The Value of Full Server Management

There are a million reasons to host a website, and there are thousands of hosts to choose from who all have different configurations of hosting plans, features, and levels of support. You’ll see a lot of qualifiers out there revolving around the term, “managed.” It’s important to know the different levels, and how different terms might affect you and your site.

Let’s start with the simplest version — Unmanaged/Self-Managed. Unmanaged or Self-Managed hosting is exactly how it sounds. Your host does not provide management services, and you’ve got to handle it yourself. Your host allocates some server space, but loading it up with software, configuring the server, migrating websites or other data, tracking uptime, and backing up your information is all up to you. Unless you’re a server guru, or have experience as a system administrator, this is not a great option.

The other categories are the ones you’ll see a lot more frequently advertised, and it’s much harder to tell the difference. They are Semi-Managed, Managed, and Fully Managed. At first glance, these categories seem like mere semantics might divide them. However, depending on your needs and your skillset, the variance between “managed hosting” and “fully managed hosting” could be the difference between endless hours of frustration and a smooth, seamless experience on the web.

Full disclosure, these terms aren’t regulated by any official body, so you need to be sure to look into what specific services your web host provides under their umbrella of “managed.” If you want more tips on things to look out for when searching for a new host, check out our 11 Questions to Ask Your Host Before Signing Up.

Let’s lay it all out.

Semi-Managed Hosting

Honestly, this level of hosting management is rarely requested. What it involves can vary from provider to provider. Usually, semi-managed hosting products target someone who needs little-to-no technical assistance or just wants to spend a little less time handling the server upkeep. A semi-managed provider will normally handle basic network, hardware, OS, or configuration problems that arise. A lot of what they cover would be things like network issues, hardware (server) failure, a basic one-time configuration, and setting up a basic firewall. Again, this is primarily a time-saver for someone who could handle unmanaged but wants to spend a little more time on their business.

Managed Hosting

Generally, a managed hosting service includes an array of features, including:

• Server updates/monitoring
• An industry standard server control panel (e.g. cPanel)
• Some degree of automated backups (at least 1/week, however we would recommend 1/day)
• And a fairly reliable uptime guarantee.

A managed solution should also handle system updates, routine maintenance and security patches to ensure your service performs efficiently. A traditional managed plan balances somewhere in the middle between being your own server admin and having just about everything taken care of for you.

Fully Managed Hosting

This is where things get good. Before we get started here, it’s important to note that not all “fully managed” solutions are created equal. Check with your host to make sure they provide services like these. We believe, without a robust service offering, it shouldn’t be considered fully managed.

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “With everything that comes in a managed solution, what could you possibly add?” The answer is everything you didn’t know you needed for your service to run smoothly and perform at its best.

A fully managed solution should offer everything described in the managed section, plus serious bonuses like:

• Free website and data migration from a previous platform
• Added server level software like Softaculous — which automates the installation process for over 400 applications you would want hosted on your server or integrated into your site, like email, blogs, CMS integration, calendars, e-commerce, and more
• Proactive server monitoring for performance and security
• And customization to your server configuration to ensure it meets your needs.

The best values of a great managed host are hard to calculate, and they are time savings and experience. A reliable fully managed host will implement configuration requests with little to no extra effort on your part. You can simply ask for advice on what you want to achieve. You won’t have to learn the implementation process for your particular server, and the host will explain if there could be undesired consequences.

Just keep in mind not all hosting is created equal, and one provider’s version of “managed” may not give you everything you need. Check back in for more tips in the future!