VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting is an ideal solution for users who are looking for more control over their environment than a shared hosting solution provides, but for a fraction of the cost of dedicated hosting. There are many different virtualization options for your hosting solution.

Hyper-V: The virtualization technology created by Microsoft, it is a hypervisor based solution for Windows 2008 server. More hosting providers are choosing to offer a Hyper-V solution to clients who are already familiar with configuring IIS and running web sites on a Microsoft server. Hyper-V is Microsofts solution to its troubled predecessor, Windows Virtual Server 2007.

Virtuozzo: This is a commonly used solution from Parallels, a leader in web hosting solutions. Virtuozzo containers can be used for Windows or Linux solutions, though unlike Hyper-V the virtualized instance must be the same as the server OS. This technology serves as a popular choice for hosters as it boasts real time scalability and the ability to run a high number of instances on one physical server.

VMware: A virtualization alternative to the above technologies, VMware is a common solution for web hosters to use as it does not need a dedicated server and is OS independent.

Sony’s PSN (PlayStation Network) outage is entirely different beast, and while the service is not web hosting, certainly the lessons from the experience applies to how you should shop around for a provider.

In the case of the PSN we continue to see the service unavailable to its users. The PSN network is used to buy additional content for games and to play video games online between users, so it is an essential core function of the product. How an outage like this will affect a brand is always hard to tell, but what seems to be a common complaint in this case is that Sony is doing a mediocre job of communicating the underlying issue and solution to their customers. It is likely that once everything is in working order again Sony will be a little more open about what happened, but for now users are left wondering what could have really taken them offline for this long?

For any online service, whether you are buying from or selling to, it is important to keep customers informed about how an outage impacts them and steps to resolution. Transparency with customers is underrated; it goes a long way to show a client that you care about their experience, and that even when you do not have a proper resolution you sincerely care about finding one.

What has since become a bigger issue about the outage is that users who uploaded their credit card information to the PlayStation Network have possibly had their details stolen, with multiple cases of fraudulent charges already being reported by PSN users. Two things web hosting providers and clients should take from this are careful of whom you give your credit card information to and try to only store that information in the cloud when required.

In the case of PSN users could have bought points cards rather than keep their credit card information online for purchases. Just like when we purchase web hosting services, many hosting providers offer payment methods that include both automatic and manual credit card charging. If you do not want to have to remember to pay your renewal you choose for the card to be automatically debited.

This is not to say that when buying web hosting you should be overly concerned about data loss outages and your personal information being stolen, what happened with Amazon EC2 and Sony PSN are out of the norm, and for the most part when buying services online and using them everything is secure and works properly. With that in mind, try to remember that web hosting and online businesses in general suffer service issues just like any other business model, and that it is up to the consumer to decide how badly they can be impacted. A little smart shopping and some precautions (backups!) go a long way.