Launching an e-business is a good way to extend your market reach beyond the local community. It’s not difficult to get your site up and running; just purchase a domain name and Web hosting space. Make sure you understand what kind of problems this sort of technology can bring.
Server Issues
When using external Web hosting, the hosting company’s servers may experience downtime. When the servers are down, your site is down, and when your site is down, you can’t make sales, which translates into profit loss. To reduce the risk of server issues, choose a hosting company with backup servers, and make sure it guarantees at least 99.5 percent up-time for its regular servers.
Bandwidth Issues
Most hosting companies place a limit on the amount of bandwidth your e-business can use each month. Some e-businesses start small and do not require a lot of bandwidth, but the more your e-business grows, the more bandwidth you will likely need. If you anticipate that your business may eventually exceed the bandwidth allotment, choose a host that offers the option to upgrade to a dedicated server. A dedicated server is your own server with unlimited bandwidth. Otherwise, you will have to go through the hassle of moving your entire website to another host.
Dynamic IP Address Issues
The domain name for your business is assigned a “dynamic” Internet protocol address, or IP. An IP address is a series of numbers associated with your domain name. A dynamic IP address is shared with numerous other website owners, which decreases the stability of your e-business website. Dynamic IP addresses are always changing, which also decreases the stability of your site.
Static IP Address
To prevent a dynamic IP address problem, consider purchasing a “static” IP address, which is your own IP address – it never changes, and is not shared. This results in more site stability. To purchase a static IP address, contact your Web hosting provider or Internet service provider. If purchasing through your ISP, request that the ISP associate the static IP address with your e-businesses domain name.
Security Issues
Hackers can break into your business website’s database to steal confidential and proprietary information, along with customer data. Many customers have learned how to look for “security seals” on websites, and will not make purchases from sites that are not secure. To prevent hacks and to increase customer confidence, secure your website by purchasing a secure socket layer, or SSL, certificate. Most Web hosting companies offer SSL certificates for an additional fee.
