Do they have multiple redundant connections to the Internet via several different major backbone providers?
Invariably network connections will go down and backbone providers (AT&T, MCI, Sprint, Cable & Wireless, Global Crossing, etc.) will have outages. The only way to ensure such nuisances don’t affect your Web site is to make sure the Web hosting firm you use has connections to multiple (at least three preferably more) providers. This may seem like over-kill but keep in mind that it is not at all uncommon that when an Internet connection like those used by Web hosting firms goes down that it stays down for an extended period of time while the vendors squabble over whose fault it is or use half-baked “fixes”. • How secure is their network operations center (NOC) and Web servers? Security is of paramount importance, especially for e-commerce sites. The Web hosting firm should spell out what measures they take to ensure the physical security of their servers and limit who has physical access to them. In addition they need to be able to provide proof of the measures they take to ensure their
