I’ve registered quite a few domain names in my time, with different companies and with different ‘special’ offers. But when it comes to actively using a domain for email and web space for business you need to ensure that your service is without downtime, rather than just registering with the cheapest provider.
The best way to help you achieve a higher uptime for your website, email and domain is to keep everything with your Internet Service Provider, especially one which has UK based technical support. I’ll explain;
You see, there are many parties involved when purchasing and using a domain. Consider, there is the Registry that holds the records for the domain. Then there is the company you bought the domain name from. Then there is the provider of the Domain Name Servers (DNS). With terminology such as A records, CNAMEs, MX records, TTLs, the DNS can be complicated. The DNS directs traffic to your Web Server and your emails to your Email Server.
I used to go for the cheapest provider for domains, use some free webspace from my ISP and direct emails to some free webmail account. This is fine for unimportant personal sites, but when it comes to providing a site that you want to be available, you can tie yourself in knots trying to identify why your emails are not coming through, or your website is unavailable.
The easiest way to have less headaches and reduce the chances of downtime, is taking all these services from your Internet Service Provider. Keeping everything under one roof is far simpler. You only have one supplier to speak to if things go wrong.
Avoid the pitfalls and consider these tips.
- Don’t go for the cheapest domain. Consider the total cost for hosting and email as ‘free’ domains often turn out to be more expensive when you add the hosting and email options you need.
- Avoid non-UK hosted providers, if your target audience is in the UK. Not only does your email have to travel internationally, you may find that the technical support is only available in a different time zone. Losing all your email for hours because ‘the US are still in bed’ could cost your business far more than the few pounds you saved (and increase your grey hairs).
- Buy more than one domain. You may own the .com but what about the.co.uk domain. A .co.uk will typically perform better when using google.co.uk search results to optimise your website. Also you do not want your competitors to register a similar domain name and use it to generate higher search engine rankings than your site.

Your business ISP ain’t what it used to be. The days when the ISPs job was simply to connect you to the internet and provide some webspace are long behind us. Most business ISPs are now able to offer expert IT management, hosted applications and Software as a Service (SaaS) in addition to the more traditional ‘connectivity’. So what is this all about and what opportunities does it provide for businesses in these difficult times?

SaaS can be attractive to a wide range of businesses from the SoHo (Small office, Home office) startups and SMEs through to larger corporates and public sector organisations. In fact any organisation that seeks to outsource some of its hardware/server requirements, software management and maintenance can now benefit. This can serve to make the bean-counters happy; one of the key advantages of SaaS is that it reduces the need to recruit and retain expensive in-house skills. SaaS allows businesses to outsource the management of key IT infrastructure, concentrating on its core competencies and keeping costs manageable and predictable in times when cost reduction is the norm and restricted borrowing facilities are constraining capital expenditure.

Most of these services are made available on a pay-as-you-go basis. So for instance an employees Microsoft Exchange mail facility can be ‘rented’ for as little as £5 per month per user. What is more as the business grows and reorganises the additional requirements can be accommodated with ease. As most SaaS services are delivered securely over the internet they are ideal for the ever-growing army of road-warriors and home workers who have no permanent office base.

The range of SaaS services is mushrooming. Hosted email services are growing in popularity, following the trajectory of the US where over 40% of email and messaging services are now delivered using an outsourced model. Add to this hosted services for CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Document Management, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), and IP telephony and it is clear why many IT departments are redefining themselves with a focus on the delivery of strategic projects whilst the ‘nuts and bolts’ software is handled by specialist service providers. Certain sectors are seeing rapid uptake, salesforce.com for instance is building on its early success in CRM by redefining a new range of ‘Platform-as-a-service’ solutions. No wonder then that this burgeoning sectors is expected to be worth over $10bn by 2009.

The great news for customers is that many of these services are available on a trial basis, many free. So with little or no commitment it is possible to try SaaS for size and see how it fits your business needs.

Things that might be of interest to you: Web Hosting and Email, Microsoft Exchange, Home Office, Large Networks, Business Broadband