Technology
How Much Does Managed Hosting Cost? A Detailed Guide
According to the latest statistics, there are currently more than 1.75 billion websites on the internet. Do you have a website that’s part of this group? Have you been thinking about switching to managed hosting but worried about what it’ll cost you?
If you want to learn more about the costs associated with managed hosting, as well as how you can choose a right managed hosting provider, keeping reading. Explained below is everything you need to know.
What Is Managed Hosting?
Before we explore the specific of managed hosting prices, let’s go over what it is and the benefits it provides businesses.
Managed hosting involves leasing hardware (servers, storage hardware, networking hardware, etc.) from a managed hosting services provider. This is known as a single-tenant solution since you don’t have to share this hardware with anyone else.
This hosting approach comes with lots of perks, including the following:
- Save money
- Improve performance
- Gain more control
Switching to managed hosting also allows you to focus your IT resources more on innovation and less on everyday management.
What Does Managed Hosting Cost?
You’re in the right place if you’ve been interested in experiencing the benefits of managed hosting but worried about how it’ll affect your budget. There are a lot of factors that influence the price of managed hosting, including the following:
- Hardware and equipment costs
- Customer support access
- Security options and monitoring
- Data protection and disaster recovery plans
- Special needs related to your business or industry
With all that in mind, it’s common for businesses to pay a minimum of about $50 per month for managed hosting. Some services charge a lot more than this, depending on the specific features they offer alongside their equipment and can cost over $1,000 per month.
Most business owners don’t need to pay this much for their managed hosting. In general, though, you should expect for monthly fees to start around the $50 mark.
How to Choose the Right Managed Hosting Provider
When looking into managed hosting and providers, remember that price is not the only thing that matters. Of course, you need to think about your budget, but there are other factors that you should take into account as well.
The following are some tips to keep in mind that will help you choose the best-managed hosting provider for your business’s specific needs:
Ask About Experience
There are tons of different hosting providers out there. They’re definitely not all created equal, though.
Before you decide to work with a specific managed hosting provider, find out how long they’ve been in business and how long the company’s founders have been part of the website hosting space. If you work with a company that’s been around for a while and has lots of experience hosting websites like yours, you might spend more money, but you’ll be less likely (in most cases) to run into problems down the road.
Consider Cancellation Policies
Any hosting provider worth working with will not try to lock you into a long-term contract. They’ll have a straightforward cancellation policy and will make it easier for you to switch to another provider if needed.
Before agreeing to lease hardware from any provider, ask about their cancellation policy, and be sure to read the fine print in their contract. This will save you from being locked into a subpar plan for months or even years.
Look into Their Security Procedures
Find out what security procedures and protocols each hosting provider has in place, too. Security ought to be of the utmost importance to your hosting provider, as security and data breaches can be a death sentence to online businesses.
Ask the provider to explain what steps they take to keep your website and your data secure. Consider how often they back up your data, too, and what actions they take if a security breach occurs.
Investigate Infrastructure
In addition to asking about security, look into the way the company’s infrastructure is set up. What kind of service level agreements (or SLAs) do they offer, and what are their network uptime guarantees? How quickly will they get your site back up if something goes wrong?
Ask about the type of servers and other hosting equipment they use, too. Do they use high-quality equipment that’s not outdated or prone to any issues? It can be worth it to spend more money if you get access to better tools, after all.
Research Their Reputation
Once you’ve talked to a representative from the hosting provider, do some research on your own. Look into reviews from current and past customers and find out what they have to say.
Are their customers generally satisfied with the service they receive? What kind of complaints do they have? Would they recommend this service to someone else?
Pay attention to how the company has handled negative reviews, too. Are they receptive to feedback? Have they taken steps to correct problems and provide a better experience for future customers?
Check Customer Support Protocols
Finally, find out what kind of customer support the hosting provider offers. Do they have customer support professionals working 24/7? Do they have multiple channels that you can use to seek support?
Every hosting provider should have people available around the clock to provide support, as you never know when a website could go down or run into an issue. They should have enough customer support specialists on their staff to help minimize wait times, too, and ensure you get help as soon as possible.
Level Up Your Website Hosting Today
When you first start looking into managed hosting prices and asking questions like “How much should I pay for hosting?” it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This doesn’t have to be a difficult or daunting process, though.
If you keep the tips listed above in mind, you’ll be able to tell whether or not you’re getting fair managed hosting prices. You’ll also be able to decide which hosting provider is the best fit for you.
Do you want to learn more about business website hosting? If so, check out some of the other articles on our site today. Head to the technology section for more resources.