reliable and HELPFUL webhosting company

a Q about big vs small, plus some specifics

[El_Tel]

Hi
I'm wrestling with the issue of whether to go with a huge company with loads of awards etc, or a two-man band who appear to want to bend over backwardds to help me. I like the latter, but worry about what if they fall ill. Just wondered what other people's view/experiences are in this regard?

Also, does anyone have any views on databasepower?

Thanks

[Marcia]

Your best bet would be to do a site search. From the Forum Charter [webmasterworld.com]:

Out of Bounds:
Public discussion and recommendation of hosting companies is no longer allowed at WebmasterWorld. We are closing the floodgates to get a better handle on the spam that always crops up in hosting discussions. The current threads will remain available to be read but there will be no new discussion permitted.

[zollerwagner]

I've been working with a small company for over a year now. They have been much more responsive than the two larger companies I've dealt with.

But...even an excellent small company has to deal with other companies. It's like a food chain. So when the provider my guys use has troubles, my host has to convince the next company up the chain to act quickly!

I suppose that some really large hosts might not have as many companies further up the food chain, but in any case it's still a interdependent "web" and a lot of factors are outside the control of any one company.

If you google on "web host talk forum", you'll see a very good place to get feedback from customers at the top of the list.

[dwilson]

I vote for a small company. Maybe not one so small it's just a part-time interest for somebody. But small enough you can talk to the owner(s) if/when you need to.

[MatthewHSE]

I host with a one-man outfit and have never had any problems. The service is much better than the two very big hosts I've been with (and they are both well-known for good service). I vote to go with the small companies.

[zollerwagner]

Oh, yes, that's a really good point about the part-timers. I've worked with one host who was not working full-time at it. That meant that he wasn't available much of the time and he didn't seem to know the field as well. I ended up spending (wasting) more time getting things working. In addition, his software wasn't up-to-date. Check the versions your prospect is running. Are they currrent or near current versions?

[SEOMike]

As a small host and email providor, my clients tell me all the time that they like to know my name and call me when they have problems. The only real trouble we have has come down from our T1 provider. They have an SLA with us, so they are VERY responsive. It happens VERY rarely, so it's not much concern. Our servers are running a 99.98% uptime so far this year... including our email server.

My suggestion, do your research and don't automatically opt for the cheapest solution. Keep it local if you can. Ask the little guys who provides there T1s and research them too.