If you are running a small business, then you are probably concerned about how ecommerce is changing how people do business these days.

Because computer files and databases are very much susceptible to numerous outside threats, experts highly recommend the importance of secured data storage and backups. These procedures can save people from many troubles as well as other undesirable effects of unsecured and unprotected computers and save them from lost data or replacing many man hours of work.

There has been an enormous amount of discussion over the past 2 years about new technologies that are going to set a new standard in the application hosting space. But what is fact and what is fiction, and more importantly, should you care?

Most pundits will say how inherently global and transparent the Internet is, allowing a server with a public IP address to be accessed from anywhere. While public-facing servers do have broad accessibility there are a number of dirty secrets that the sales staff at your favorite server provider fails to mention.

There are many pitfalls and failures waiting to happen when you outsource technology services. Find out some of the simple ways to save your team time.

Disasters happen. What would you do if you lost all the files related to your current project? Come see if you’re really as protected as you thought.

Asset co-location is the fastest way to gain efficiencies for your IT operations. The top 3 things to manage are….

The number of companies involved in SaaS deployments is doubling in the next 12 months; many of them have experienced pitfalls that could have been avoided with some minor research and planning up-front. While there is a diverse amount of technology and business processes that can be addressed using SaaS, there remains a handful of common tasks that need to be performed at the beginning of your project that will aid in tracking the project’s impact and progress.

More companies are finding out that it pays to use secure, professional email for their business. After many different failed attempts to get by with a free email server, CEOs are coughing up the dollars in order to secure their email network.

With businesses becoming much more technologically inclined, email has become a much bigger part of the way things work. Without a great email system, a business would effectively shut down and communication channels would be damaged severely.

Secure email systems provide both privacy and protection for business email systems. Emails sent through the system won’t be routed to a public server where the information can be accessed by just about anyone. In addition, a secure system can provide protection against potentially dangerous things like viruses.

In the past, secure email wasn’t an option for smaller companies because the cost was too high. Today, users can get their secure email cheaply and it will help improve the flow of information. Protecting email systems is like an insurance policy that every business must have. Without it, the risks are tremendous.

These days in the web hosting industry, it seems that one host is much the same as another. The same uptime guarantees, the same “friendly” support staff, 30 day money back guarantee, and often the same ridiculously high storage and bandwidth allowances. People need to start thinking outside the square they live in when it comes to choosing a host.

So what if a host has an uptime guarantee? Sure it’s important that your website is available all the time, but there’s another million and one web hosts who provide a similar uptime guarantee. So what if they provide XX/X support? So does everyone else. So what if they provide more storage than you know what to do with? So what if they provide enough bandwidth to serve 99% of the civilized world? It seems every other host has turned to mass overselling* these days. So what DO you look for? Look for all of the basics. A good uptime guarantee, fast, friendly support, and enough storage and bandwidth for your needs.

Then look for individuality. Look for things that set one particular host apart from another. What do they do differently? What do they do better? What value added services do they offer? Do they cater to your specific needs? Not sure? Contact them, talk to them and see what they can do for you. See how they can help your hosting work for you. Look for reasons why a host deserves your hard earned cash over the hordes of other hosts out there. By finding a distinction between hosts, you will not only become a more informed customer, but your hosting experience will be much more enjoyable.

* overselling: A tactic employed by web hosts whereby they sell more storage and bandwidth than they could provide if every single client used their entire allocation. Properly managed overselling doesn’t negatively impact clients – in fact quite the opposite. It can allow the host to provide cheaper services while more fully utilizing their resources. The problem is when hosts start going over the top with overselling – e.g. offering hundreds of GB’s of storage and almost unlimited bandwidth for prices that boggle the mind (e.g. prices under the $10 mark).