Organisations can gain a number of benefits by using a hosting company:
- You can save money. Most companies that provide hosting services are often able to offer these services for less than hosting in house. This is achieved through either sharing servers or services such as trained and expert personnel, which would otherwise be expensive to employ.
- Quality of service. It is also possible in some instances to improve service quality through having more resources and better qualified personnel provided by the hosting company.
- Access to a wider array of skills. The hosting company can often provide skill sets for use for specific projects as and when you require them.
- Allocation of resources. Even if your company has a substantial IT department with highly skilled people, it can often be more effective for them to work on business focused projects rather than manage your web facilities.
- Operational expertise. Hosting companies may be able to provide the relevant expertise that most companies don’t have access to or find difficult and expensive to develop in house.
- Budgeting. In tough economic climates, being able to pay for a hosting service over a period of time means that your company can retain capital (cash) in the bank and help with budgeting and cash flow.
- Flexibility. Hosting services will allow you to upgrade as and when your business requirements change.
- Hosting companies will often guarantee up time, i.e. that your website will remain online consistently. However you must ensure that such a claim is supported by a service level agreement.