Digital devices have revolutionised the world, resulting in shorter and shorter loads times and faster connectivity. Sadly problems do still exist. The most frustrating is when websites go down, whether due to technical issues or high traffic. This can leave people missing out on tickets to shows, making bookings for all kinds of things, and utilising a myriad of online services.
The above happened recently to businesses that get web hosting from Amazon Web Services (AWS). High error rates resulted in their S3 storage going down in North Virginia, US. This meant that services for companies like Netflix, Airbnb and others went down. The media backlash from the incident has been incredible.
Unsurprisingly companies like AWS who offer hosting have contingencies in their agreements to protect them if a problem does result in services going offline. Generally in each agreement it will state that service (uptime) is set at 99.9%. This gives them a 0.1% window in which sites can be down. Although only a small percentage it equates to 40 plus minutes per month or approximately 9 hours of downtime per year.
The problems arise because businesses either don’t understand what this part of the agreement means or opt for lesser services due to insufficient knowledge. For example AWS offers businesses the option to select a single “region” or several. The latter provides more protection against problems but comes at a higher cost.
The problem for AWS has put web hosting in the spotlight and will hopefully encourage more businesses to look into it to build their knowledge. That way they can ensure they choose the right service for them and know what to expect.
At Web Consultancy we are proud to be one of the leading providers of web hosting in Middlesbrough. We provide cost effective services for businesses of all size and shape across the whole of the UK. From local sole traders to companies that deal on a national and international basis we can arrange the perfect service to keep their website online.
One aspect of our service that makes us stand out is we can explain the various options that are available. We feel this is very important and helps clients to better understand the services that underpin the performance and success of their website. If you need precautions in place to keep downtime to an absolute minimum we can help.
If you would like to discuss our services please get in touch. We are proud of our reputation as one of the best for web hosting in Middlesbrough and will support you in arranging the perfect service.