New Web Host needed

[sirkei]

I am not sure where to post this question but i am currently hosted under a shared web hosting company, paying them 7.95 per month. I heard that its better to get SSL for security reasons or either to own my own i.p address. Any recommendations whether i should get a SSL or should i switch to virtual server or get my own server? How do you guys do it? Do you guys all have your own server or do you guys host under shared hosting too?

Need some advice on this. THX.

[sirkei]

Anyone?

[mat]

Have a look at the TOS here - web-hosting discussions are a definite no-can-do.

[sirkei]

I am sorry if i break the TOS here but i am just not asking for web hosting company's name. I am just asking whether you guys are getting your own server or dedicated server or not? I just need some advice whether i should be switching from shared hosting to own server.

[mat]

Horses for courses. Or, to put it another way - it depends.

Really, this is a 'how long is a piece of string?' question, but i'll chip in with a couple of personal observations - do some reading around here (search WebmasterWorld via Google) and you'll find lots of stuff.

There's shared hosting and there's shared hosting - I use perfectly good ones for assorted projects, and it's not difficult to get it with dedicated IP's. Opinions vary on the need for this, but I've always preferred it. Again, you don't necessarily need your own SSL - a lot of shared hosting will let you use the shared one on that box. Downside is that the URL is 'off domain'.

Dedicated? - you'll know when you need it. I know that sounds trite, but dedicated from 7.95 is a big jump - you probably need to plan out more thoroughly what you need - features, bandwidth, storage, POP accounts, type of access - the usual.

Dedicated also comes in many flavours - fully dedicated with root-access may be overkill, but you can find managed dedicated boxes for under 100 a month these days. Managing the security aspects of your own box is an enormous undertaking, not to be taken lightly.

Again, have a good look around here, and look at some forums ( search for web hosting talk forum, for example) - but - caveat emptor - a lot of these sites are far from impartial.

Sorry for slightly mis-reading your initial post, by the way.