Should You Host Your Own E commerce Website

Should You Host, Your Own E-commerce Website.

For some e-commerce businesses, operating an in-house HTTP server, and the associated server software, can improve website performance, increase data security, and lower overall costs. But hosting your site yourself, is not for everyone.

E-commerce businesses rely on the Internet. It is the primary sales channel, means of customer communication, and marketing vehicle. Therefore, a retail website must be fast, functional, and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

A merchant has two basic options, when deciding where that all-important website will reside. Option one is on rented bits, in a hosting provider’s server. Option two is, on a wholly owned, collocated (meaning that it is located, at your place of business, not in a data center) server that may be installed in a closet, or under a desk.

Within these two options, there are a number of possible arrangements. A hosting provider, might be offering shared server space, a virtual dedicated server, or even a real dedicated server, that you can configure. Meanwhile, an in-house HTTP server configuration, could range from partitioning your laptop, to investing in a state-of-the-art server rack, and enough storage, to keep a virtual edition of every book.

So What’s the Best Hosting, for Your Business?

With such a wide range of possible web hosting options, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. So, how do you decide what is best for your business? I’d suggest asking a lot of questions. At each stage of growth, an e-commerce company, is going to have differing server, and application needs, that deserve a fair evaluation. And, at many of these stages, owning an in-house HTTP server, is the option that makes better business sense.