be afraid to ask questions! This person is here for your benefit, not just the Hosting Company.
If the Hosting Company has a facility in your area ask for a tour. During the tour take a good look at the place. Is it well lit, clean; Are the cables in the rack run neatly? Look for consistency in the way the racks are setup. The condition of the facility will tell you a lot about the staff maintaining it. Talk to the system engineers. What are their backgrounds? Do they know your operating system? Are the engineers trained on the latest installation and maintenance procedures?
No, I'm not talking biblical prophecy here. What I mean is do you go with the big established Hosting Company, or the smaller newcomer to the industry? Being a good Web Hosting Company has nothing to do with size. Not to say that the established companies cannot meet your needs.
The best of the Hosting Companies will understand what your needs are, and can provide the resources you need. Remember the ASP industry is only 4 years old. It is still a young industry. We are all trying to figure out how to do things. Don't be afraid to look at what the newer Hosting Companies have to offer. It never hurts to look. You might find exactly what you need from a David.
Service Level Agreements are a way of life for the ASP. We make our customers sign them and we have to sign the Hosting Company's SLA. This is so everyone knows where the boundaries are. But, have you thought about how the hosting Companies SLA would affect your SLA?
I'll give you an example.
In your SLA it says that files can be restored from backup within 4 hours. A major customer calls; the file they downloaded off of your system 3 days ago is corrupt. Your customer has to have this document or it will cost them thousands of dollars. You say sure, not a problem and call the Hosting Company. They say, "Yes Mr. Smith, we will restore that file and we'll let you know as soon as it's done." The time passes and no file, one of your best customers is now threatening to sue. The Hosting Company is saying that the SLA that you signed sates that they will restore a file within 24 hours.
This is just one reason why you should make sure that the Hosting Company's SLA doesn't contradict your SLA. Make sure the Hosting Company can provide the services that you are promising your customers. If they can't, then either look for a Hosting Company that can or think about taking that service out of your SLA.
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