Why I use MyHost

There are a few things that have kept me with MyHost.

Support

This is probably the biggest one.

MyHost provides technical support 24 hours a day through its ticket system, and when I need to talk something through I can pick up the phone and speak to an actual person.

I've been dealing with hosting companies for a long time, and good support matters much more to me than an enormous list of features I may never use.

When a website is down, a domain isn't behaving itself or something has gone wrong with a server, being able to reach somebody who understands the problem is valuable.

Infrastructure

This is one of the geekier reasons I like MyHost.

Its infrastructure operates across three Auckland locations, including its own purpose-built data centre.

The facility has multiple power supplies, redundant UPS systems, solar power and auto-start backup generators. There are multiple HVAC units for climate control, along with monitoring and alerting systems.

Physical security includes 24-hour CCTV, monitored access, RFID and biometric scanners. Backups are also sent to a secure offsite location.

They've even thought about the less glamorous New Zealand realities. The facility sits around 27 metres above sea level, more than two kilometres from the coastline and away from identified flood plains. MyHost says its latest engineering report gave the building a seismic rating of 187% of building-code requirements.

Most people will never need to think about any of that, and ideally they shouldn't have to.

But I do.

A website ultimately has to live on physical infrastructure somewhere. I like knowing where that infrastructure is, how it is protected, and what systems are in place to keep things running when something goes wrong.

Having it in Auckland is also a practical fit for many of the New Zealand websites I work with. That doesn't automatically make local hosting better, but in this case the infrastructure, support and the businesses being served are all relatively close to each other.

More than basic web hosting

MyHost covers quite a wide range of hosting requirements.

For a straightforward website there is normal web hosting. There is also WordPress hosting, email hosting and domain registration.

If a project grows beyond shared hosting, MyHost also provides virtual private servers, dedicated servers, reseller hosting, managed services and co-location.

I like having that range available because not every website has the same requirements, and those requirements can change over time.

Domains, hosting and email in one place

MyHost can also look after the other basic infrastructure around a website.

Domains can be registered and managed through the same company, and email hosting is available when that is what the client needs.

Their pricing is also in New Zealand dollars. For New Zealand businesses, that makes the ongoing cost a little easier to understand without exchange rates moving the bill around.

I don't necessarily need every part of a client's online infrastructure to come from the same provider, but it is useful having the option.

MyHost suits the kind of hosting I need very well, but that doesn't mean it will be the right choice for every website.

You may not need a separate web host

Some website platforms include hosting as part of the service.

If your website is built on one of those platforms, there may be no reason to purchase separate web hosting at all.

MyHost becomes much more relevant when you are using software or building a website where you need to choose the underlying hosting yourself.

You still need to manage the website

Web hosting and website management aren't quite the same thing.

MyHost can look after the servers and infrastructure underneath a website, but the software you choose to run on that hosting still needs to be looked after.

If you run WordPress, for example, the website itself still has themes, plugins, updates and other things that need attention.

For some website owners, a platform that takes responsibility for more of that entire system may be a better fit.

International infrastructure requirements

MyHost's New Zealand infrastructure makes sense for a lot of the websites I work with.

If a project has a particular requirement for infrastructure in another country, multiple international regions or a specialist global cloud setup, it is worth looking at providers that are designed around those requirements.

Where the server is physically located is only one part of choosing a host, but for some projects it can matter.

There are still some other good New Zealand-owned options.

Metaname

Metaname is a New Zealand domain registrar based in Christchurch.

It takes a deliberately focused approach. Its own description is essentially that it chose to do one thing well: domain names.

The service is fairly bare bones, but that can be an advantage if what you want is somewhere solid to register and manage domains.

Underneath that simple presentation are some quite capable tools, including DNSSEC, IPv6 support, two-factor authentication, audit logs and bulk domain-management features.

It isn't a replacement for MyHost's web hosting services, but if domain registration and DNS management are what you need, Metaname is worth looking at.

1st Domains

1st Domains is another established New Zealand-owned provider.

It has been operating since 2003 and is an accredited .nz registrar. It is part of Voyager Internet and provides domain registration, web hosting, WordPress hosting and email services.

Like MyHost, it gives New Zealand businesses the option of dealing with a local provider for the basic infrastructure behind their website.

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