Web hosting has become a popular and reliable way for small and mid sized businesses to host e-commerce, small business websites, and other web services without taking on the overhead expense of procuring, managing and maintaining servers inhouse. There are many types of web hosting services for customers to choose from based on their requirements, budget allowance, security needs etc.

While most reputable web hosting companies guarantee 99% uptime that is acceptable to individuals and very small businesses, bigger businesses and organizations cannot afford downtimes of even 1%. Therefore, the type of web hosting service is critical for smooth business operations.

The types of web hosting services that exist are free, shared, managed, dedicated, virtual dedicated, collocation, clustered hosting, cloud hosting and grid hosting. The servers can host various types of websites and applications including emails, blogs, videos, files, images, shopping cart  etc.

Obviously, the services offered by free web hosting are very limited and if your small business needs a dynamic web site design or e-commerce solution, you must consider paid hosting services to make sure you eliminate business risk. Most web hosting services provide a site manager that allows you to administer and control the web server, e-mail server, ftp server, and security settings. The account may also include search engine optimization tools, e-commerce services, site developer, database access, media support, development tools, and performance accelerators.

There are a plethora of web hosting service providers that offer a lot of features incuding free template website designs at very cheap  prices. However, cheap prices should not sway your decision in choosing a web hosting partner. Remember, quality and reliabiliy always comes at a price. Small and mid sized businesses must ensure their needs are met by the web hosting company and also evaluate the quality and reliability of the services including customer support to mitigate any business risk.

An increasing number of web applications are now offered based on a SaaS (Software as a service) moel that follow the same web hosting model. Look at the rising popularity of hosted applications such as online CRM, online healthcare applications, financial services, clinical references, health plan benefits and similar products. Web hosting services extend the capabilities and services of small an mid sized businesses, allowing them to grow, improve, and boost bottom lines significantly.