International Hosting Customers – Key Considerations

“The Internet has finally arrived at your office – maybe your
company is in Malaysia or maybe it is in England? Needless to
say, your company is not located in North America unless your
with http://www.weblinkhosting.com. Yet now you’ve got a web
site that needs a home on the Internet. Are you hosting needs
the same as those of North American businesses. Probably a good
deal of the key technical and feature requirements are identical
however, there are certain considerations that you should keep
in mind when looking for web hosting.

Payment Issues – Most developed countries have been penetrated
by a credit card system – which is likely accepted by web hosts
worldwide. Can your company use a credit card to pay for hosting
- if so, then this probably isn’t a major problem. However, if
you must send a business check, remember that sending payment to
a web host overseas can be expensive, not accepted by the web
host, or lengthy due to mailing delays.

Currency – What about your local currency, is it accepted by the
web host? The standard for hosting worldwide is without question
the US$. So even if your web host is in Canada, Brazil, or
France, expect the company to at least offer services in US$
alongside your local currency. If you do choose an overseas web
host, are there possible currency expenses you need to consider?
Yes. If you are selecting a high end hosting system costing
several thousand dollars per month – an exchange rate
fluctuation could raise/lower your hosting costs significantly.

Technical Support – What are the technical support
considerations for your company. Web hosting is an important
aspect of doing business online, and if you experience technical
difficulties with your website you will want to get them fixed
quickly. Does the hosting company offer technical support in
your local language (if English is not acceptable to you?) What
about hours of operation – remember that 9AM in your local time
zone may not be 9AM where your web host is. Most major web hosts
in North America operate with 24/7 technical support – however,
your company should ask the host before signing with them.

Bandwidth Connections – While many countries around the world
are rapidly growing out their network infrastructures, some of
the most developed Internet-connections are still in the United
States. Does your country have the bandwidth capacity to handle
the potentially large volume of traffic your web site could
receive? If so, is it more expense than if your web host was
international? Aside from this, check to see the speed of the
equipment your local web host is using vs. an international web
host. Which company offers the more powerful servers?

Keeping key issues in mind when analyzing international web
hosting companies is important. There are advantages to choosing
a local web host (eg. currency and convenience) and a
non-domestic host (eg. greater features and Internet connection
speeds). Ultimately, if you remember to ask about some of the
above factors, your company will find a superior web host.
Remember that whether your web site resides in Europe, Asia, or
North America, the method with which you administer your site is
likely to be the same. “