Interesting article, though I don’t believe that anyone should view the issues as black and white.

Whether to provide hosting has to be taken in context of your business as a whole. I do provide hosting and do so for specific reasons.

I only host sites I have built, meaning that security of servers cannot be impacted by some muppet uploading unsuitable scripting etc.
I can have the servers (I’m just about to get my 4th fully managed dedicated server) configured exactly as I want them/need them and am therefore not limited by a hosts configurations.
I know that the servers are not filled up to capacity, and can keep a direct eye on resource usage etc meaning my sites are not swamped on second rate servers by the multiple hundreds of other sites sitting on the same box.

Providing support is simply part of the service that keeps my clients loyal. Imagine how a client feels each time you pass the book and say that’s someone elses problem. If you feel the need to charge for that support then do so.

To put my comments into perspective, I have no issue with providing the hosting and the additional support that it leads to. I provide 2 types of system; one off bespoke builds or an ecomm platform. For the one offs, hosting is charged annually, and I make no effort to be cheap. For my ecomm sites, they pay monthly for their site and the hosting and support is simply rolled up into a single monthly fee which they pay by standing order.

I actively avoid taking on work which involves third party hosting providors since doing so makes my work/life more difficult. Indeed, in the single current instance, the site regularly goes down because the host tweaks configurations without notice… making work for me whilst I fix it. It was still me the client rang first.

I charge my clients less initially to build the bespoke sites if I retain the IP and they choose my hosting (1/2 price) but they know that should they wish to, they are more than welcome to the IP for their site and to host it wherever but subject to them settling the “held back” charges. Nobody has ever yet chosen to pay the higher price and nobody has yet quibbled about IP release… indeed those who do leave are doing so because they are having an entirely new site built.

I am not a sysadmin, nor do I ever intend to be one. I do what I do by employing the right providor for my servers. It’s not ultra cheap, but the service I receive is fantastic… to the tune that I have now been with the same providor for 10 years. I use fully managed servers from ForLinux including full 24/7 monitoring, support, backup, patching etc and doing so means that I can focus on building my business whilst providing everything that my clients want of me.

In short, providing hosting for your clients needn’t be a headache if you choose the right providor, avoid VPN reseller packages and build the associated costs into your business model. I don’t set out to make money from hosting, but I do see hosting as integral to the way I work, and I see ForLinux as a trusted and valuable partner in that provisioning.