Database Hosting Services

Why Select MVI Hosting Solutions

When selecting a web host pay attention to where the web host data center is located. The data center features, location and facilities tells you what type of hosting company your are dealing with. The reasons:

• You get what you pay for- if a hosting company is cheap then the connectivity to the Internet is poor. They will all tell you that they get 99.9% uptime but that is not true. Tier 1 Hosting at a Network Access Point is offered at only 6 locations in the USA, which is what MVI offers and it is what you should have. If you are serious about your Internet presences you must be serious about you hosts data center.
• Call on the telephone you proposed hosting company if they don't answer or don't offer a telephone number, it will tell you about the service offered.
• Ask about redundancy- If they don't offer it, hang up !
• Ask about database hosting - If they don't offer a separate data base server from the web server hang up !
• Ask about 24/7 emergency service - If they don't offer it hang up !
• Test there 24/7 emergency service - Call them on Sunday and see if they answer !
• Price is the last item to worry about. If you get all the above service you got a good hosting
• Finally bigger is not better - If you need service, redundancy, database hosting on superior equipment at the best data center available then call us today.

What Factors Should You Consider?

Tech Support - I don't know about you, but I like the feeling of knowing that support is available when I need it. Test different companies before you sign up by calling them on the telephone with a question. If they respond quickly, this is a good sign.

Uptime - The more uptime they guarantee, the better. 99% uptime is the minimum acceptable standard. I look for 99.4 % plus guaranteed uptime. We are on the backbone of the Internet and therefore our up time is dependent only on our equipment failure, with redundancy we eliminate the possibility of downtime.

Disk Space - Decide how much disk space you will require. A web page with one logo does not take up much web space at all. Calculate how big your web site is in relation to the disk space allotted. For example, most webmasters judge a web host by the amount of disk space they offer. The thinking is generally, the more the better. There are many other factors to take into consideration. Each factor can be weighed up according to the features specific to the web hosting company offers.

Bandwidth - This factor is usually overlooked until the bandwidth limit is reached. If you go over your allotted bandwidth, you will get a hefty bill. If you are running a site with lots of downloads, or a site with lots of images such at a photo post site, your bandwidth will be a lot higher than a site with mainly text.

CGI Bin - This is currently standard with good hosting companies. If you do not have access to your own CGI Bin, you cannot install scripts and programs.

Perl - If you do not have Perl, you cannot run Perl programs. Many good scripts that you buy or get for free are written in Perl. In MVI opinion, it would be a limitation not to have the latest version of Perl installed.

SSL - If you intend to accept credit card orders directly from your website, you will need Secure Socket Layer included in your plan. This is one of those easily overlooked features. You might sign up for a plan that looks attractive for whatever reason, then down the track, you might discover that you need this feature. If it is not included in your plan, you might be gob-smacked if the extra monthly charge is $10.00. To use this feature you need a merchant account. There is no need to make this a priority if you have no merchant account because you can use a third party credit card processor.

SSI - Server Side Includes are great if you want to spend minimal time updating your site. Here's how it works. My site contains SSI's. The left and right nav menus and the little search engine in the left nav menu are "included" with an SSI command in the master page template. If I need to update one of the nav links, there is no need to edit all the pages that contain the menus. I just edit one file which contains the menu html and upload it to my site.

MySQL - What scripts are you going to run? Some programs require a MySQL database to run. MySQL is a standard for the industry. MVI are experts when it comes to database hosting and in particular MySQL hosting.

PHP - Many new scripts and programs require PHP support. Again, this feature is offered standard. Imagine if you do not have PHP support but the latest new free script, Blogging script or Shopping Cart requires PHP.

Domain Name - What's the point in buying web space if you cannot point your own domain name to the site? Some companies will help you register a domain name but you should compare prices and learn how to register your domain yourself. This way you are in control of your domain name if you ever change hosts.

FTP Access - Unlimited and unrestricted FTP access to your site is essential. You will need an FTP program to transfer files.

Control Panel - Not all control panels are the same. Some are easier to use than others. With some control panels the learning curve is steep while others are easy. If you select a plan where you cannot preview your control panel before you buy, you can always use the 30 day money back guarantee to get out if you are not happy. If they are not offering a working demo of the control panel, maybe they are not proud of it. In my experience, I have always been disappointed with the quality of the control panel when a demo was not available.

Statistics Program - A good stats program is handy if you want to keep an eye on how many visitors you are getting, where they are coming from, referrers, top entry and exit pages and so on. Some companies offer excellent stats programs as standard while others offer basic stats but you have to pay extra for advanced statistics. If you find a good hosting deal but the stats program is a bit basic, why not email the company and ask if they can install Stats before you sign up. Stats is an excellent free advanced statistics program.

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For information call 1.877.633.9536 or email: info@mvisolutions.com