When selecting a virtual server web hosting provider it is important that you take into consideration some very important variables that can affect your business very dramatically.

1.    Do they have a mirror server. Reliability of a virtual server web hosting system is critical not just to you as an individual but to your business. You will want to find out from the provider is they have a mirror server on which they run de-bugging and virus testing prior to loading the software or utilities onto the main server. If software and utilities are loaded directly onto the server you are using, the time the server must be shut down to be maintained can be detrimental to your business.

2.    Do they have 24 hour technical support. Many people are working on business related materials well into the night. It is important that if something goes wrong with your system that you can get a live person on the phone or on-line live chat to assist you when you need it. There are some companies that only provide technical support between the hours of 8am to 5pm. Providers that do not offer continuous customer support are not thinking about your needs and should be avoided.

3.    How often do they scan the computers on their server. If the provider does not have a regularly scheduled time that they scan the computers on their system it is important that you find out if they randomly scan their customers. If so, you will want to make sure that you so not keep confidential and secure data on your computer hard drive as it can be scanned as well.

4.    Customer Service. With any product or service that is purchased the most contact that an individual will have with the company they purchase from will be their customer service staff. It is important to find out if there is a customer service representative available from your virtual server web hosting provider who can discuss issues regarding billing, problems, concerns, etc., with you and the hours that the person is available.. Be certain that if you need customer service that you will get a human who knows the company well enough to be able to assist you.

5.    Data retrieval. It is important to find out two things about data retrieval when selecting your virtual server web hosting provider 1) Are retrievable backups done regularly; and, 2) What is the length of time that backups are kept in a retrievable condition. Many companies say they do back-ups of data but when you need to retrieve the data you get all of the information from every file in a text file or missing pictures and other important data. Whole file backups take longer for the provider to do but are much easier to retrieve. It is also important to find out how often they do backups of data so that you know when you need to purchase software to back-up your data regularly on your own if you have to.