The Power of Load Balancing Technology

Today’s business world is fiercely competitive. Regardless of the industry, it is vital for organizations of all sizes to have the ability to effectively communicate with clients and access business data. Because the majority of today’s business operations are largely based on internet communications, the dependability of web hosting services need to be enhanced to a point where these critical functions are not jeopardized.

Although technological advancements have been made in server hardware and network infrastructure in general, businesses looking to scale their applications for global reach are still faced with the same problem – interruptions. More web hosting companies have stepped up to meet the demands of small to medium sized businesses with a viable solution in load balancing technology.

What is Load Balancing?

Load balancing is a technology used to increase the capacity and performance of a group of servers. Its main purpose is to create a platform that enables services to remain operational and available under various conditions. Web hosting companies that employ loading balancing allow their customers to continuously do business despite limitations such as hardware failure, server maintenance or downtime. This technology is highly sought after by organizations who cannot afford to suffer from slow server response and excessive interruptions.

What to Look For

Speed and Optimization – The goal of a server load balancing architecture is to promote speed and increase the response time of web pages and applications. A company that knows how to finely tune its system gives customers the benefit of a website and applications that enjoy response times of up to 10 times faster. This solution should be able to optimize and reduce bandwidth consumption, disk space and memory requirements. When applied properly, loading balancing can save bandwidth for the customer and web hosting provider by reducing server resources and power requirements.

Security – As hackers grow more sophisticated, security for web-based applications and transactions become increasingly important. Load balancing technology is designed to enable the high performance of SSL acceleration and other vital security features. Some web hosting providers incorporate DDoS protection, firewalls, anti-spam and anti-virus mechanisms into their load balancing platforms for added security. These are essential security features that should be included into the hosting package at no additional cost.

Performance and Price – Loading balancing is a relatively new concept and quite frankly it is a catchy feature that adds glamour to a web hosting package. Although it is a proven, award-winning technology, you shouldn’t have to overpay for it. After determining a budget and weighing the costs, make sure the performance of the hosting service justifies the price. We suggest that you speak with the provider and if possible, get some documentation on the results of performance tests. This is extremely important if you are running demanding applications and mission-critical business processes.

Load balancing offers endless benefits to small and medium sized businesses. If you want to assure the availability and performance of your website, check out the robust hosting solutions offered by PowWeb and FatCow. Both of these companies utilize load balancing technology incorporated with a variety of security features to ensure that your business environment is completely secure.

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