Is Your Company Web Site Leaving Your Data Vulnerable?

You may be exposing your business data and files to corruption and theft by hosting your own web site. If your web site is hosted on the same server that you use to store your business and financial data, server software vulnerabilities, administrative mistakes or omissions, or even simple security vulnerabilities can allow hackers access to everything you have stored, to corrupt, steal or destroy as they see fit. An alternative would be to contract another company to host your web site on your behalf. For the vast majority of small and medium businesses, shared web hosting is the most economical and rational solution.

Because a web site regularly allows external access to the web server, it is, by nature, vulnerable to external access and control. A hacker can take advantage of the smallest vulnerability, and access, damage or destroy confidential intellectual property, marketing data, or even financial information. As corporate and industrial electronic espionage grows, this can even mean your data shows up in your competitors’ hands for a lot less money than you’d expect. However, a site hosted on a server unconnected to your company means that the only data that’s vulnerable is data you choose to publish on shared web hosting server.

A shared web hosting server is maintained by a company or cooperative that employs one or more physical servers and a server administrator. The server divides each site on to its own hard drive memory partition, keeping the data separate and distinct from each other. By ensuring that the service you contact with uses IP-based virtual hosting rather than name-based virtual hosting, you can employ secure websites using SSL security certificates, and maintain distinct site integrity as well. Even if another site on the server is compromised, your web site is safe.

By working with a shared web hosting company, you are employing professional specialists to ensure that your company website is accessible one hundred percent of the time, while maintaining the highest levels of site security and functionality. You are able to reduce the vulnerability of your own corporate servers from the dangers of damage, corruption or theft from external hackers, and your website servers and Internet hardware can be upgraded and maintained to current standards separately from updating and maintaining your file and print server hardware and software. Overall, by moving your web server to a hosting service, you’re reducing the expenses of maintaining your servers and web site while improving their functionality and reliability.