Server mgmt between proactive & reactive

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Posted by manukabay, 09-19-2008, 09:55 PM
Been looking for a server management company for my WHM/cPanel dedicated server running an e-commerce site. It seems like there are companies that require you to tell them everything that needs to be done and others that are proactive and stuff changes on your server without you knowing about it. I want something in between. What I want is somebody that does proactive software updating on a schedule (preferably monthly) so I know when changes are being made. Or at least a heads-up during business hours well before any updates being applied so I have time to say no, this isn't a good time. And who can suspend updates, except for critical security patches, during my peak months of November & December. I would like proactive to mean more than running cPanel upcp. It should include things like you are still running "Apache 1.3 we recommend upgrading to 2.2 as its stable in cPanel now". Or "There is a new minor release of PHP out, we're going to update to it this month". And more important "We want to upgrade xyz may break some things. Here's the details of what it might break. We have/haven't found some things that it will break. Please check out your e-commerce software and let us know when you're ready for the upgrade." Can you recommend good management companies out there that works like this?
Posted by ZKuJoe, 09-19-2008, 10:08 PM
I am interested in a company like this also. I was hoping SeeksAdmin was like that but I just found out in a support ticket I opened that even with the Monitoring package and Server Administation service, if something happened to my server I would still have to open a support ticket to tell the Server Admin to fix the problem (which if I was at a PC I could troubleshoot and fix myself so this offers no coverage for the times I need it).
Posted by servertechs, 09-20-2008, 01:01 AM
There is list of server management companies in wht wiki http://www.webhostingtalk.com/wiki/C...ver_management
Posted by manukabay, 09-20-2008, 01:12 AM
Yup, in the process of talking with some of those in the wiki. But what I'm asking about is a management style that is hard to discern from a few emails or live chats with management companies. I would like to hear feedback from customers who have experienced the style of management I described to help me shorten the list.
Posted by Scott.Mc, 09-20-2008, 11:18 AM
Your price point is going to determine the style of management you receive. Most critical updates you should be receiving as soon as possible but most other things such as PHP, apache updates (like you mentioned) are not really that much of a deal unless it's entire new branches other than that there is no need to keep updating every time a new version is released with minor non security related fixes. I assume you have used a company already who have been performing updates which have been causing issues? That is the impression I get from your post.
Posted by AttackerNET, 09-20-2008, 11:48 AM
A pretty good number of companies out there offers ProActive management. Take your time and check the list & systems management offers forum too. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/wiki/C...ver_management http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139 Regards,
Posted by manukabay, 09-20-2008, 12:26 PM
I'm not looking for the lowest cost provider. My business is doing good and I'm willing to pay to keep my server running right. Agree with you on critical updates vs. minor versions. That's why I want nothing but critical updates during my busy season when I make 80% of my annual income. During my off season, its time to catch up with non-critical updates when any problems they might cause won't have a major impact on my business. I'd be quite happy with an admin that says "Only a couple of minor releases this month with nothing important in them - I don't recommend any updates at this time." I had a dedicated server with one company who was proactive. Stuff happened on the server and I never knew it was happening. Not even an after the fact "I updated to the latest xyz release let me know if you see any problems". Its what I signed up for and it never caused any problems but it bugged the heck out of me. I'm an ex-IT manager so I like to have status updates. So I switched to a reactive management company. Got to tell them to do everything in detail. Feels like I have to be a server admin in order to know what to tell them to do. I haven't been happy with that either. So I'm looking for something in between. I want someone who's proactive about taking care of things but keeps me in the loop.
Posted by huck, 09-20-2008, 03:11 PM
Feels like I have to be a server admin in order to know what to tell them to do." That's the number one reason to use a proactive firm. In our line of work, doing the updates is far easier than knowing which ones need to be applied or knowing how to fix things when the update fails. Here are some things to consider: Start with your business needs. Think of scenarios and then see what you require in terms of services. -Do you want to have to ask a company to update your server or do you want them to handle it automatically? -If the server goes offline, how do you want them to respond and how quickly? -Beyond server management what other services may you need either now or in the future? Dealing with a single vendor is often better than juggling multiple. -What industry/vendor partnerships does the company have? If you are using a dedicated server provider, do they have a good relationship with that provider? If you are using a specific application stack, do they have experts or vendor-backing to support that stack. -Does the company provide an SLA? If not, what is your recourse for poor service, what is the refund policy? I am glad to see you are not starting with price - that is a huge mistake. If you start with your business needs and get some quotes, then you have a good idea of what your cost are to meet your needs. If that is out of your budget, then you can re-evaluate your needs and make targeted cuts to the service requirements. I recommend crafting a short but specific request targeting the top 3-5 items you require. See what type of responses you get. Do the respondents ask more questions or just give you a price? Does the company try to learn about your needs or simply assume you know what you are doing. When I started in this business, the list of management providers was pretty short. Since then vendor list has grow considerably. Each company have different approaches, different management style, and of course different costs. I find things work best for the client and the provider when both have the same expectations. Good server management companies will clearly lay out what you should expect from their services. If they are not a good fit, they should recommend other providers.
Posted by manukabay, 09-20-2008, 06:05 PM
Good advice Huck. I've been heading kind of that way and put a few questions together but I need to refine it a bit. You've given me a bit to chew on to help me finish putting it together and think about how to best evaluate the responses.
Posted by blessen, 09-24-2008, 04:42 PM
Proactive Server Management is the best option but majority support companies offer reactive management. I recommend you to check with the support companies listed in the below list and see if they offer Proactive Management http://www.webhostingtalk.com/wiki/C...ver_management I personally feel, proactive management means * keeping Server Up-to-date, * doing regular security audits and implementations if needed, * monitoring Services and Servers, etc Use that factor to measure the effectiveness of the management company.
Posted by ayksolutions, 10-02-2008, 12:41 AM
Contact either Jon from got-management.com or Dennis from Servaxnet.com. Both are excellent and proactive.