Managed Hosting
Many CMS platforms, like Kentico or Umbraco, offer a self-hosted license option which would allow a client to host the site themselves or via a partner agency/hosting provider. While a client can secure their own hosting provider and configure and manage the deployment themselves, most opt for a managed hosting provider who offers support in security, DevOps and deployments for a website.
A managed hosting provider is responsible for:
- Purchasing and configuring the hosting environment to meet the agreed upon specifications
- Deploying the new site and subsequent deployments
- Ongoing maintenance of the site’s hosting infrastructure
- Security, patching/hot fix support
- In most cases managing the important DevOps process, which ensures the source code is properly maintained across environments according to strict industry best practices
The biggest benefits of managed hosting include:
- Ability to fully customize your solution to your company or institution’s specifications
- Access to all log files which can be used for troubleshooting or compliance
- Control the end user experience in the event of an outage (for example, ZAG hosted clients have access to a custom branded maintenance page)
- Support for compliance audits, if needed
- Less dependency on a single vendor (single point of failure)
- Flexibility to change vendors if needed
- Reliable, fixed pricing not based on traffic/user logins (in many cases)
- Managed Security, which includes the ability to customize Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules and ability to create Geo-blocks to prevent bad actor countries from accessing the website
- Ability to manage, review and respond to WAF/DDoS threats in real time
- Ability to integrate with SIEM to have visibility into website traffic from a security perspective
SaaS Hosting
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a solution where the license fee includes access the software, as well as hosting and maintenance. This is a popular model for many of today’s software solutions, like HubSpot, and with it comes several benefits that include:
- More simplicity in choice (no need to evaluate many options or have deep understanding of hosting configurations)
- Security is handled at the vendor level, and once the vendor passes due diligence review there’s not typically additional, ongoing security decisions to make
- SaaS provider typically handles all updates to the hosting environment AND the software application, which generally happens automatically on a predetermined schedule
- Less coordination between vendors (all services handled though one vendor)
Which is the Better Choice for your Company or Institution?
Choosing a hosting option depends on multiple factors. At ZAG we often see decision considerations include overall cost, whether there is a preference for bundling all services into one single vendor’s solution, and control over hosting and security configurations. We’ve created the below chart to expand upon consideration factors, and would welcome a call to discuss this topic with you and your team.
