Web Hosting Responsibilities

As webmasters, we always expect our website(s) to be up and running smoothly and performing optimally all the time so that whenever users stop by, they should be able to obtain the information they are looking for. This is one of the many responsibilities that are played by a web hosting company in order to keep websites hosted under them running online 24/7. Some of the major responsibilities of a hosting company may include the following:

Server Monitoring
Majority of hosting providers do actually monitor their servers 24 hours daily, or at least most of the time during the day. Certain web hosts also tend to offer a more advanced server monitoring service to users that are subscribed to their managed web hosting packages.

A good web hosting company should be able to handle all the monitoring tasks such as scanning through event logs, tracing and rectifying issues or problems within the servers and websites thoroughly and efficiently. Complex server monitoring scripts are used to make sure that an immediate notification is sent to the corresponding server administration departments in case where a malfunction occurs so that the issue can be resolved in a timely manner.

Software Installations
A web hosting company is responsible for providing all the essential software and modules as well as the software licenses required for the users to build a fully functional website. Usually, the hosting provider will also help new users to manage the installation, testing and troubleshooting of the software.

Security and Software Updates
This is crucial in every web hosting because servers that are prone to attacks/threats can severely affect websites hosted under them. Hosting providers should always make sure that they have the latest updates of all the software and security patches to prevent any glitches, bugs or loopholes being exploited by hackers.

Backup and Restoration
There are quite a number of hosts that offer free backup services and it is usually an automated process done in a consistent basis so in case a user's website went wrong, the backup files can still be used to restore the website to its previous, working form. Users can also manually backup their files by downloading them directly from the host to their personal computer from time to time.

Additionally some web hosting companies will also offer an additional backup plan for a nominal fee, in which the copies of the files are stored in a separate server, so in case the entire existing server went down, the files are still accessible from the backup server/storage.

User experience is the best way to determine which web hosting is better among the rest. Take some time to read about other users' opinions and feedback on the respective hosting providers from websites that users write about all the best web hosting reviews such as Web hosting pad and Hostmonster review to get yourself enough information to choose a suitable web host for you and your website.