Introduction
We will be doing a series of articles about the tools and services we use here at CupertinoTimes. These articles will be categorized a “Recommendations” and will likely differ from the usual Apple-specific content we usually post. I feel they are still relevant since we only use Apple hardware and software as well as made for Apple software in the production of our content and maintenance of our site and assets. We couldn’t exist without the products and services we use so it seems appropriate that we share what we’ve learned. The products and services we write about in this series can be considered as our recommendations.
SiteGround Is Our Home
We decided to move CupertinoTimes.com to SiteGround for a number of reasons. As usual, I research products and services before buying and base my decision on my past experiences, recommendations, my own research, and cost. I found a couple of reviews on Siteground and I was impressed with what I read. It seemed like 5 stars were what this company is about, especially in the area of support.
Plans
The company provides Word Press and Joomla Services along with shared, dedicated, virtual private server (VPS), and managed WordPress plans. Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, and Reseller Hosting are some of the options as well. Each has multiple plans with different service levels so you can strike a balance between what you need and your budget. The company invested in reliable technology, and there’s a lot included in their plans like caching, unlimited sites, email accounts, security, Hack Alert Malware Monitoring, auto backups, and a lot more.
Technology
They have data centers in Chicago, London, Amsterdam, and Singapore. The data center is secured with 24×7 human security, biometrics, access control man traps, bulletproof lobbies, and video surveillance. The inclusion of a CDN plan for the same price we were paying our previous host was a plus as was staging so we can make updates and experiment on our site in an offline clone of the published site and go live with one click. They utilize isolation technology that prevents a single vulnerable account from affecting the whole server. They proactively monitor and detect security exploits, and rather than wait for updates from developers for Apache, PHP, Exim, etc, they write their own patches to fix vulnerabilities immediately instead of waiting and putting clients at risk. They stay on top of updates. They keep replacement parts for server hardware on hand to mitigate the inevitable quickly. We’re in our 7th month of hosting with SiteGround and experienced no downtime or major issues.
Support
SiteGround really excels in this area and sets an example for all tech companies. A rich collection of knowledge base content and how to’s are provided and when you need one on one help it’s there. 24/7/365 support via chat, phone, or email—They never sleep. The folks at SiteGround are very responsive and knowledgeable. On the few occasions, I needed to call them they were quick to diagnose and resolve the issue regardless of the time, day or night, and usually within one contact. For someone who spent a lot of years managing support teams, I am impressed with this company’s dedication to service.
Ease of use
SiteGround is also recognized as being newbie-friendly. You’re not overwhelmed and everything in your account and CPanel is laid out logically, with great supporting documentation.
Acknowledgments:
- PCMag Editors’ Choice for Web hosting
- Best Host News gives them a 9.9 Rating
- Web Hosting Hero gives them 10 out of 10 for Features, Performance, and Support
Conclusion
To put it simply, they provide a lot for the money. If you’re in need of reliable hosting service, SiteGround is our recommendation. They are worth considering.
