Hosting Sitecore Siteson a Budget

Web Hosting Tips for Sitecore SitesAugust 17, 2013 1

Sitecore Enterprise Web CMS• Popular .NET Web Content Management

System for mid-to-large organizations• Provides friendly tools for non-technical

Content Authors and Marketers• Can be customized and extended to meet

almost any conceivable business need

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Types of Web Hosting

Each type of web hosting has benefits & risks• Shared web hosting• Dedicated web hosting• Virtual web hosting• Cloud hosting services• Colocation facilities• Managed web hosting• Fully managed Sitecore hosting

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Shared Web Hosting

Benefits• Hosting vendor manages servers for clients• Services include monitoring, backups & tech support• Most affordable type of paid hosting

Risks• Multiple client sites are hosted on a common server• Any server security hardening is at option of vendor• Limited isolation from other unknown sites & users• Your site could be compromised due to another site• Shared resources may not be available when needed 4

Dedicated Web Hosting

Benefits• Client is assigned their own private physical server• Client has more control over server configuration• Client has root access and can harden their server• Client may also obtain their own private network

• Hosting vendor manages infrastructure for servers• Services include monitoring, backups & tech support

Risks• Client is responsible for server & site administration• Costs are higher than shared or virtual hosting• Client pays for resources whether they are used or not

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Virtual Hosting

Benefits• Virtual Private Servers (VPS) are assigned to clients• Each VPS has its own files, users, ports, resources, etc.• Client has root access to their own VPS• Hosting vendor manages underlying hypervisor

• Virtual hosting is a good option for lower budgets• Less expensive than dedicated hosting• Each VPS has its own set of resource guarantees• A VPS can access extra resources if they are available

Risks• The vendor could overload too many VPS per server• Several VPS could contend for resources at same time

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Cloud Hosting

Benefits• Fast server provisioning• Fully automated self-service platform• Additional resources can be provisioned within minutes

• High availability • Eliminates single points of failure• Guaranteed 99.95% compute uptime

• Lower capital costs• No hardware to rent, purchase, set up or manage• Clients only pay for the system time and space used

Risks• This technology is less mature than other host options• Reliability, performance & security depends on vendor

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Availability and Uptime

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Availability Downtime per year

Downtime per thirty-day month

Downtime per week

90% 36.5 days 72 hours 16.8 hours

95% 18.25 days 36 hours 8.4 hours

97% 10.96 days 21.6 hours 5.04 hours

98% 7.30 days 14.4 hours 3.36 hours

99% 3.65 days 7.20 hours 1.68 hours

99.5% 1.83 days 3.60 hours 50.4 minutes

99.8% 17.52 hours 86.23 minutes 20.16 minutes

99.9% 8.76 hours 43.2 minutes 10.1 minutes

99.95% 4.38 hours 21.56 minutes 5.04 minutes

99.99% 52.56 minutes 4.32 minutes 1.01 minutes

Sitecore Azure Edition

Architecture• Sitecore CMS & Sitecore Digital Marketing System• Core & master databases are deployed on-premise• Live site hosted at Microsoft Azure data centers• Hybrid approach good for enterprise deployments

Features• High availability• Fast server response times• Fast site deployments• Fast scalability

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Colocation Facilities

Benefits • A data center that provides fast Internet connections• Rents facility, racks, power & cooling to clients• Provides the speed & security for money transactions• Clients own & manage their own equipment• Servers, storage, networking, etc.

Risks• Client is responsible for all hardware purchases• Client is responsible for server & network provisioning• Client is responsible for all server & site management 10

Managed Web Hosting

Benefits• Hosting plans administered by hosting vendors• Companies can focus on business objectives of sites• Technical and infrastructure needs handled by vendor

• Cost savings• Reduces staffing requirements for managing sites• Reduces personnel training requirements• Contracts can lock in prices for extended time periods

Risks• Clients may be required to perform some admin tasks• Higher costs than dedicated or virtual hosting

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Fully-Managed Sitecore Hosting

Benefits• Sitecore support & updates handled by experts• Sitecore preventive & corrective maintenance tasks• Sitecore performance monitoring & optimization• Sitecore security configuration & reviews• Sitecore implementation advice & mentoring

• Better budgeting for Sitecore support & updates• Costs become predictable for managing Sitecore sites• Help with cost benefit analysis for Sitecore upgrades

Risks• Complete dependence on provider for Sitecore sites• Higher costs than dedicated, virtual or managed plans

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Defining Server Requirements

Server Resources• Number and type of Windows servers• Dedicated physical servers• Virtual private servers (VPS)

• Use load testing & WCAT to predict resource needs• Amount of memory• Speed & number of CPUs/cores• Speed & number of network cards• Speed, type & amount of disk storage

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Defining Network Requirements

Public network• Number of static IP addresses• Upstream and downstream speeds• Perimeter firewall • DNS domain name resolution

Private network• Internal network to connect servers• Publishing content• Database traffic• Server backups

• Dedicated internal network switch14

Defining Security Requirements

Server security• Server configuration settings• Software firewall settings• Microsoft security updates

Sitecore security• Sitecore configuration settings• Users & roles• Permissions settings

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Defining Service Requirements

Server services• Server monitoring• File system backups• Technical support

Sitecore-related services• Source control & continuous integration• Code maintenance, updates & upgrades• Mentoring internal staff on their Sitecore domains

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Defining Sitecore Requirements

Content Management server• Number of concurrent content authors• Amount of content, media & versions in Content Tree

Content Delivery (Live) server• Requests per minute• Typical vs. peak traffic loads• Publishing during low and high traffic periods• Optimized code helps reduce server requirements

Database server• Assign more resources to it than CMS or Live server• Create a private network with CMS & Live servers

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Selecting a Hosting Vendor

Suggested Steps• Assemble stakeholders into an evaluation team• Define requirements in writing• Technical• Business• Vendor

• Compile list of possible vendors• Conduct a side-by-side comparison• Evaluate service, support & costs• Avoid selecting a vendor solely on price

• Create a short list of provider candidates• Select vendor based on your needs & budget

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Calculating Web Hosting Costs

Hosting components• Servers for CMS, staging & live sites• More powerful server for SQL databases• Microsoft operating system & SQL software• Backup software & storage space• Switch for private network

Managed hosting services• Routine server management & maintenance• Operating system updates & patches• Sitecore management & maintenance• Sitecore code updates & upgrades

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Reducing Hosting Costs

Reduced hosting resources• Use virtual hosting over dedicated hosting• Eliminate unused & unneeded resources• Scale back the CPU, memory, storage, bandwidth, etc.• Use one database server rather than one for each site• Only host the Live site with the hosting provider• Use your own facilities & equipment for all other sites• Host your own DNS or use a dedicated DNS provider

• Negotiate lower monthly prices with a longer contract • Perform additional verifications of vendor quality first

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Reducing Managed Hosting Costs

Reduced hosting services• Provision Sitecore support separate from hosting• Use a combination of resources to keep costs low• Internal staff who could perform some of the work• Low cost Sitecore partners that provide flexible plans• Contractors who are already familiar with your site• Sitecore experts on LinkedIn, Google+, etc.

• Assign low-cost persons the Sitecore work they can do• Assign the remaining work to higher-cost experts• Ensure external experts can work with internal staff• Use collaboration & mentoring so staff can do more

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Off Shore Hosting

Benefits• Reduced infrastructure & set-up costs• Significant savings in monthly hosting costs

Risks• Potentially lower reliability & support quality • Slower response times for US visitors due to latency• Domestic legal & regulatory compliance issues• Data is subject to laws of country where it is stored• Issues from servers located in different time zones

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Sitecore Hosting Partners

Benefits• Companies selected to provide tested solutions• Expert support of websites based on .NET & Sitecore

Risks• May be more expensive than using internal staff or

contractors to supplement your internal staff

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In Summary

• A successful Web site depends on a good web host• Each type of web hosting has benefits & risks• Virtual hosting is a good option for lower budgets• Use a systematic approach to select a hosting vendor• Select the hosting vendor with the best value plan• Avoid resource & service costs that you don’t need • Try to use internal staff to do some Sitecore support• Use Sitecore experts to supplement your internal staff• Encourage knowledge transfers so staff can do more 24

Caveat Emptor

There are many ways to plan for Sitecore hosting• Experienced vendors can propose additional solutions• Review your hosting needs with a Sitecore partner• Review proposed hosting plans with all stakeholders

This presentation is intended to be academic• To enhance public knowledge of hosting issues• To promote better understanding of Sitecore hosting

Author cannot guarantee accuracy or fitness for your site• Author makes no representations or warranties• Author disclaims any liability if you act on this information 25

More Topics from TICAll Sitecore-related SlideShares from TIChttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/presentations

How to Avoid Shooting Yourself in the SEOhttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/sitecore-seo-tips

Implementing Routine Sitecore Maintenancehttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/sitecore-maintenance-tips

Performance Tips for Sitecore Mobile Usershttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/sitecore-mobile-performance-tips

Sitecore 7 – New Features for Usershttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/sitecore-7-new-features

Sitecore Performance Tips for Visitor Engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/sitecore-performance-tips

Troubleshooting Sitecore Performancehttp://www.slideshare.net/cwnelson/troubleshooting-sitecore-performance

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The Inside Corner, Inc.

• The Inside Corner, Inc. (TIC) is owned by Craig Nelson• TIC is a Sitecore partner & web consultancy• A U.S. point of contact for teams of Sitecore specialists • We create new Sitecore sites & enhance existing ones

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Primary Developer - Craig Nelson

• Sitecore Specialist certified for Sitecore 7• 10 years of system administration experience• 10 years as a Microsoft Certified Trainer• 5 years of ASP.NET web development experience• 4 years of Sitecore development experience• 3 years as a Sitecore technical instructor• Sitecore architecture & configuration expert• Performance & SEO optimization specialist• Workflow configuration specialist 28

Get Help with your Sitecore Site

Follow TIC on LinkedIn• http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-inside-corner-inc.

Add TIC to your Circles on Google Plus• http://google.com/+Theinsidecorner

Follow TIC on Twitter • https://twitter.com/TheInsideCorner

Contact Craig Directly• Craig Nelson - Certified 7.0 Developer and Sitecore Partner• cwnelson[at]ticdevs.com• Mobile - 707.319.7446

Visit the TIC website• http://ticdevs.com

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Bibliography

Benefits of Cloud Website Hosting

Managed Web Hosting - Six Reasons to Outsource

Sitecore Hosting Partners

SitecoreUser.com Sitecore Hosting Calculator

The Successful Vendor Selection Process

Wikipedia - Web hosting service

Download slide presentation to view URLs30

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Hosting Sitecore Sites on a Budget

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Thanks! August 17, 2013

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