Advantages
Online backup is an evolution of the manual backups you had to do regularly. It is software driven and the files are automatically stored somewhere – beyond the reach of fires, burglary or floods. Online backups free you from the steps you had to do manually like change CDs or format tape drives.

If your data is confidential, the software can encrypt the data for you using standard, well known algorithms such as Blowfish or AES.

The size of the backup is often reduced by monitoring only the parts of the files that changed. It is not necessary to send the entire file to the backup server, just the difference between the older and the newer version.

Disadvantages
Of course there are disadvantages to online backups. Since data has to travel on the internet, restoring your files can be slow. If backup volume is large, it may become necessary to transfer the backup on DVDs and ship it to your computer’s location. If the backup provider is out of business, then your data might be lost forever. Another limitation of online backup is that your internet subscription might cap your downloads thus large volume backups might be impossible.

The biggest advantage offered by online backup is that it is largely automatic and is a totally hands process. It can be done at night so that your normal work flow is not interrupted. Online backups make it possible to do regular, even daily backup of your data, something that we hated way back when backups used to be performed manually.

How a web hosting server works

A web hosting service will provide you with the storage space for your website files and the bandwidth for your audience to download your pages at a certain periodical cost. Before anything else, you will have to have a domain name to set up your website and properly direct your website pages to its address. Usually, web hosting services also offer packages that will help you get your domain name aside from offering space and bandwidth.

The two kinds of websites you can have

Your website can either be a Static Website or a Dynamic Website. A static website is one that is simple and runs purely off HTML pages. This means that the pages simply display information and nothing changes. On a dynamic website however, users have a certain capacity to change the look of the website, like if they make comments, add a blog, or add pictures to a gallery. Basically a user can interact with your website. A web host can help you install the proper software for those needs.

The technology you may use

You can pick between Linux hosting or Windows hosting depending on the software and applications you use. Generally, Windows hosting is slightly more expensive than Linux hosting.

These are the three major things that your web hosting service will ask and can help you with. Ask the web hosting company about the different aspects of your website so that you can have a smooth transition in making your website available online without all the hassle and inconveniences of incompatibility.

The name of your website is ideally domain name

The general rule is that whatever your website is called, then that is the domain name that you would assign to it. So if you have created a website for a particular organization called Topol’s, then most likely you would choose a URL like  www.topol.com or something along those lines. Surprisingly, some people still do not follow this rule, but in general, this rule makes it so much easier to locate certain sites.

Choosing a domain name that is branded or generic

Probably most generic names are already claimed URLs by now, but having a generic name as a domain name is not necessarily the best way to advertise your site. Having a brand name makes more sense because a brand name points to something unique which people will remember more and associate with you. Either way, pick something relevant to what your site is trying to say.

Lengthy or short domain names

Short domain names are usually more memorable than long ones, but having a short domain name that is a mixture of numbers and letters that almost look like a password may not be the best way to name your site. Long names also work if your organization’s name is the actual URL like  HYPERLINK “http://www.stitchesthreadsandothers.com” www.stitchesthreadsandothers.com.

So when choosing a domain name, make it simple enough to recall quickly, but unique enough to remember. With these tips, you will have a better idea of how to pick a domain name that will distinctly direct people to your website whenever they do online, wherever they are in the world.

HP Upline

Easy to use and not so pricey, this is an online backup service that allows you to do a number of other things like local media backups and file sharing.  There are some important features that have been left out such as version sharing, open-file backups, and resume features.  That being said, the service has a nice interface and up to 3 computers can be connected to one account.

SOS Online Backup

This online backup service is probably the best to date.  It’s powerful and easy to use and the best thing about it is that you don’t need technical know-how to be able to backup your files.  But you can also get really technical as there are features that will allow you to expand your own options.  Check this service out when you are looking for a powerful solution for backing up your system.  It’s a bit on the pricey side but it may be worth it.

IDrive

This online backup service is actually a little confusing to use to begin with.  Over time as you get used to it, you will start to notice that it has some nice features such as fast upload times and extra items that you will not see on other online backup services.  It’s got a drag and drop feature, search features and phone support.  But the problem is the interface is not friendly or intuitive at all and you may not get support if you are a Mac user.

Online backup services may be just the thing that will save you from losing files and losing face at work.  Make sure that you have access to some kind of cloud service for all of your contacts, calendars, and essential emails so that you never have to worry about losing a file ever again.

Dot extension

Your domain name should have an extension like .com or .net or .org which generally should reflect what sector of society you hail from. A .com address usually connotes that the website is one for a business. A .org on the other hand may point to an address of an organization with a special interest. Overall, the rules have become more flexible over the years and more people take up the .com addresses faster than others.

Short and sweet

The best way for a domain name to be remembered is to keep it short and unique. Keeping it under a 7 character length is ideal. The maximum you can register is up to 63 characters.

Don’t use names that are trademarked

You have probably heard the horror stories of cybersquatting where people register domain names of famous people or brands and demand that the same people or companies pay them millions to get their domain names back. This has ended up in a lot of lost court battles for the cybersquatter, so better avoid it before getting into trouble.

With this advice, you can pick the domain name that is suited to your website. Just make sure you register it now so that it is not taken by the next person in line. Having a domain name is having a unique address. The more unique and memorable your address is, the better the chances you’ll get more hits on your site.

Choosing a good web host to house your website is probably one of the most important things to consider when setting up your site. Here are some tips in choosing a good web hosting service:

Smooth and consistent downloading presence
Look for a web hosting service that offers services that are not full of glitches but allow your site to be present consistently for regular and smooth downloading. If you are a business site that relies on revenues, a small glitch can affect business opportunities dramatically.

Proper billing and records maintenance
Choose a web hosting service that has a consistent and organized billing and payments system. A good web hosting service reflects its professionalism and capability through the organized billing and records system they implement.

Proper security measures and programs
A web hosting service that is attuned to the different malware that exists out there, will keep customers informed of the latest threats that could attack servers and to have updated security applications. Their job is to maintain your website space and to keep it safe from any threat or attack from malicious software and viruses.

So, the next time you are out looking for a good web hosting service, don’t forget to get one offering smooth downloading capabilities, has a proper billing and payments system, and good security measures and apps. This reflects on a web hosts professionalism and competence in providing you with the right services.

Shared web hosting
It is common for web sites to reside on a common server. This type of service is called shared hosting and is appropriate for small personal web sites, blogs and brochure sites. Part of a shared hosting package includes a control panel for managing the data in the web site. Shared web hosting is usually the cheapest way to make your content available on line.

Free web hosting packages
Of course, free web hosting plans are available but this package is constrained in some form. For one, the amount of hard disk space allocated for such plans is very small. To recover costs, server administrators inject advertisements into your web pages which may or may not destroy the look of your web pages.

Dedicated web hosting
Dedicated web hosting packages are also available. In this setup, only one website is hosted by the server. This type of hosting plan is perfect for e-commerce sites because it allows secure socket layers (SSL) connections. SSL strongly encrypts important e-commerce information including credit card information and personal data that such as addresses and telephone numbers. This type of hosting plan is more expensive but the owner of the website has more flexibility in using the server’s resources.

Web hosting is a type of service that utilizes a technology stack to make web pages available on the World Wide Web. There are different kinds of web hosting plans available. Such plans differ in the amount of server space, allocation of CPU cycles as well as server memory. Shared web hosting is the most affordable package; while dedicated hosting plans are more expensive but is required if a web site is used for e-commerce.

Developing a website
Of course, once you have the hardware and software set up, you can’t expect your web hosting company to thrive immediately.  You need to advertise and have a one-stop online shop to get people buying your space.  Talk about yourself and your business on your own website and watch the customers start to flow in.

Support
After sale support is essential in every business and you need a way to communicate with al your customers.  This can be 24/7 support by phone or live chat. Or you can keep in touch with your customers through email but this is not advisable since customers will expect that you have support every second of the day.  Give hardware and software support for all the services you sell and you should be fine.  Otherwise, you may want to re-think your web hosting strategy.

Remember that web hosting companies are not for everyone.  You need to have the technical know-how, the hardware, and even the drive to constantly keep a company like this alive and kicking 24 hours, 7 days a week.  And as long as you have the passion, you are sure to succeed in any business.

Functions of domain names

Domain names are not just the names of each computer in the network. It is part of a hierarchical system that is used for routing network traffic. This hierarchical system is called the domain name system (DNS) and it can be quickly defined as the internet’s phone book. Given a domain name such as exampe.com, DNS translates this into its IP address which could be 208.77.93.53. Aside from labeling a computer, its domain name is used to abstract changes in IP address on network management. When a time will come when example.com changes its address, its effect is not visible to humans thus shielding us from the complexity of the internet. When example.com is typed into the browser, we do not have to know that it has a new IP address, the domain name system takes care of this for us.

Parts of a domain name

Domain names consist of a top level domain (tld) which is the familiar .com, .org or .net endings. With the rapid expansion of the internet, it became obvious that more top level domains were needed and so country code top level domains were made (cctld) and examples of such include .uk or .cn tlds. The local host name is appended to the tld so if we have server named example, when it connects to the internet, its domain name becomes example.com

Domain names are used in making the job of administering computer networks easier. Computer addresses change frequently and it would add to administrative overhead if such changes involve human intervention. Domain names are part of a hierarchy starting from a top level domain and ends at the computers who serve as web hosts.