What should
managed hosting cover?
Managed hosting combines an environment with agreed ongoing support. Before choosing it, establish who maintains the system, responds to problems and restores data. The service name does not automatically define support hours or the scope of fixes.
At a glance
- Separate environment maintenance from application development.
- Agree who responds to alerts and owns recovery.
- Check support scope, exclusions and how to leave the service.
What does the provider take responsibility for?
Break the environment into layers: server, control panel, operating system, database and application. For each, establish who updates software, manages access and investigates problems. The client’s developer may still be needed even when hosting includes ongoing support.
A small configuration fix and a new application feature are different kinds of work. Ask what is included in the subscription, what needs a separate agreement and who approves additional costs. The scope should be written in the offer or contract rather than assumed.
Who responds when something stops working?
Monitoring detects defined signals, but an alert does not fix an outage. Establish who receives notifications, during which hours and how the client reports an urgent issue. Distinguish response time from service restoration time; both depend on the agreed scope and the incident.
Check whether monitoring covers only the server or also application availability and important functions. Illustrative example: the server responds, but a form does not save submissions. A website availability check alone does not prove that this process works.
What do backup and recovery cover?
Establish whether backups cover files, databases, configuration and other data needed to run the service. Ask about the schedule, storage location, retention and access. Plesk documents backup creation and restoration separately; having a feature does not prove that it has been configured correctly.
Agree a recovery test and its success criterion: the application should work with restored data. Define the acceptable loss of recent changes and interruption time. Give the test a safe scope and a separate environment or agreed plan so it does not overwrite production.
What should you agree before starting?
Provide an application description, software versions, integrations and the current maintenance process. Exchange passwords and keys through an agreed secure channel. Also check who manages the domain and DNS: they may remain with the client or another provider.
Before migration, agree the backup, acceptance checks and a way to return to the previous environment. Before signing, also clarify how you will receive data and configuration when the relationship ends. This guide is a list of questions; CyberOnIT’s specific scope is agreed for each website or application.
- Which layers and activities does support cover?
- Who can access backups and performs recovery tests?
- How do you report a problem and approve extra work?
Sources and next step
These sources describe mechanisms and good practices. They do not confirm your company’s configuration or compliance. The examples in this guide are illustrative.
To apply these questions to your business, explore the related service. A description of your situation is enough for an initial discussion; do not send passwords or confidential data through the form.
Explore our managed hosting services