There is no shortage of options when it comes to web hosting services. Today, you can find a suitable web hosting plan to use regardless of your needs, personal preferences and budget. When choosing a web hosting plan for ecommerce sites, however, extra care needs to be taken. Security features are among the most important factors to consider in this case.
Automated and Regular Backups
As with most user-based websites, you will be processing and storing a lot of user information as well as information on the products and services you are selling. In the event of a disaster, you need to be able to recover these information in order to resume normal operations.
The best web hosting services will offer automated and regular backup creations for maximum protection. The VPS plans from Finestshops, for example, come with 25GB of backup storage with 2 weeks retention. Should your VPS server fails, you can recover the data you need and get the site up and running again in just minutes.
PCI Compliance
Merchants who want to process their own payments, particularly credit card payments, must follow a strict set of rules and regulations regarding the security of their servers. The only problem is, these rules and regulations are not always easy to follow, especially if you don’t have the experience in managing large servers before.
The best way to still be able to process credit card payments and meet the required standards is by using a hosting service package that is already PCI compliant. Since the server is already meeting the rules and regulations, you can focus more on keeping the ecommerce platform you use secured as well.
Remember that PCI compliance is evaluated regularly. Having a server that is already PCI compliant and managed by experienced administrators who are also familiar with the standards helps a lot. You no longer need to focus your energy on checking server configurations, updating the software and other mundane tasks.
Updates and Security Audits
Speaking of updates, servers need to have their operating system and supporting software updated regularly. Unless you have an in-house IT team overseeing these matters, it is best to get a managed server. Work with a hosting company whose servers are known for its reliability. This means the administrators working behind the screen know exactly what they are doing, which in turn means you no longer need to worry about server maintenance.
Managed servers are the easiest way to get started as well, since you no longer need to do manual security audits. The servers are set up based on the standards set by the company – as well as best practices – giving you more time and resources to focus on the ecommerce platform you will be using.
Protection Against Attacks
Last but certainly not least, evaluate the company’s policies regarding outside attacks. The ability to mitigate DDOS attacks and handle brute-force attempts is a huge plus. You are starting a website that will hold a lot of customer information, so there is no such thing as being too careful.
