However, managed hosting is not one-size-fits-all. Different providers will offer different service levels, and even the same managed hosting solution with the same provider can be tailored with different management options to meet your needs. The range of options available can seem confusing, but ultimately this gives you the opportunity to find the managed hosting solution which best works for you.

In this guide, we will break down the various options for managed hosting services, advise on how you can assess your needs, and explain our approach to management. 

Types of managed hosting services:

Infrastructure management

Infrastructure management covers the physical underlying hardware powering your hosting solution, such as the servers, storage and networking components. The provider oversees the management and maintenance of this physical infrastructure, including regular health checks, firmware updates, and hardware replacement.

Infrastructure software management

Infrastructure software management applies to your virtualised environments. Depending on your infrastructure setup, this could include managing VMware ESXi, or any other virtualisation software. The provider provisions new virtual machines, decommission outdated instances, and adjusts virtual machine resources for optimal performance. 

The main function of infrastructure software management is performance tuning and scaling, to ensure your environment is running efficiently. 

Network Management

Network management covers the configuration and ongoing management of physical and virtual network appliances. The provider can set up and maintain firewall rules, load balancing, VPN tunnels and port access on your behalf. This management service is particularly useful for businesses with traffic-sensitive workloads or high compliance requirements. 

Application Management

The provider offers application level management for specific software running on your virtual machines. This can include troubleshooting issues such as PHP errors, cPanel configuration, Microsoft 365 integration and SSL administration. In addition, they will implement performance optimisations for web apps, email platforms, CMS tools and more to maximise speed and functionality. 

Database Management

Database management is generally an add-on service, as it doesn’t apply to all hosting setups. The provider manages database administration services, including setup support, high-availability features such as replication across servers and data centres, and clustering, load balancing and performance optimisation.

Monitoring

The provider will monitor set elements of your infrastructure, which can include resource usage, uptime, and infrastructure-level tracking. Depending on the provider and the level of monitoring you choose, alerts can be sent to you directly to handle, or to the provider’s engineers to manage according to pre-determined processes. The more advanced levels of monitoring can help prevent downtime and speed up resolution, without relying on your internal team.

Patch Management

Infrastructure patch management

This covers regular patching of infrastructure software, including hypervisors, backup tools and control panels to keep them up to date.

Operating system patch management

The provider runs regular operating system updates according to your specific agreement, which should include backing up the server in advance to safeguard against any issues.

Migration Management

Depending on your requirements, your provider may assist your team in the management of your migration, including providing access to tools, or manage the full process end-to-end, including consultation, planning and implementation.

Which managed hosting services do you need?

As we have explored, there are a wide range of managed hosting services available, and this list is not comprehensive. To ensure you have the support you require, it is important to assess your infrastructure, your organisation, and your goals.

You will need to consider:

• What level of in-house expertise do you have? 
• What are your levels of traffic, and does this vary?
• What are your uptime and performance requirements?
• What are your compliance requirements?
• Can your team handle real-time monitoring and alerts?
• Do you have any specific requirements for a provider to be aware of?
• Do you have any additional systems which need management? (e.g. databases)
• What level of migration support will you require?

Our management hosting services

At Hyve we offer a range of fully managed and optional add-on services to suit your business needs. 

All of our solutions are tailored to meet your exact requirements, with flexibility in our management services, including infrastructure and network management, monitoring, patching, and assisted migration as standard. We don’t limit you to predefined packages for management – whatever level of support you require, our solutions are designed bespoke for you.

Our bespoke managed hosting services, expert engineers, and team of dedicated account managers ensure we become an extension of your business. 

To learn more about how our management services can elevate your IT infrastructure, visit our management page.