What is Grid Web Hosting?
A shared grid hosting plan can provide you with better Web server reliability and convenient scalability for your growing website network and businesses. Similar to cloud hosting packages, the primary objective of a Web hosting company that provides grid Web hosting solutions is to offer powerful Web server data processing power, higher data storage space volumes and bigger bandwidth resources that can in turn be managed by their IT specialists with better ease and convenience due to automated processes that can effectively monitor the resource usage of each Web server included in a grid of front-end Web servers and the back-end data servers that are connected to each front-end Web server. You must consider the data centers and the cluster of Web servers and data servers that are located in the data centers of the Web hosting company that offers the shared grid hosting plan you’re interested in, before you go and subscribe for the grid Web hosting package, aside from other important things that can ensure you get the best grid hosting services for your time and money. Found below is an overview of grid hosting and the things you should look out for when choosing a grid hosting plan from a Web hosting company:
What is Grid Hosting?
Grid hosting is the process of deploying multiple front-end Web servers in a data center that is managed and monitored by a group of IT specialists employed by the Web hosting company. These front-end Web servers are continuously powered up and connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, all year round. An automated system is implemented into this cluster of front-end Web servers, and this is where the hardware and bandwidth resource usage as well as errors or issues of each front-end Web server are constantly monitored. This in turn allows each front-end Web server to use the hardware and bandwidth resources of other front-end Web servers included in the cluster when required by the websites hosted in the front-end Web server, and in cases where hardware resource failure causes errors or issues in a front-end Web server, the websites hosted in that particular front-end Web server is then given access to the hardware and bandwidth resources of other front-end Web servers included in the cluster. This promotes better reliability. How about scalability, especially when the time comes that you need higher hardware and bandwidth resources?
You can ask the Web hosting company to upgrade your grid hosting account to a grid Web hosting plan that has higher hardware and bandwidth resources. Since your Web hosting package is a grid Web hosting plan, these upgrades can be quickly implemented into your grid hosting account. You can also select the hardware resource upgrades and the amount of bandwidth you want to be added to your grid hosting plan, in direct relation to the needs and demands of your site viewers and administrators. How about data security, stability and privacy?
Back-end data servers are connected to each of these front-end Web servers included in the cluster. These back-end data servers are implemented for the utility of the front-end Web servers to store the data associated to the websites hosted under the front-end Web servers.
An automated system is integrated into these back-end data servers for monitoring the availability of its data storage space. This is implemented to ensure that the data storage space resources of other back-end data servers can be used in case one data server runs low in data storage space, in order to accommodate the data storage space requirements of websites hosted in the front-end Web server where the data server is connected. You can also schedule regular backup copies to be generated by an automated system that’s available in your grid hosting account control panel, so your databases and website files can be restored or retrieved in case of data loss and corruption due to accidental data deletions or incorrect syntax integration done by your website viewers and administrators. The backup copies of your databases and website files can then be stored in the back-end data servers connected to these front-end Web servers for safekeeping, especially since these back-end data servers are not connected to the Internet, thereby making the front-end Web servers a formidable line of defense against unauthorized or illegitimate access by bots, scripts, hackers and spammers. Now, here are some things to consider when choosing a grid hosting plan:
Data Center Location
Selecting a Web hosting company with a grid hosting package that is powered by a cluster of front-end Web servers and back-end data servers deployed in a country or area where your target viewers are also found should be done to improve the local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your websites that will be hosted under the shared grid hosting plan you want. This means you should determine the locations of the data centers of the Web hosting company and see to it that they have data centers found in the areas or countries where your intended audience is based.
Web Server Hardware, Software and Bandwidth Resources – Determine the hardware, software and bandwidth resources integrated into each front-end Web server and back-end data server. This will allow you to match your requirements in terms of the Web programming module support you need for your Web applications, the data processing power and speed as well as the bandwidth resources required to accommodate your expected volume of site viewers and their onsite activities on your websites and the data storage space you need for the multimedia-rich content you’ll upload to your websites,
Uptime and Money Back Guarantees
Get a grid hosting plan from a Web hosting company that offers a 99.9% or so uptime guarantee. This will ensure that your websites will always be up and running. Also, consider subscribing to a grid hosting plan from a Web hosting company that provides a 30-day or 60-day money back guarantee. This will allow you to test out their services and hardware, bandwidth and software resources in terms of effectiveness and overall reliability.
Web Server Management and Maintenance Services – Get a grid hosting account that is bundled with round the clock Web server management and maintenance services. This will ensure that a group of IT specialists will constantly monitor the front-end Web servers and back-end data servers in the data center of your Web hosting provider. These IT specialists will always be ready to fix errors or resolve problems when it happens, reducing downtimes for your websites.
Customer and Technical Support Services – Check out the contact options offered by the Web hosting provider for their customer and technical support services. These include email support, phone support, live Web chat support and helpdesk ticket support.
Contact their customer support representatives to ask about the prices of their different grid hosting plans along with other contract details. Contact their technical support representatives to ask about the Web programming module support integrated into each of their grid hosting packages. Doing this will also allow you to determine the overall quality, responsiveness and professionalism of their customer and technical support agents.
Considering the things discussed above before subscribing to a grid Web hosting account will ensure that you get the best grid hosting services for your time and money. Knowing how grid hosting works by learning the things discussed above will also help you decide whether this type of Web hosting can give you beneficial returns and advantages over other types of Web hosting.
