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There is a lot of confusion in the market place about what FTP Site Hosting
is. Its typically confused with the FTP service used for Website Hosting.

Even providers like Network Solutions dont get it. Youll find them and many
others marketing their Website Hosting service as FTP Site Hosting.

Although they both use the same method to transfer files (File Transfer
Protocol), the actual services are extremely different.

What is FTP Site Hosting?

FTP Site Hosting is a service that allows one person to share and exchange
large files with many other people via the Internet through the use of a secure,
online file storage system.

A key benefit of FTP Site Hosting is that the file transfer process
actually bypasses a users email service. This means that the user never has
file size and/or file type restrictions.

For example: Lets say Im a distributor and its the end of the
month. I need to send my monthly sales reports out to my eight regional sales
managers. However, I cant send the files via email because their size is too
large and they are in a .ZIP file format.

What do I do? Its simple! I utilize an FTP Site Hosting service that
allows me to set up multiple secure file folders online, one for each of my
sales reps.

After Im done setting up the folders, which usually takes about
five-minutes, I simply upload the individual sales reports to each regional
managers secure file folder. They can then download the files/reports at their
leisure.

In the above example, a single user would be able to manage all their online
FTP files and folders from any computer connected to the Internet. In addition,
because each of the online FTP folders is password protected, they would not
have to worry about one sales rep. accessing another reps. information.

What is the main difference between FTP Site Hosting and the FTP service
used for Website Hosting?

With FTP Site Hosting, a user can have between two and a thousand FTP
accounts. Each account can be password protected and the files, folders, and
accounts can be managed from any computer that has an Internet connection.

This type of service is designed for transferring files between an individual
and/or company and a multitude of individuals and/or companies.

On the other hand, the FTP service used for Website Hosting generally
consists of a single FTP account that is used by a webmaster or website designer
to transfer (upload) files to a website.

How much does FTP Site Hosting cost?

Your cost for FTP Site Hosting is typically a fraction of the cost of
sending files via conventional methods such as Fed-X, UPS, and the US Postal
Service.

Best of all, when sending files via FTP Site Hosting, there are no pickup
and delivery charges, no damaged shipments, and no lost media! In addition, you
can access, upload, and download your files from any Internet connection

You can expect to pay between $3.50 per week and $55.00 per month for basic
FTP Site Hosting service. Many of the service providers dont require a
contract, which means you can terminate the service at any time without facing
early termination fees.

Also, a lot of the providers will allow you to test their service before you
subscribe. This is nice because if you dont like the service, you dont
pay.

Why would someone need more than one FTP Site Hosting account?

If you have large files you share with multiple clients and vendors, youre a
good candidate for FTP Site Hosting.

By having multiple accounts and being able to password protect each account,
you can send & receive files to & from your clients and vendors without
worrying about any one of them seeing the others files.

The types of companies that typically use FTP Site Hosting are engineering
firms, designers, transcriptionists, printers, lawyers, artists, developers,
medical practices, and businesses that have a need to securely transfer large
files via the Internet.

How do I find a good FTP Site Hosting company?

Now that you understand the differences between FTP Site Hosting and the
FTP service used for Website Hosting, you need to select a service that fits
your needs.

How do you do it? Its simple! The best place to start looking is Google
(http://www.Google.com). Just type in the phrase FTP Site Hosting and a list
of companies offering the FTP service will be displayed. Simply work your way
through the list and identify the companies that offer the type of service that
fits your needs the best.

If you would like to learn what questions to ask and what to look for in a
service provider when selecting an FTP Site Hosting company, just read the
article titled target="_new" href="http://www.ezinearticles.com/?FTP-Hosting-Service-Selection---Seven-Tips!&id=93216">"FTP Hosting Service Selection - Seven Tips!".

Adam is a Network Engineer with "InstantFTPsites.com". You can learn more about "FTP Hosting" services online at http://www.InstantFTPsites.com

2006 InstantFTPsites http://www.InstantFTPsites.com You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "Author Biography").

Don't be impatient when it comes to choosing a green web host. When you are already in the process of choosing your green web hosting provider, you should never purchase from the first company that you will communicate with. It is a good practice to compare services and features to find which one will meet your needs. There are many factors to consider when choosing your web hosting provider, especially now that similar services are offered to customers in multiple formats.

When it comes to bigger companies vs smaller ones, there are a few differences. A big public corporation will usually have to satisfy the demands of the shareholders so they will need to put more money into advertising and less into the infrastructure, but with most green web hosts, which are non-profit, they care more about their employees and they will do their best to make sure the web hosting experience of the user is as friendly as possible. That is the difference between the best green website hosting company and a average website host company.

So is it worth paying the extra dollar for the next package up? Well yes and no. Do you need the extra resources? It's easy to upgrade when you're ready. Think back to your budget can it stretch that far? The other thing is where you plan on taking the site is it going to be a large company site or just a small blog? What is the best web hosting solution available today? Many believe that to get the best hosting services you have to be willing to pay a higher price. However the great news for anyone that is on a budget is that this simply isn't the truth.

You can learn more about green web hosting and Earth-friendly hosting at the following web page about Green Web Hosting.

If you are in the market for a web hosting service for your small business there are some options to keep in mind.

Email: Not all affordable web hosts will offer email. You need to make sure that you have a complete email setup with your hosting plan. Check to see if your host offers auto responders, POP3 and email forwarding. If they do this should be enough to run your small business email needs.

Secure Servers: If you plan on use a shopping cart to sell items this is a must have. Referred to as SSL, this option allows for secure payments between your site and the customer. If you are selling and have a shopping cart then make sure your small business host offers SSL.

Control Panel: A good control panel is easy to navigate, understand and actually comes in useful. A bad control panel can be a living nightmare. If you host uses cPanel as your main admin control panel you are in good hands. If the host runs their own version of a homegrown control panel be wary. Lake of controls can really keep you from running your site efficiently.

Windows or Linux: Do you know if your site needs to run on a MS Windows server with FrontPage extensions or does it need PERL, PHP or MySQL? These things you will need to find out if you intent to run a successful small business web site.

Affordable web hosting for small business is a very real possibility. It can be done at a very good price and if you go into it with the information you need you'll come out with a very good solution.

Do you need Web Hosting For Small Business? Then check out the reviews at http://WebHostingForSmallBusiness.Blogspot.com/