Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Managed Hosting and Services : What is Managed Hosting?

[StarGate]

... could someone who knows ehat he/she is talking about, DEFINE what "Managed Hosting" is actually about in comparison with (obviously) UNMANAGED Hosting...

Thanks

[dollar]

When I think of managed hosting I think of a built-in admin with the service to do just about anything/everything needed for the server within reason. To me this includes but is not limited to:

Securing server

Proactive mointoring (ie. not waiting until I submit a ticket to fix a problem)

Firewall installation, configuration, and modification at my request

Updates as soon as possible and considered stable for the
Operating System/Control Panel for ALL services and common 3rd party applications (apache, proftpd, directadmin, and services such as Zend which could be considered 3rd party)

Optomizing the configuration files when needed as shown by the monitoring. If you see we have 1000 clients now (just a random number) you should tune the MySQL and Apache conf's for me.

Anybody else have stuff to add?

[HalifaxColo]

Originally posted by justadollarhostin
When I think of managed hosting I think of a built-in admin with the service to do just about anything/everything needed for the server within reason. To me this includes but is not limited to:

Securing server

Proactive mointoring (ie. not waiting until I submit a ticket to fix a problem)

Firewall installation, configuration, and modification at my request

Updates as soon as possible and considered stable for the
Operating System/Control Panel for ALL services and common 3rd party applications (apache, proftpd, directadmin, and services such as Zend which could be considered 3rd party)

Optomizing the configuration files when needed as shown by the monitoring. If you see we have 1000 clients now (just a random number) you should tune the MySQL and Apache conf's for me.

Anybody else have stuff to add?

I think thats basically it in a nutshell justadollarhostin .. When ever I think of managed at least I just think of it simply as a web hosting company providing any number of services within capiability for their dedicated servers. So managed hosting can generally just be thought of as having the space and freedom of a dedicated server, but with the perks and services that are provided to shared-server packages.

[dollar]

Well for me I enjoy admining my own machines, but to somebody that doesn't it would be a higher value than an inhouse admin IMHO

[Captian_Spike]

I think he meant "Hosting" rather then servers. Some places claim to offer "unamanaged" Shared Hosting. Maby I'm reading it wrong though

[dollar]

Do you consider your services managed or unamanaged mike? (in a shared sense of course)

[StarGate]

Originally posted by u2mike
I think he meant "Hosting" rather then servers. Some places claim to offer "unamanaged" Shared Hosting. Maby I'm reading it wrong though

"Unmanaged Shared Hosting"??? How would that be... you'd have to guess the port the CP runs on?

[dollar]

Originally posted by StarGate
"Unmanaged Shared Hosting"??? How would that be... you'd have to guess the port the CP runs on?

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. But in all fairness I would believe managed shared hosting would be supporting the scripts that they choose to install and what not.

[Captian_Spike]

I would assume it refers to the level of support provided. For instance I would consider my service managed as we help out with all the problems like "how do I change my password". With unmanaged it would be a minimum support level where support only deals with actual server issues.

Same idea as servers, unmanaged and the DC only deals with actual connection or hardware issues, managed they do everything.

[VanHost]

My personaly definition of "managed" hosting vs. "unmanaged" is with Managed the hosting company basically does anything server-side as well as assist the client with their day-to-day operations.

Depending on the client's requirements, this can include things such as script debugging (if the problem is server related), uploading files, offering load balanced options and managing them, etc. Basically, with Managed hosting the only thing the client needs to be concerned with is getting their site built. Everything to keep it online is up to the hosting company.

[mgphoto]

Managed Hosting:

1. IDS and IPS with complete reporting to the client
2. Custom firewall and router configurations
3. Spam and Virus filtering
4. Patch updates with full client reporting/auditing
5. Script installation
6. In house and outsourced monitoring
7. Local and remote data storage and backups
8. Managed DNS
9. Load balancing

We do this, plus more, everyday for our enterprise clients. If you're going to claim "managed" hosting you need to manage, or have the ability to mange, from the moment it hits your network until it leaves the network.

It's not cheap. The clients that pay for these services know the value and the real cost of the services.

[WO-Jacob]

Hrm. It seems people keep missing the point of managed HOSTING and not managed dedicated servers. Though maybe I'm missing the point.

On our managed hosting is cover-all as concerned to anything that touches the server. We do script installs, integrate them into their designs (which we have usually done, or modified in one form or another), go to their offices and set up their emails, do on site training of the control panel, as well as offering the ability to simply ring us up to have simple tasks taken care of. It's a very simple platform to sell, and very straight forward, the way we have set it up. It's not on our website because we don't want to push it more than locally, plus it would scare away any online clients, with the pricing as it is .

There's typical shared hosting, which people are used to from WHT, where we will help with server problems, getting to know the control panel, the likes, and there's managed, which is basically like general liability insurance... if we can help, we will, no questions asked (except for config needs!!). It's all about customer satisfaction though, and it's where you see webhosting transform from a hobby job to a real business, at least for me.

[Shaw Networks]

Originally posted by WO-Jacob
Hrm. It seems people keep missing the point of managed HOSTING and not managed dedicated servers. Though maybe I'm missing the point.

I think you're missing the point Virtually all regular shared hosting by definition would be managed hosting; the host takes care of everything short of designing the clients website.

[WO-Jacob]

Originally posted by IncognitoNetworks
I think you're missing the point Virtually all regular shared hosting by definition would be managed hosting; the host takes care of everything short of designing the clients website.

Not necessarily.

Many companies, like ours, on our non managed accounts, when a customer asks how to add an email, we simply tell them how to add an email. As opposed to our managed offerings where we will instead offer to simply add the email for them, and if they are interested, will walk them through adding one themselves if they care to be bothered with it.

It's one of the things about control panels that people haven't caught on to, not all customers want to deal with them, so we provide an offering for those as well.

It also goes further to debugging scripts, integrating them with their site, and yes, depending on the solution they choose, either site design or discounts on such work.

It's not quite as cut-and-dry as it may first appear.

[ploggiestyle]

Originally posted by mgphoto
Managed Hosting:

1. IDS and IPS with complete reporting to the client
2. Custom firewall and router configurations
3. Spam and Virus filtering
4. Patch updates with full client reporting/auditing
5. Script installation
6. In house and outsourced monitoring
7. Local and remote data storage and backups
8. Managed DNS
9. Load balancing

We do this, plus more, everyday for our enterprise clients. If you're going to claim "managed" hosting you need to manage, or have the ability to mange, from the moment it hits your network until it leaves the network.

It's not cheap. The clients that pay for these services know the value and the real cost of the services.

Do they really know the value of whatthey are paying for? I really dont think that most people know what exactly they are paying for.