Change in the web hosting industry
If you are a small or medium business owner, change within the web hosting industry is probably NOT at the top of your list of major world events. But it sure should be. The web hosting industry makes the difference between web success and an “on fire” scenario you don’t even want to think about. The world wide web is the place where entrepreneurs have the opportunity to build a successful business for just a few dollars using a web hosting account. W3 has changed everything, which is why many business owners are paying attention to web hosting providers and talking about the changes that are happening.
Introduction to the search engine
The first search engine was introduced by Yahoo in 1994 and as soon as Yahoo released this now essential tool, the already explosive growth of the Internet skyrocketed at an even faster rate. Search engines such as Google (the 800-pound gorilla of search engines) provide the “address” of the website that contains the information or products you are looking for. Before 1994, we all wandered the Internet without a road map or an address book.
websites and businesses
The Internet and the World Wide Web are the fastest growing and most dynamic marketplace the world has ever seen. Twenty years ago websites were cutting edge and it was rare to see a business with its own website. Today, a business is expected to have a website, and business owners should always have their own personalized email address, such as [email protected]. With a very low investment, anyone can have their own domain name, a web page on the Internet and their own personalized email address. In this way, almost any business can reach a very large market directly, quickly and cheaply, regardless of the size or location of the business. With a very small investment, almost anyone who can read and write can access the World Wide Web. And to set up a website, most business owners have chosen to hire a web hosting company to host their web data.
What is an IP address?
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are like phone numbers, but for computers on the Internet. Every computer on the Internet needs an IP address in order to communicate with other computers and services. The number of addresses available is finite and is defined by the version of the protocol. IP addresses make the difference between error-free and accessible Internet traffic and the other scenario we don’t like to think about. IP addresses establish the Internet and are responsible for directing and routing Internet traffic.
unlimited connectivity
The Internet promises unlimited connectivity, but such connectivity requires computers and devices to find each other through a common address plan. The current plan, known as IPv4, has been in place since the late 1970s, but it is running dangerously low on available IP addresses. A new scheme called IPv6 is being implemented to fuel the next stage of Internet growth. For small businesses planning for the future, this change can improve IT security, application reliability, and performance. But waiting until the last minute could leave the business owner scrambling for expensive equipment upgrades and possibly missing out on the opportunity to turn needed change into a business advantage.
Internet growth = Low supply of available IPv4
For more than 10 years, warnings have been circulating about the limited size of the IPv4 address space and the goal has been to replace IPv4 with IPv6. While this is not a secret to most engineers, however, IPv6 addresses are currently only used by a few carriers, although IPv4 addresses are now exhausted. If you have your website hosted with a dedicated IP address, you will most likely notice the price of that dedicated IP address go up. IP addresses are in low demand and web hosting companies have a hard time getting large blocks of IPv4 addresses.
The evolution of the Internet and the move to IPv6
Just like pre-2000 (remember that?), vendors and service providers will do most of the hard work required to transition to an IPv6 Internet. ISPs will lead consumers, while large corporations will have teams dedicated to switching from IPv4 to IPv6.
As a small business owner, you’ll need to make sure all your network equipment and software are ready, updated, and changed at the same time when IPv6 arrives. Planning ahead will help prevent interruptions to critical connections that take place over the Internet. It will also allow you to purchase equipment and services at negotiated prices instead of an emergency, cost is not an issue.
Is my company IPv6 ready?
If your company recently purchased equipment for your network, including routers, switches, security devices, printers, copiers, or fax machines, there is a good chance that it already supports IPv6. If your computer is two to five years old, it may have some IPv6 capabilities. However, if the hardware is more than five years old, then your preparation is a failure, and switching to IPv6 is a major reason to upgrade your network equipment.
Is my website IPv6 ready?
If you are a webmaster, chances are your website has not yet been transferred to the next generation of Internet addresses. Service providers are finding it necessary to charge higher prices for IPv4 addresses for the simple reason that there aren’t many left. Once again, the law of supply and demand has come into play.
Advantages of IPv6
The benefits of IPv6 will include a level of security built into the protocol. IPv4 was designed for an “age of innocence” with a small Internet population. IPv6 is for a larger, more cynical age, so it has capabilities to verify known addresses and identities, with the ability to establish more trust between routers. It should be more difficult, for example, for criminals to use “address spoofing” attacks, in which websites or emails misrepresent their origin.
Plan ahead for success
The key to long-term web success is planning ahead for change. How you position your business is just as important as your product or service. On the world wide web, planning ahead for the future says it all. Choose a web hosting provider for your success.