[RTC List] Fw: Re Happy Holiday Wishes from Cole Machado

[Peter Krueger]

My 2 cents and a bit of perspective on reliability and reality.

We also have resold and/or managed hosting for hundreds of sites for  
many years and we don't have any of our hosting servers here in  
Humboldt county.

Really being reliable and safe are on a scale of what serves the  
client best. Most people don't really need or want to pay for 99.999%  
uptime.

For hosting reliably with clients that really need it.
We use more than one data center and have cleints that want their data  
available from more than one physical geographic location.
Basically mirrored sites on both coasts so if theres a major  
earthquake on the west coast their or a flood on the east coast their  
clients still can get to their sites.
But even with solutions like this and dns failover solutions sites and  
their services  are not going to be available  24/7 every minute.   
Even MSN, Google and Yahoo go offline.

For reliable connectivity in Humboldt county:
Some clients use 3 ISPs to keep their connectivity options available:   
Netlink101 - satellite and the local fiber link via Suddenlink or  
ATT.  ( if you can get it)

Its a hassle and more expense but if that's what you need then that's  
what you need.

Like Bob we also tell openly tell our cleints our arrangements with  
any of the 4 providers/ datacenters we use.

The next outage is coming.  Backup your data in multiple locations and  
be ready.

Peter





On Dec 26, 2008, at 9:40 AM, Bob Morse wrote:

> Thanks for your concern, Van. I feel pretty safe because I am  
> mobile. Servers are not. Don't get me wrong. I really like our  
> office space.
>
> Just to be clear, we don't just resell hosting. We manage the  
> servers. We do outsource the hardware management.  But we set up and  
> configure servers, manage security, maintain the software, all  
> remotely. And we're clear with our clients that the hardware is  
> located elsewhere. And they, too like dealing with us because we  
> (the wetware) are local.
>
> I am aware that power and network redundancy are possible locally  
> and there are those who choose to do that in spite of the obstacles  
> and cost. And while I was being sarcastic about servers in the  
> living room (I don't know of any local business that currently does  
> that), I do know that it happens. I have a friend, a local computer  
> consultant, who used to run a server in his apartment for his web  
> clients.
>
> I wasn't really trying to 'plug' our service. I was, though,  
> responding to Cole's remarks that no local hosting companies are  
> reliable. I think ours is. And there are clearly others, as your  
> post attests, whether the hardware is in Humboldt County or not.
>
> 'William Van Hefner wrote:
>> Bob,
>>
>> If your office isn't safe for servers during an earthquake, I sure  
>> hope
>> that you have a good escape plan for yourself! As for electricity,  
>> that's
>> what UPS' and back-up generators are made for. With the new wireless
>> providers in our area, achieving redundancy is already relatively  
>> simple
>> task for any business (or school district, hospital, government,  
>> etc.)
>> that demands it. At least one (very rural and underfunded) school  
>> district
>> in the area has complete redundancy via both fiber and wireless.
>>
>> The main reason to use out-of-the-area server farms is cost. If you  
>> sell
>> hosting, you can make more of a profit by buying wholesale service  
>> from a
>> server farm than you can from maintaining your own network and  
>> servers.
>> Redundancy is no longer an issue here. Money is. Becoming a hosting
>> company entails a lot of start-up capital. Simply becoming a  
>> reseller (or
>> middleman) for some other hosting company requires virtually no  
>> investment
>> in hardware and is simple enough that very little technical  
>> expertise is
>> required.
>>
>> I know of a few hosting companies that still exist here in  
>> Humboldt, and
>> they largely stay in business because local businesses like doing  
>> business
>> locally. I don't know of any who operate out of their "living rooms".
>> There are also plenty of data centers in the area that do everything
>> locally, and who do not "outsource". They have found ways to keep  
>> their
>> network connectivity and power reliable. As a result, they employ  
>> more IT
>> personnel, pay excellent wages and contribute a great deal to our  
>> local
>> economy. Where there is a will, there is a way, even in Humboldt  
>> County.
>>
>> FYI, NO, I do not sell hosting service and am not here to plug  
>> anything.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Bob Morse
> Morse Media
> Web Development * Web Hosting * Internet Marketing
> http://morsemedia.net
> 707-444-9566
> 707-496-9191 (cell)
> Blog: http://talkingtech.net
>
>
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