Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : VPS Hosting : What does quality mean to you?

[Nnyan]

This is not a VPS review per se but just some random thoughts based on the process that I'm going through now. I'm a bit of a VPS testing junkie and I while I do keep at least 2 or 3 core VPS providers I normally have a few more VPS accounts that I play with. The one thing this has really hammered home is that even though I always tried to go for quality, I've learned how much peace of mind means to me.

Outside of my "test accounts) my core providers used to include zone.net, knownhost and wiredtree. I don't remember exactly why but I cancelled my KH account in order to try a few others (I had no issues with KH, I think it was just the easiest one to move out of since I had no serious domains hosted on it). I moved away from zone.net b/c I was seeing some increased issues being reported and at the very end I ran into some myself. Just got the feeling it was time to move on. I could go into the Zone.net/SolarVPS billing fiasco here but I won't. Needless to say I doubt I will ever be refunded but I'll chalk that up to a lesson learned (Sean Koons if you're reading this please reply to my refund request!)

Then came the decision to move away from wiredtree. I have to say this one was harder since I had come to really like WT and it's services. The ONLY negative I ever experience with them was a delay in migrating some domains but no big deal. In hindsight I think it's one of those things that you convince yourself that all you need is "good enough". So the decision was made and I was OK with it since I was saving some money and getting what most people in WHT consider good to very good service.

I have to say though that it's not the same. What sucks about this is that I've gotten accustomed to WT level of service and support so going down to "very good service" just doesn't cut it anymore. So even those of us that always support "quality" can sometimes go down the wrong path.

Moral of this story is that you should think carefully about saving a few dollars every month. Yes that $10-$20-$30/mo in savings sounds like a good thing but only if you're getting the same level of service.

Don't get me wrong I totally understand about having a budget and needing a plan to match your needs. Which for myself means sticking it out with my current host, waiting for WT's next "once a year promotion" or updating my research again and finding someone else. And there are a few well respected hosts that I never got around to trying so this may be my chance.

So what does quality mean to you? What have you learned during your VPS experiences?

[mainpipe]

Originally Posted by Nnyan

So what does quality mean to you? What have you learned during your VPS experiences?

I registered my 1st domain in 1995. Since then, I have used numerous shared, vps, and dedicated hosting providers. Also done colo. I have changed providers in an effort to get a better deal or just to see what makes them different. And like many, I have changed providers because the service wasn't what I expected.

Today I have 1 colo server, 2 dedicated servers, 5 vps accounts, and 5 shared hosting accounts all with different providers. I don't like having all of my eggs in one basket.

Every company is a little different when it comes to what they bring to the table. Like everybody else, price is a major factor. I also look at resources given... is the allocation reasonable and can the company follow through on the promised resources?

A quality host is often judged by their hardware, network, and support.

However, something that is often overlooked is the company's management. Over the years, I have learned that the management of a company is what truly makes or breaks a webhost when it comes to quality. They are the ones that decide on hardware & network upgrades. They are the ones that set the support policies. They are the ones that set (or ok) the prices & resource allocations.

Do you trust the management? Will they do the right thing when the time comes? We all make mistakes, hardware fails, networks go down, support techs might not have the answer. BUT, is the management willing and capable to solve the problem?

In my opinion, quality is defined by the management team.

It isn't easy to find a host with top-notch management. It takes quite a while to weed out the good vs. the bad.

"Fanatical Support" is great... but I want "Fanatical Management"!

As stated earlier, I have a lot of hosting accounts. And I will gladly recommend the services of each one I use. But, when it comes to the best company management... the best quality... I have found that in ServInt.

[thefandango]

Quality to me means intelligent support people who are happy to resolve issues with you without a fuss.

[Nnyan]

You both bring up good points, the quality of the management and the people go along way.

[Cirtex]

Very well written post, there are definitely many valid points that you bring up here and I'm sure many will find it useful

[expo09]

Originally Posted by thefandango

Quality to me means intelligent support people who are happy to resolve issues with you without a fuss.

Agree. There's nothing worse than having problems that are never solved. I should know - I've had a major (still unresolved) issue recently.

[CJ618]

Originally Posted by thefandango

Quality to me means intelligent support people who are happy to resolve issues with you without a fuss.

Ditto along with uptime