Posts Tagged ‘computers’

A Look At The Difference Between Web Design And Web Development

Friday, March 5th, 2010

If you are hoping to use the Internet to promote your company, there are many terms that you may be encountering. It can be hard to tell what the difference between web design and web development are, for example, and how both are involved in the creation of your website. Understanding how both are used to create a seamless and effective website may be one of the most important things you can do to help promote your business.

There are many times that people will use the two terms when they are discussing the progress of their website. They may talk about design when they mean development. It will probably not hurt the overall site building process if you use design when you mean development but it is always good if you understand the difference so that you can speak about the process properly. It can also help you to outline where any issues or problems have occurred since the issues surrounding design can be very different than those surrounding development.

Web design involves the way the website looks. Each website has a different feel and should stand out and be memorable for your customers. You want to make sure that different design elements such as color, font size and style and the position of images and text all work together to create a website that looks professional.

You may think that a website that is simple may look plain but often it can look quite professional. When you are undergoing the web design portion of your site building, you should be able to give the designer an idea of what you like and what you do not. Often, a designer will give you mock-ups or samples of what your site will look like. You can then approve a design or refine what the designer is trying to do so that you get a site that you can be truly happy with.

Web development has more to do with the code and programming that makes the site function. It may include items such as analytics programs that allow you to monitor the flow of traffic to your area. It may also include content management systems that give you control over the text elements of your website.

This can mean that some images will not appear or it may not load at all. This can be devastating for a business that is relying on its website to sell products or services. If a website takes too long to load, customers with a slow Internet speed may take too long to load and possible customers may go elsewhere for their goods and services.

A good design and development company is a critical part of ensuring your site is a success. They should be experienced in a variety of different languages and programs since any number of these may be used to create a website. You should be able to see a portfolio of work they have done in the past and be able to check that the sites are working well for their clients.

A good website can help you attract clients from around the world. By picking wisely you will be able to end up with something that helps you build your business quickly and profitably. Some of the best websites are often the most simple so having a clear vision of what you want your site to look at can make the process much more straightforward than you may think possible.

Vancouver Web Design is a full service design firm that have both the technical expertise and experience needed to provide the solutions to convert audiences into your customers. Toronto Web Design Company: Acro Media First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 5700, Toronto, ON M5X 1C7(416) 915-3136‎ – (877) 763-8844‎

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Five Tips To Avoid Losing Your Web Hosting Plan

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Anyone that owns a website understands the perils of losing a web hosting plan that they have attached to their domains. A web host is absolutely necessary for any domain name to remain hosted on the Internet, so it is crucial that they stay active in order to maintain the website.

When signing up for a hosting plan is to be sure to read the terms of service. One of the most common problems is that users disobey the rules set for webmasters. Be sure your content and website follows the rules set in place and that you enforce them with your employees or anyone else that uses your website with admin abilities.

Another thing to consider is your pricing. If you know you cannot afford a certain plan each month or year, find a different service or get coupon codes. Price is the second most common problem for webmasters that lose their hosting plans.

If the hosting company has an auto-renew set up then you should also be prepared to have your credit card information up to date at all times. This is extremely important. Without the up to date information you risk your monthly renewal, or yearly renewal, expiring on you. Most companies try to contact you through all contact sources, which is why you should always be sure that you are up to date.

Advanced purchases can be hugely beneficial if you can afford them. These will ensure that you at least have hosting for a number of months without running into financial problems or other things that would make you unable to pay. Paying for many months of hosting in advanced isn’t recommended, but a few months at a time can keep you safely hosted.

In addition, be sure that you have back ups in place in the event something happens to the hosting company you currently use. This will ensure that you do not fall flat on your face if your hosting disappears or if you somehow cannot pay when needed. This is more of a concern for small companies than larger companies – but anything can happen.

In Conclusion

Even though hosting is usually affordable for most website owners, problems can occur. Avoid losing your web hosting by following the above rules and making sure that you are always backed up at all times. This can make a big difference when it comes to losing your hosting or maintaining hosted websites.

Learn more on business web hosting and cheap web hosting.

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E-Commerce Server Moves Made Trouble Free

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

If you have a website, you can bet your graphic website designer friends that the time will come that you need to transfer from your old hosting service to new and entirely different web host to better suite your site’s needs or your firm’s, not- for-profit-organization or your personal finances and budget . But be aware of the difficulties you’ll encounter on the road. Changing your web host is not as easy as moving across the street to a brand new residence. It all needs organization and sequential steps for a successful web host transfer.

First and foremost create backup of all necessary files. The type of file can be in binary or ASCII format. There are instances that you need to backup files manually due to a different format of old web host’s control panel. However, do not forget to save a copy of server log which is also necessary for your web host transfer.

You need to have an FTP program before planning for a web host transfer. DNS and a temporary URL can be obtaining from the newer and upcoming host provider. But if the new host is controlled by a domain, you for sure will need to inform them not to change DNS – that is the dynamic names service, until you informed by yourself or your agent. Try to recover the original installation guide and scripts. You never know if the new host will perform well. Retrieving them is an assurance to get back in track if something goes wrong. Provide an alternate email address to keep connected to costumers while having an update.

Save a copy of the original installation guide and scripts. There are times new and even the best and highly regarded host server systems have failed to work out as well as anticipated. You can never have too much computer ram or too large and extensive a collection of previous backups. Forewarned is safer. Remember as a web host it manager the more, larger and elaborate the series of backups on hand the more failsafe will your server move be. Having these accessible – even online and encrypted at a service like Carbonite not only will give you peace of mind , but a means of faster, quicker and simpler re-installs if the first server move does not go according exactly to plans or your personal preferences. Any needs for future re-installs will be a snap. In addition and accordingly you will have to have ready access to the new list of all server paths like Perl, Sendmail, and home directory. But some scripts require special server programs so make sure they are installed correctly.

Finally, changing DNS mostly takes in effect one or two days. Monitor the new host status like traffic and email for 2 weeks. If everything is fine, you need to cancel your old web host account.

SEO Google Website Traffic Development Service

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What Are The Benefits Of Implementing PCI DSS

Monday, January 18th, 2010

With the increasing number of people now using the internet for shopping and the new high tech methods of accepting payments online and in traditional ‘brick and mortar’ stores, security has become an important issue for both businesses and consumers. The business community has recognized the need for quality security protocols and has implemented an effective security policy known as PCI Compliance. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a global security standard designed to protect businesses and consumers. The purpose is to protect personal and financial information from such threats as identity theft. When implementing PCI DSS, both the business and consumer benefit.

Below is a list of the benefits to a business when they implement PCI DSS:

1. If a company becomes PCI compliant and they have a breach in security, they will not be fined. The company will be given “safe harbor” status as long as they were PCI compliant at the time the security breach occurred. If a company is sued by consumers, the court will be more lenient on the company if it was PCI compliant. That is, if the company shows they had implemented all of the proper security measures.

2. By being PCI compliant, companies will give customers peace of mind knowing they are protected when they make a purchase. By protecting their customer’s personal data, customer buying confidence will be boosted. Maintaining customer trust creates loyal customers which improves sales. Customers will feel satisfied knowing that their cardholder data is safe when transmitted and stored. As well, the reputation of the company will be solid and the reputation of the brand will remain protected.

3. Businesses will be protected when they are PCI compliant as they will be able to build and maintain a secure business network. Their systems will be less prone to a successful attack and there will be continual security checks to make sure compliancy is maintained.

Becoming PCI compliant is a relatively quick and easy process, depending on the size of the business, their level of technology, and how many threats need to be minimized once the scan has been completed. It is recommended that a business enlist the services of a professional to help them become PCI compliant. An IT security expert can thoroughly assess a business security needs and implement an effective plan that will ensure that the business remains compliant in PCI.

Any company that stores or transmits cardholder account data is a potential target of criminals which is why any merchant or service provider that processes, transmits, and stores cardholder data must be PCI DSS compliant. PCI DSS protects cardholders and minimizes the risk to your business. PCI compliancy allows a business to simplify their security requirements, policies, and plans.

Well informed consumers will only shop at PCI compliant companies. They will know how to identify a company that is PCI compliant; therefore, it makes sense to become PCI compliant. The benefits of implementing PCI DSS far outweigh the personal and financial costs if a security breach occurs.

Operating online can be a risky endeavour without extensive knowledge about Internet security. Increase your awareness regarding IT management through researching on the uses of Sharepoint hosting and managed hosting Toronto.

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Cheap Web Hosting: Bluehost Review

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Bluehost is one of the oldest web hosting providers on the internet. They have repeatedly updated their hosting plan to include more features than their competitors. By keeping their old customers happy and by attracting new ones Bluehost has successfully grown into one of best known web hosts on the internet.

The hosting plan: Bluehost hosting plan includes great features at a very competitive price. What’s even more important is that their hosting plan is very easy to set up and control using the Cpanel that comes with every Bluehost account. Cpanel is known as the very best web hosting control panel. For a hosting plan full of features Bluehost asks you to pay $6.95 per month if you opt for a two year contract and $7.95 per month if you decide to take the annual payment instead.

The performance: Bluehost services lead other hosting company when we talk about performance. Though their advertised 99.9% uptime is not entirely met at the onset, but an average of 99.5% showed by a test account is not bad at all. It is important to note that the downtime decreases as your account get older. For a period of about 8 months, the downtime was noticed to have reduced from around 470 minutes to mere 1 minute. Interpreting this simply means that Bluehost services only gets better with time. The longer you stay with their services the better it gets.

The features: Compared to their pricing, their features are splendid. Site administrators are bound to be really satisfied by the unique customizations level available for their host packages. With unlimited file transfer, unlimited disk space, unlimited domain, modifiable PHP (Custom PHP.INI,.htaccess) and Shell access/SSH, which is a darling for advanced users. It comes with a power backup service and very high rating protection mechanism for DDOS. To demonstrate the seriousness of their security concern, they require those who want to use the file transfer services to send their passport photographs and driver’s license to their headquarters.

Customer support: Bluehost has a toll-free telephone support as well as a live chat that make it easy for customers to contact Bluehost support. Bluehost has sometimes been criticized for not responding as quickly as they should. This may be true, although our questions have always been answered quickly and professionally. The truth is that there are web hosts with better customer support than Bluehost.

Concluding Verdict: Bluehost has received a fair number of positive reviews globally. That their customer help desk is not as fast as it should be does not erase the fact that their prices are really cheap with great features. This makes it more attractive to those who are looking for cheap and short termed hosting contract. Bluehost web host services have also been reputed to have hosted quite a good number of popular websites.

For more information see our full Bluehost Review and also visit our list of best affordable web hosting.

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