Hosted SharePoint Services - Key Features and Benefits

Hosted SharePoint services or Microsoft SharePoint Online is essentially an online collaborative tool for businesses to share knowledge, work on documents and to manage important information. Utilising cloud functionality, it creates a single point at which company employees can collaborate on projects, access resources and share ideas, ultimately helping to improve productivity and the output of the workforce.

One of the major benefits of SharePoint is that it is usable by practically everyone in the company. This could be colleagues located in separate departments or even those posted around the world meaning that access to all of the company's resources is always readily available. Equally, the flexibility of SharePoint allows businesses to quickly create satellite offices or incorporate new acquisitions. By avoiding the time and cost of purchasing and implementing servers or deployments, businesses can effectively respond to any new opportunities, no matter where they are in the world.

As with many of the Microsoft products, SharePoint is easily implemented into the majority of business environments as workers are typically used to and comfortable with the Microsoft user experience. Subsequently the amount of time dedicated to training is kept to a minimum.

SharePoint Online allows users to create and manage multiple sites all focused toward different projects, ensuring that only those that require access receive it. These sites act as the repository for all documentation regarding that project, allowing workers to collaboratively undertake the tasks in hand efficiently.

Some of the most useful features for project manager include shared online work spaces, extensive document libraries, standard blog and wiki templates as well as integration with Microsoft Office software. When this is combined with email alerts for document changes and additions, managers can effectively monitor and assess the progress of a project instantly, allowing them to make considered decisions in real time that will benefit the project and more widely, the business.

A clear benefit is that Microsoft takes control of all of the ongoing maintenance and upgrades to the infrastructure. The result being less time and money devoted to infrastructure within the business, and more time spent on achieving company goals and targets.

The adoption of SharePoint in a business brings numerous benefits; increased productivity and effective collaboration are certainly two of the major advantages, whilst reduced infrastructure costs and enhanced project efficiency are also considerable gains.

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Benefits of a Managed Dedicated Server For Hosted Services

The managed dedicated server makes a sound investment for an internet-based company. Dedicated hosting is suited for the business that desires more capacity, flexibility, security and authority over their operation. This environment enables a business to run more efficiently because the owner has access to an entire server, giving them major advantages over a situation where server space and resources are shared among other users.

Even if the business owner doesn't possess the skills needed to run the operation, a managed dedicated server offers the benefit of having a provider that handles the technical aspects, freeing them from the responsibility of server administration.

Price Value

It is important to know that dedicated hosting in general is far more expensive than conventional shared hosting. The cost for a dedicated server varies based on a range of factors. For instance, a well known provider is likely to be the most expensive. However, a reputable provider is also more likely to be the most reliable.

The cost also varies depending on the level of management required for your business. You will find that most providers offer various levels of management, with features such as software updates, security, monitoring and technical support. While some of these features come along with the service of the managed dedicated server, others require additional fees. Costs for additional services generally range at anywhere from $25 to over $100 per month.

Despite being more expensive, dedicated hosting offers a great value, as handing the bulk of the administration over to the provider also gives you the option to have enough control to effectively run your business. Because you don't have to shell out additional funds on technicians to maintain the equipment, this type of hosting can actually save you money over the long run.

Your Choice of Platform

When making the decision to power your business with a dedicated server, you have the final say on the components that will be used with the equipment; this includes the operating system. There are a number of operating systems available from Windows to Linux and other open-source solutions, such as Debian and Fedora.

Having the luxury to choose the platform for a dedicated server means that you can implement a system that you are more familiar with. The benefit here is eluding the learning curve that comes along with having to adjust to a different environment. It also helps you save time and money, as the costs and complexity between Windows and open-source software is significant. Dedicated hosting grants control over platform support as well. Being able to install upgrades and apply patches allows you to ensure stability and exceptional performance.

Better Security

One of the biggest advantages of managed hosting, whether it's in the shared or dedicated server environment, is that the provider handles most of the security. This includes protecting the system against DDoS attacks and computer crackers.

With authority over software options, you can ensure that your dedicated server is protected with firewalls, anti-malware solutions, intrusion detection systems and encryption software to secure large volumes of data. Furthermore, the company can ensure the security and stability of your business with load balancing, monitoring and disaster recovery systems. Dedicated hosting provides a higher level of physical security, as your critical information will be protected in a data center as opposed to the spare room in your office building.

Finding a Provider

The web hosting business is one of the most competitive industries today. Managed dedicated server providers are abundant, but there are more factors that need to be considered outside of the price. If at all possible, inquire within a company that has been in service with a documented track record. Be sure to check into their uptime, as this refers to the estimated time your website will be up, running and accessible to your visitors. The industry standard these days is 99.9%, but there are a few managed hosts that offer an uptime guarantee of 100%. Although this may be difficult to gauge, you can ascertain a company's reliability by researching the infrastructure of their data center.

Since managed hosting calls for you to rely heavily on the assistance of someone else, look for a provider that offers 24/7 technical support, preferably via email and phone. If something should go wrong, you should have the confidence of knowing that trained professionals are on standby to make the save.

Conclusion

If you think that a shared host cannot meet the needs of your business, a managed dedicated server is certainly the way to go. Managed hosting gives your business the room it needs to grow, while eliminating the daunting tasks associated with maintaining a dedicated server.

Adam Hobach is a Network Engineer with "CyberLynk.net". You can learn more about "Web Hosting" services online at http://www.CyberLynk.net

© 2008 CyberLynk Network Inc. http://www.CyberLynk.net You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "Author Biography").

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Use a free hosted Blog to get started with blogging

Free hosted blogs can be great if you are new to blogging and want to know what blogs are about. They are a way for you to get some experience and familiarity with blogging. This kind of blog can do everything that you may ever need for your blogging efforts have if there are some very popular blogs that are hosted are free of charge.
These are the simplest blogs to start. You can set up and working quickly with online services like Blogger.com and WordPress.com. All you need to do is the online service Web site, sign up for an account, and follow some simple instructions to get a new blog works and live on the Internet. A new blog can most probably be launched in less than ten to twenty minutes. The blog is going to get fast and easy ... but not always the best choice.
This kind of blog was created and hosted on the online blogging service of domain and web space. You have a URL Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that the name of your blog and also the name of the service will contain online blogging. This type of URL is not a Top Level Domain (TLD) because your blog is actually a subdomain of the free host service in the domain. For example, instead of a TLD such as myblogname.com you will something like myblogname.thenameofthefreehost.com if your URL.
TLDs are usually better than subdomain Urls because they allow an impression of professionalism, credibility, and severity. Fortunately, you will often have the option of using a TLD with a free hosting service. You will probably have to pay a fee for this privilege to have your own unique domain name, which really means that your blog is not completely free.
Probably the biggest advantage is the cost of hosting, it's free! You don't need to worry about finding a suitable web host or pay a monthly or yearly hosting fee. Another big advantage is that they are very easy to set up. All you need to do is follow some online instructions, usually in a series of screens with complete-in-the-blank forms, and all set up for you.
With these blogs you don't have to worry about the platform (that's all for the code and programming gizmos that things work) to keep yourself updated. This job will be done automatically for you, and behind the scenes by the free host.
In my opinion, it is a free blog a good way to get introduced to blogging. It may be a good idea to start a blog and use to learn the ins and outs of blogging. However, if you want a first class professional effort, then you must pay for your hosting, install a blogging platform like WordPress to power your blog, and have your own chosen domain name is registered for your blog.

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Free hosted Blog disadvantages

At hosted free blog services like blogger.com and wordpress.com, you can create a blog in just minutes. Start and the establishment of a is as easy as pie. All you need to do is follow the free host recipe and your blog will soon be online.
This kind of blog is not necessarily the best form. Instead, you'd be better off to pay for hosting, get your own domain name, and installing WordPress as your blogging platform. There are some cons with free hosting that you should be aware of, if you plan to much time and effort put into blogging.
* There will be fewer configuration choices than a self-hosted blog. You'll easily be able to tweak it as much as you could with host. At the beginning, this may not be much of a difference. However, if your blogging requirements and capacities grow, probably you will find the lack of configuration choices a disadvantage. The limits of the configuration of free services can hold you back.
* You must be your theme choose from a selection of canned themes. Some of the choices theme may change some design options built into them, and the specific free hosted service that you choose some theme change may allow. In general though, you themes that everyone else using the free hosted service singles. Your blog will probably wind up looks like a bunch of others. Host, you can create your own unique theme.
* Will the ownership of the content that you create for your blog, but you have no full ownership of your blog with free hosting. The online service that you used for your blog is owned by the domain name that is associated with your blog. You cannot change or improve the blogging platform, you just do it with what is offered. You will have to live with the way that your blog on a free hosted service works. With a self-hosted blog, you own the whole shebang and can do what you want, because you own your own blog. That is a very good thing.
* The default domain name you will have is not a Top-level domain. An example of a Top level domain name is myblogname.com. The domain name will default to the name of the online hosting service. An example would be myblogname.thenameofthefreehost.com. A self-hosted blog with a top-level domain, is simply more professional and impressive. It is best to have your own Top Level domain name register and use for your blog.
* If you ever decide to make the switch, it may be a challenge to get your free hosted blog to a self-hosted blog. You must export your blog content, and then import it into your self-hosted blog. This process may or may not smoothly. Personally, I have good luck export and import content to a self-hosted blog, but can go wrong and my palms were sweaty every time I did this. The worst-case scenario is that valuable content can be lost or are not imported to the new self-hosted blog. Your blog content is all the effort and hard work you put into making your posts. You do not want to disappear forever with a mouse click. Please note that moving content to a self-hosted blog can be risky.
In my opinion, owning your own blog using WordPress as your blogging platform, the self hosted on a Web host you choose, and with your own registered domain name, is the most professional and serious way to blog. You will control your blog and a third-party free hosted blog service will impose no limitations or restrictions on your blog, or what you do with it.

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Blogger and WordPress-free hosted Blogs can be closed-so own your own Blog

If you have a blog on a free host, such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com, can then be closed by the free host if you change the Terms Of Service (TOS violation). You can avoid this by owning your own blog.
The problem with a blog hosted on a free service like Blogger.com and WordPress.com is that you must accept the free host TOS. If you violate the TOS, then the free host pulling the plug on your blog through this exit. Note: it is important to know that WordPress is a free service (which WordPress.com), in addition to the self-hosted version of WordPress that is installed on your Web host. See WordPress.org for the self-hosted version of WordPress.
It doesn't matter how much hard work and effort you put into your free blog, or how much revenue you could earn from it, or how popular it is. If you like the free host violate TOS, then poof! At night, your blog disappear without warning.
I was recently busy looking for a WordPress theme for a client, when I followed a link to a blog about themes that I wanted to check. I found the link on the second page results of a Google search, and I thought it might be something of interest for my client. To my surprise, instead of the blog appear, appeared the announcement of the WordPress.com Blog TOS Shutdown on my computer screen. I have no idea what this free WordPress.com blog did to shut it down, but I think it somehow violated the WordPress.com TOS.
The one thing I know for sure is that WordPress.com pulled the plug on this blog ... it's gone. This would not have happened if the person who had the free hosted WordPress.com blog about WordPress themes instead had owned his or her own blog.
It is my opinion that if you are going to start blogging, and if you are planning a lot of effort in your blog, then you must be the owner of your own blog and do not depend on a free blog hosting service. I strongly recommend that you own your own blog. Only then are you the master of your blogging ship, will you have full control over all things related to your blog.
How to create your own blog itself:
Host. Buy a web hosting plan from a web hosting service.
Register a domain name at a domain registrar.
Use the WordPress blogging platform available from WordPress.org.
A blog that your own is a self-hosted blog that you install on your chosen web hosting service. A self-hosted blog is often referred to as a paid blog. A self-hosted blog will be mostly, and should have its own unique domain name (URL-Uniform Resource Locator) associated with it. The WordPress blogging platform works beautifully and is very, very popular among bloggers.
I happen to have some blogs that I own. I host and pay for my Web hosting, and I have registered domain names for each of these blogs. In every blog I use WordPress as my blogging platform. These are all standalone blogs. I own my own blogs and I'm the only one who can choose to shut it down, assuming of course that I have my web hosting account fees continue to pay! By the way, web hosting and domain registration prices are very affordable.
If you're going to have a blog, and if you plan to make an effort where you the valuable time, energy, effort, and thought into it, if you plan or hope to earn money from the blog, if you're going to provide a service, or selling of goods and merchandise, if you want to professionalism and credibility, then for goodness sakes, own your own blog. Don't be at the mercy of a free blog service, the terms of service.
Do yourself a favor, own your own WordPress blog if you are going to get serious about blogging. Your own registered domain name and a Web host of your choice. This gives you full control over your blog. The Big Kahuna, the Supreme Dictator of this kind of blog are you because you are the owner. You have control over how your blog looks, what, what subjects you cover, which features the blog has, and. .. Well, everything!
Own your own blog and you are the one who decides her fate and future. It really is that simple.

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Free hosted Blog or self hosted Blog

Free hosted Blog or self hosted Blog
If you read this article you are probably in a crucial stage where you want to compare and contrast or to stay with a free Blog hosted or starting your own self hosted Blog. Many first time bloggers start with a free Blog site before you understand the benefits of that come out of hosting your own blog.
Many people start using the most popular free blogging platforms such as Google's free tool for making blogs-Blogger and the ever popular WordPress.com.
What benefits come from free hosted Blogs
Free Blogs are great in that there is no cost to start up or the ongoing operational costs. All architectures usually have a easy to use user interface and it takes very little time of login on the publication of your first post.
You don't have to focus on advertising for your blog or getting it indexed by search engines as many free platforms all this built into the backend.
Free-no ongoing costs for hosting or upgrades.
What disadvantages come from free hosted Blogs
You usually have limited control and functionality.
You may be limited with the site layout, themes, and fonts.
Search engines will see your site if it is shared and this much effect on your search engine rankings and in-turn effects on traffic to your site.
There will most likely be advertising that you might not want to display on your site, as well as links to other sites or the content.
What benefits come from self hosted Blogs
You have full control and functionality of your site with the ability to almost every detail of your site change.
You have an almost unlimited range of themes and plugins that you can perform on your site.
You will benefit from the proceeds of any form of advertising that you display on your site as you complete control over which form of advertising you're viewing.
What disadvantages come from self hosted Blogs
Cost of purchasing a domain name-this is usually around $ 10 or less for a period of one year for a good Top Level Domain name.
Cost of the domain hosting – this will depend on what features you want to have access to, and whether you want all the extra features that an advantage in starting your own blog.
If you already have a website, must create and maintain that a blog will surely bring many benefits and this easier even if you already have the fundamentals of the website. Create the blog as a sub-domain and more traffic to your website with high quality articles.

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