With over 7 billion websites currently online and more being created every day, the demand for web hosting is huge, and it's not going away any time soon. If you're looking for a web hosing provider, the massive demand means that there are a lot of options to choose from. For those who are new to web hosting technology, choosing the right provider and the right hosting setup can be a daunting task. Like any other tech product, web hosting comes with an entire language of jargon, acronyms and abbreviations which are Greek to the uninitiated. Luckily, though, you need not be a technical genius or even especially web savvy to understand the basics and find the hosting plan that's right for you.
When it comes time to choose a hosting plan, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. Before you even begin to research a hosting plan, ask yourself two very important questions. What do I want my website to do (what technical requirements do I have of my web server) and how much do I want to spend each month on hosting services? Developing solid answers to these questions will ensure that you get the features you need without overpaying. The second question is pretty easy, and for most web hosting customers the answer is "as little as possible." We'll discuss keeping costs down a little later, but first let's talk about the other question. The way you want your website to work will determine if you have any special requirements of the server that hosts it. It's important to understand that most simple websites like blogs and basic business websites can be handled by just about any hosting server, and only when a site gets larger and more complicated does it demand certain features from a web server. As it turns out, a lot of webmasters choose a VPS Windows plan, for reasons we'll explore below.
These days everyone wants to save money wherever possible, and that applies equally to individuals and businesses of all sizes. One of the best ways to save money on web hosting is to go with a virtual private server, or VPS plan. VPS is a special configuration of a web server that allows the expenses associated with one physical machine to be shared among several webmasters. This is done by splitting the physical server in to a bunch of virtual servers. This process is called virtualization, and it's accomplished using software like VMWare or Citrix's XenServer. The resulting virtual servers behave as if they are totally independent machines, with their own operating system, software, and privacy settings. Even though they deliver a user experience that is akin to having a dedicated server, many of these virtual machines live on one actual server, which is how costs are kept to a minimum.
As mentioned above, each of the virtual servers runs its own operating system, which presents another choice. So which OS should you select for your web server? You are likely going to have two choices, Windows Server (Win) or Linux. Both have their advantages, and a rigorous debate continues over which is superior, with passionate advocates in both camps. The primary reason many webmasters choose Win is simple familiarity. And if you don't have any special technical requirements of your web server, the OS its running really doesn't matter all that much anyway.
You're looking for a web host, and you want a full featured plan that's easy to use and won't require a second mortgage to pay for. Windows VPS plans are chosen by thousands of webmasters for exactly those reasons. So browse our VPS Win plans and get started today!