A crucial factor when starting an e-commerce site is to choose a good hosting service. The same goes for businesses that are growing or established ones, hosting needs may vary over time
(especially with Magento hosting).
Besides other solutions, managed hosting services provide a broad range of management solutions that allows companies to focus on their core business and assign hosting management to a reliable managed hosting service.
But what is managed web hosting and what are its advantages compared to unmanaged hosting?
In this article you will find out:
Table of Contents
- Managed hosting services meaning
- Hosting managed server vs unmanaged hosting: Pros & cons
- Managed Magento: Advantages of fully managed Magento hosting
- Conclusion: Managed hosting services are recommended for your e-commerce shop
Managed hosting services meaning
When launch your e-commerce business you have to consider hosting.
Amongst many solutions you have will have heard of managed hosting services. But what are managed hosting services really?
Managed hosting means that the hosting company is in charge of the complete handling of the server and the application (e.g. Magento, if you are running an e-commerce shop).
Instead of owning your own infrastructure, you lease servers or cloud resources from a hosting provider.
This means the hosting company takes over:
- hardware and software setup and configuration
- administration
- management
- support
Management services are varying between every hosting company.
Nevertheless, there are basic services a managed hosting service should provide like:
- updating and patching the operating system
- support around the clock
- management of network infrastructure and hardware
- at least basic security measures (e.g. protection against spam and viruses)
- monitoring server performance and fixing speed problems
In a nutshell, managed hosting services ensure that your e-commerce site is available at all times.
Are you running Magento and interested in the best Magento hosting?
We are providing high-performance Magento hosting, fully managed on AWS (Amazon Web Services).
Contact us now for a free consultation.
Hosting managed server vs unmanaged hosting: Pros & cons
Magento Server Hosting allows you to outsource the management of your hosting to a professional company and brings you many benefits. But there are also a few disadvantages compared to unmanaged hosting.
Unmanaged hosting means that you own the servers your e-commerce site runs on and have full controls over everything. But you are responsible for maintaining them as well.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both solutions:
Managed hosting: Pros & cons
Pros:
- time-saving (managing and maintenance is taken care of so you can focus on your core business)
- cost-saving (no upgrading expensive hardware, no IT staff to run and maintain the server needed, no own servers, therefore no risks of damages)
- reduced risk (technical support of highly specialized technicians always available)
- reliable (managed hosting services guarantee that your site is constantly available and monitor all important operations)
- flexible and fast solutions (e.g. scalability)
- technology always up-to-date (a professional managed hosting company provides you access to the latest technology)
Cons:
- no own servers
- control is given away to the hosting provider, therefore a highly professional and reliable company has to be chosen
Unmanaged hosting: Pros & cons
Pros:
- own servers
- fully and autonomous control over processes and operations
Cons:
- time-consuming (you have to manage and maintain your own networks, storage, servers, updates, etc.)
- can be costly (specialized IT staff for running and maintaining the server has to be employed, defect hardware has to be renewed)
- support depends on the working hours of your IT staff
- scalability is not given or complicated
- usage of the latest technology depends on the budget
Summed up, the benefits of managed hosting services are quite obvious.
Relying on a professional hosting provider is a smart investment for your company.
Managed hosting services ensure your e-commerce site is performing well, you are protected against security threats, and supports you at all times.
Managed Magento: Advantages of fully managed Magento hosting
Especially for ambitious e-commerce shops using Magento, fully managed Magento hosting is a beneficial solution.
Advantages of fully managed Magento hosting are:
- high performance for the best user experience (we recommend our top 10 tips on how to increase Magento website speed)
- advanced security services against the majority of cybersecurity threats (see our checklist and tips on how to secure a Magento site)
- managed and fully automated backups of your files and databases
- monitoring and maintaining your website all the time
- expert support available around the clock
If you want all of these advantages and more, MGT Commerce should be your first choice.
We provide fully managed services for the highest levels of performance and uptime.
With our Managed Hosting Services you get a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost cloud hosting solution, fully managed on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Combined with our managed high-performance stack, you get one of the fastest managed Magento hosting services worldwide.
Even a managed migration is nothing to worry about: You can concentrate on your business, while our skilled experts take care of the full and seamless migration of your website to the new setup in your AWS account free of charge.
You are interested in our hosting plans & pricing or have further questions about the most suitable hosting solution for your e-commerce store?
Contact us now, and we consult you on a tailor-made solution.
Conclusion: Managed hosting services are recommended for your e-commerce shop
While unmanaged hosting was a popular solution in the past, nowadays managed hosting services are providing individual solutions in an easy and comfortable way.
With outsourcing your hosting to a reliable hosting provider you are making a good choice.
Managed hosting ensures you get the latest technology combined with the professional support of highly specialized experts.
Having such a powerful hosting solution working for you in the background is enabling you to concentrate on your main business like never before.
Contact us now to find out more about our managed hosting plans and the best choice for you.
