◦ Comprehensive security
◦ 24/7 support
Managed Hosting
What is managed hosting?
When your business relies on its website or online applications, keeping everything running smoothly can be a full-time job. And with other demands on your time and resources, balancing growth with reliable site performance, security, and the inevitable updates and troubleshooting that come with hosting is a lot.
If you’ve found yourself stretched thin or just want peace of mind that your infrastructure is in expert hands, managed hosting could be the solution you’re looking for.
What is managed hosting?
Managed hosting is a web hosting arrangement wherein a third-party hosting company handles the setup, administration, management, and support of a server and application.
Managed hosting is a service that can be added on top of any type of server. Managed VPS, managed dedicated servers, managed WordPress, etc. are all possibilities. The hardware and technology is the same in managed and unmanaged hosting; the difference is the addition of management services.
It’s outsourcing the management of your server hosting the same way you might outsource other tools and services, to eliminate the need for in-house hosting infrastructure experts.
Managed web hosting features
Management services vary from host to host but typically include:
- Operating system (OS) updates and patching
- 24/7/365 support
- Network infrastructure and hardware management
- Basic security measures (including virus and spam protection)
Managed hosting generally includes monitoring and remediation of anything that could affect server performance.
Managed hosting vs colocation
The terms managed hosting and colocation are often confused, but they’re very different services.
Managed hosting lets you lease a server that belongs to the hosting provider. The provider also takes care of setup, maintenance, monitoring, security, backups, and updates. This is ideal for users who want high performance and reliability without needing deep technical expertise.
In colocation, you own your hardware and physically place it in a data center that belongs to the third-party hosting company. You lease space, power, cooling, and network connectivity, but the responsibility of maintaining the server falls to you or your IT team. Colocation is a good solution for businesses that want complete control over their hardware and configurations, but need a reliable, secure facility with advanced infrastructure.
Some hosting providers offer the best of both worlds with managed colocation. Remember, managed hosting describes a service that can be added to any type of hosting arrangement. In managed colocation, you own the hardware and software, but you lease both space and management services from a hosting provider.
Benefits of managed web hosting
Managed hosting offers several advantages—especially if hosting IT is not your area of expertise.
1. Reduced risk
In today’s digital world, 95% of cybersecurity attacks and data breaches are preventable. But reducing your risk of attack is not just the job of one department.
In many ways, everyone in the organization is responsible—from the employee choosing not to open a suspicious email to the accountant ensuring financial information is shared securely.
The thing is, people aren’t always perfect, and effectively reducing cyber risk exposure is not an easy task. It takes a high level of oversight and constant maintenance on the backend to ensure that:
- The OS is updated, and security patches are completed routinely
- Cybersecurity threats are being identified and remediated
- Good traffic can flow in, while suspicious traffic is stopped at the gate
The thing is, people aren’t always perfect, and effectively reducing cyber risk exposure is not an easy task. It takes a high level of oversight and constant maintenance on the backend to ensure that:
2. Keep up with the speed of business
Business growth isn’t always linear. Sometimes, scale happens rapidly or can even come in waves with seasonal changes and market shifts.
Your managed hosting provider will work with you to adjust your hosting resources as needed so your IT scales with your business.
More importantly, as long as you maintain good communication with your managed hosting team, they can help you create a technology roadmap to support upcoming growth and product launches.
3. Stay compliant
Companies that manage sensitive or highly regulated data, such as information covered by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations, have a slew of compliance requirements they must meet on an ongoing basis—requirements that take significant time and attention to fulfill.
In fact, 76% of companies label these compliance requirements a burden to their business operations.
Fortunately, managed hosting helps you avoid this burden almost completely. Your managed hosting provider will take care of these tasks for you, freeing up time and headspace to focus on other things.
4. Stay up-to-date with technology
Moore’s Law means that tech is getting better, faster, and more compact at an exponential rate. Not all companies will keep up with these changes, meaning many will miss out on the efficiency and customer service benefits of emerging tech like the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning/AI.
Working with a managed hosting provider means you get access to the latest technology, such as GPU hosting, without investing much capital. And as advancements happen, your company will benefit from them while your competitors struggle to catch up.
How to choose a managed hosting provider
Where you host matters. Not all providers deliver the same managed hosting services or the same level of support. Do your due diligence to determine which provider will give you the most reliable and robust hosting plan and will be a proactive partner in your success, now and in the future.
Learn about the company
Has the managed hosting company experienced growth in the last 12 months or, conversely, suffered a negative business event?
- Does the company have a strong, experienced executive leadership team?
- Does the company own its own data centers?
- Does the company use Tier 1 providers for network access?
Learn about their hosting technology
Good services and an authoritative brand won’t make up for poor quality hardware.
- Does the managed hosting company support a variety of hosting products and services that can meet the ever-changing needs of your projects?
- Have there been any new products developed in the last 12 months?
- Do the products include the most up-to-date security and performance software?
- How old is the hardware/software being used?
- Does a cheaper price mean that they use older or refurbished hardware?
- How compatible and flexible are the products?
- Do they work with a wide variety of plugins?
- Do they support a variety of operating systems and applications?
Learn about their support services
No matter how experienced your team is or how good the hardware, questions will come up. Make sure their team is available.
- Do managed hosting customers have around-the-clock access to highly trained, certified technicians?
- Can you talk to someone about your issue, same day?
- Are you given multiple methods of contact for support?
- Does the company charge for support?
- Do they own their own infrastructure, and are they on-site with the servers 24/7/365?
- Do they have a team dedicated to helping you migrate data?
- Will they do it for free?
- What do current customers say about the customer service? Ask for data.
Learn what they can guarantee
Guarantees are a good indicator of the hosting provider’s success rate and confidence.
- Does the managed hosting company provide performance and customer service guarantees?
- What is their track record on uptime? What service level agreements are in place in the event of an outage?
- Does the company have flexible agreements and pricing or are you locked into contracts?
- Does the company have a high net promoter or satisfaction score? (Do current customers recommend them?)
Getting started with managed web hosting
Selecting the managed hosting plan that’s right for you doesn’t have to be a stressful undertaking.
Liquid Web is here to help you find the best hosting arrangement and ensure the whole process goes smoothly, from planning and migration to long-term optimization and scaling. Our service-level agreement is among the best in the industry, with:
- 30-minute hardware replacement guarantee
- 100% network uptime guarantee
And if we fail to meet our SLA commitments for any reason, we’ll give you a credit for 10 times (1,000%) the actual amount of time you were affected.
You may be outsourcing your technology to us, but we’ll quickly become part of your team. Our goal is not just to respond to your IT needs, but to anticipate them and help you build digital transformation strategies that support your long-term goals and projects.
The best managed hosting for any need
Managed WordPress hosting
Includes tailored support and optimizations that make your WordPress site run like a well-oiled machine
$21/mo
Managed
VPS
hosting
All the benefits that a VPS brings to growing businesses and websites, PLUS an experienced hosting IT team
$66/mo
Managed dedicated
server
High performance fully unlocked – Get the unrivaled capabilities of a dedicated server, expertly managed.
$223/mo
Managed hosting FAQ
Additional resources
Managed server vs unmanaged server →
Get a clear picture of the difference so you can choose which is right for you
Fully managed dedicated hosting →
A complete guide to managed dedicated servers
How to check if a WordPress plugin is safe →
Pros, cons, and how to decide if it’s right for you
Brooke Oates is a Product Manager at Liquid Web, specializing in Cloud VPS and Cloud Metal, with a successful history of IT/hosting and leadership experience. When she’s not perfecting servers, Brooke enjoys gaming and spending time with her kids.
