What Is an SSL Certificate and Which One Should You Get

Having a company but not having your own website, in this day and age, is professional suicide. With around 252,000 new websites springing up each day, building a great business website is easier than ever. It’s worth every penny and a must-have for any company.  So, how do you host your own website? Basically, there are two ways: the easy and the complicated.   Self-Hosting a Website and Why It’s Not Such a Good Idea To really host your own website, you need a server at your disposal. Only a couple of tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon host their own services and are actually the world’s top cloud service providers. The alternative route is to host a website on your own machine (server). The idea may look appealing at first, but there are considerable risks involved. Your server needs to be up 24/7 with backups in place if you lose power or if your hardware dies. You also need to pay someone to maintain your server and your website, which is just the tip of the iceberg. It requires time, money, and skills to operate your own server. That’s why opting for a hosting provider instead is a much wiser choice. Hosting via a Hosting Provider The best way to host a website is to use a hosting provider instead of hosting a website on your own server. These providers offer the necessary infrastructure and vital tech support that you need for running and growing your business. They ensure that your website is up and running, with some offering a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which means your website can never be down for more than nine hours during an entire year. The only thing you need to do is pick a hosting plan that suits your business needs. How to Host a Website via a Hosting Provider The process of hosting a website can be broken down into three simple steps: Buy a domain name Select a hosting provider and a hosting plan Pick a hosting type How to Host Your Own Website – Step by Step Instructions The following sections outline in some detail how you should go about finding the right home for your website.  1. Purchase a domain Each website needs to have an address. In most cases, the address is the same or at least similar to the company's name if that name is not already taken. You can dig up information on the availability of domain names at online domain registers. Just remember that domain hosting isn’t the same as website hosting. All the major hosting providers offer a plan that includes a domain as part of their package. If your web hosting provider lacks such a package, you can always purchase a domain name from another domain hosting provider.  We would advise you to look for a web hosting provider that can provide you with both because it’s cheaper and drastically simplifies the customization process.  2. Pick a hosting provider When you pick out a domain name, the next step is to pick a reliable host provider and a hosting plan. The hosting provider gives your website a home on a server. You can host your own website by sharing space on a server with other websites or having an entire server to yourself.  It’s not uncommon for hosting providers to offer domain names as well, allowing you to host your domain and your website with the same provider. Of course, you can always transfer your domain, website, or both to another host.  With more than 330,000 web hosting providers, how do you pick the right one for your website? There are several key factors to consider when choosing the host of your own website and a hosting plan:  Uptime guarantee Redundancy Backups SSL certificates Bandwidth Database type  Email service Scalability Accessibility Customer service Uptime Guarantee Websites don’t have working hours, so naturally, you want them to be accessible round-the-clock. The last thing you want is for your website to experience upgrade or downtime complications. Therefore, the host of your website must offer an uptime guarantee of 99.5% or above.  Redundancy If you don’t want your business to suffer financial losses due to server-related issues, look for a hosting provider that offers redundancies. In this case, the redundancy offer refers to compensation for financial losses caused by a server-related issue.  Backups If you ask anyone who works in cybersecurity, they’ll tell you that having a backup is the best way to prevent data loss. The same goes for your website, but you don’t have to deal with it yourself. All the major web host providers offer 24-hour backup, which means that your host backups your website once every 24 hours. In the event of a cyber attack or catastrophic hardware failure, the host can bring your website back to life.  SSL Certificates Ensuring user privacy and safety is paramount when hosting your own website. Therefore, you want a website that has an SSL certificate. The SSL certificate will improve your Search Engine Optimization or SEO standing and encrypts data sent between the user and the website, which is crucial for securing online transactions. Some hosts provide them for free, and others are part of a paid hosting plan. Bandwidth Bandwidth represents the amount of data your website traffic generates, and contrary to common misconceptions, it doesn’t have anything to do with speed.  One of the more challenging questions when hosting a site is determining the amount of bandwidth your website needs. It mostly comes down to your expected web traffic and the type of website. If you plan on storing plenty of videos and images on the site, you’ll need more bandwidth. On the other hand, if the website is mainly text-based, you’ll need less. If you run out of bandwidth, your hosting provider may charge you extra, or the website could become inaccessible.  Database Type Different types of websites use different types of databases. The most common type of database is MySQL, but the one you choose will depend exclusively on your website. From there, find a host for your own website that offers the same database type as part of their hosting plan.  Email Service One of the advantages of hosting your own website is access to an email service from your provider. No longer will your email end with @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. Instead, you’ll have an email address ending with @yourdomainame.com. Most hosting providers offer unlimited accounts.  Scalability Business owners hope to see their ventures grow and expand. When that happens, your website needs to be able to accommodate an uptick in traffic and activity. You want to be sure that your web host offers a way for you to upgrade your hosting plan when need be. Accessibility The best part about web hosting providers is that they do all the heavy lifting of hosting your own website, but you should still retain a certain degree of control. That is where accessibility comes into play. Your host provider should give you access to your website's control panel, allowing you to easily manage and monitor your website. Customer Service Like any service provider, web hosting providers should have 24/7 customer service to help you with any technical problems you may face. The availability of technical support is a crucial consideration when picking a hosting provider and a hosting plan.  3. Choose a suitable hosting plan All that is left to do now is pick a hosting plan. There are five different types of web hosting options to choose from. Types of hosting:  Shared hosting VPS hosting Cloud hosting Dedicated hosting Managed WordPress hosting  Shared Hosting If you are starting and don’t expect a lot of traffic, then shared hosting is the way to go. As the name suggests, you share the server and its resources with other websites. It’s suitable for small businesses and blogs that aren’t video or image-heavy.  Shared hosting doesn’t have enough resources to keep any medium-size or eCommerce business website running smoothly, which can lead to a bad user experience and a potential loss of customers. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting VPS hosting is a step up from a shared server hosting plan. VPS hosting is still a shared server solution, but with far fewer websites hosted on the same server. Multiple websites share the same hardware, but each one runs on a virtual machine with its own allocated resources.  Hosting your website on a VPS is the closest thing you can have to a dedicated server. It has fewer resources than a dedicated server, but it’s also more affordable. That is why VPS hosting is perfect for medium-size or eCommerce-oriented websites.  Cloud Hosting Cloud hosting is the fastest-growing sector in the web hosting industry. It provides a reliable and scalable solution for any business. The top cloud hosting providers can keep your website online 24/7 thanks to cloud technology.  Cloud works on a decentralized principle, while other types of hosting work on a centralized principle. With the centralized approach, your website is stored in a single data center. Since the cloud hosting is decentralized, your website is shared between several data centers that don’t even have to be on the same continent. Dedicated Hosting Dedicated server hosting is the favorite choice for businesses that cannot afford slow connection speeds and service disruptions. With a dedicated server, you don’t share any resources with anyone. The server is entirely yours, and you have complete control over it.  If you are looking to get a dedicated server for your company, you have to be aware that there are two distinct types of hosting plans. One gives you complete control, and you have to manage everything. In most cases, companies hire a server administrator who handles such tasks. The second plan is a fully managed plan by the web hosting provider. Not all web hosting companies offer this type of plan, and even when they do, it costs extra.  Managed WordPress Hosting First of all, you can run WordPress on any type of hosting. But managed WordPress hosting is a specialized web hosting service for businesses that use WordPress for their content management system or CMS. The best web hosting companies offer fully managed hosting plans, which enables you to dedicate more time to growing your business. 4. Build a website and upload it to your hosting space If you’re starting from scratch, you can turn to a website builder or a web hosting provider that offers website building services. Once you have a website, you’ll have to upload it to your hosting space. You should be able to do it from the web hosting control panel, customize the website, make the necessary adjustments, and go live.  If you choose a managed hosting solution, the provider takes care of all the maintenance, security, software updates, and data backups needed to keep your website operational. With an unmanaged solution, the business behind the website is responsible for all of the configurations. The unmanaged option is only suitable for businesses with efficient IT departments and experienced web developers.    Conclusion There is a lot that needs to be considered when picking the right web hosting provider, and we aren’t talking just about the technical side and web hosting pricing plans. Now that you know how to host your own website, it’s essential to evaluate what your business needs, and only then should you look for a hosting provider.

Everything begins with an idea: Everything that makes up our world wasn’t there before someone thought it up. Say you have an excellent idea for an invention or product that might rock the market and make you really rich. Someone else might want to steal the idea for themselves or has a similar concept that puts you in the backseat. How can you protect yourself from that? Getting a patent is one way to secure exclusive rights to a product or invention. This article will discuss how to patent an idea for free and save your intellectual property from infringement. What Is a Patent? A patent is any type of intellectual property that gives its owner the right to legally exclude others from producing, using, or selling that invention within a given timeframe. In summary, with a patent, you can prohibit others from making any profit off your design (or, in this case, idea). To be granted a patent, your intended idea or invention must be new, inventive, and can be made or used. There are some things you can’t patent, such as: Mathematical formulas and natural laws Natural substances Scientific principles Physical processes (e.g., dance routines) Medical methods and procedures Drugs that endanger the user Inventions made for nefarious (criminal) purposes Inventions whose existence violates existing scientific laws Obtaining A Patent: To Lawyer Up or Not to Lawyer Up? Since patenting an idea is the only surefire way to secure exclusive rights, hiring a good legal service for this purpose can be quite expensive. If a patent’s nature would raise complicated legal issues, having a patent lawyer is not a bad idea. Patent law can be dicey, and a lawyer’s expertise may be a necessary investment for protecting your interests. On the flip side, if it’s not so difficult to obtain a patent, you could be saving thousands of dollars in lawyer fees and get a high level of control over the whole process. Let’s look at what it would take to obtain a patent on your own. Filing A Patent On Your Own Now that you’ve decided to take your idea or invention to the next level, here’s how to file a patent: Step 1: Choose the Right Patent In the United States, patents are filed through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, also known as the USPTO. The USPTO typically offers three kinds of patents: Utility Patent A utility patent is only available for specific kinds of inventions. You cannot get a utility patent for abstract ideas, natural products that have not been modified, or algorithms that have no real-world use. Provisional Patent Provisional patents help secure inventors with a temporary patent-pending status, usually for one year. You must file an application for a utility patent before the end of the year to maintain this exclusive status. Design Patent Design patents are specifically created for ornamental designs and cannot offer any protection for any functional benefit that the design may have. When filing a patent application, you should remember that USPTO fees are based on the scale of the applicant. The larger your business, the higher your charges. Step 2: Document Your Process The inventing process involves two significant steps: Thinking up the invention and bringing it into existence. It’s vital to document both steps. Even when your design is based on another, for instance, a new machine that combines two existing ones, you must show where the idea to create it was conceived. The second step involves making the invention work. Taking a cue from our earlier example, you should be able to show how the existing machines can be combined, as well as some alternative approaches. You can typically do this with a schematic, drawing, or photo. Another important tip regarding patenting inventions is that any type of documentation is better than none at all, but a lab notebook is ideal for keeping to scientific standards. Remember that dates are important and you should keep records of them. Step 3: Keep Your Idea Confidential Whatever you do, ensure that your ideas are kept strictly confidential. All relevant or irrelevant information should remain undisclosed, as any exposed information could compromise your patent. If you’re in the US, there’s a grace period of about a year to file a patent after any public disclosures. However, in other parts of the world, you may not be so lucky; once it's out there, most exclusive rights are gone. If you have filed an application, the patent has a pending status, and you are free to discuss it. If you feel you must talk to someone before you apply for a patent, make them sign a non-disclosure agreement. Step 4: Run a Patent Search It’s essential to research the patents in your field or industry. This helps ensure your patent covers all the bases with exclusive rights to your invention. You can conduct a patent search using the USPTO database, trade journals, catalogs, conference presentations, and other publications. Because patent searches can be complex, it’s advisable to use online resources. Be sure to consider synonyms, abbreviations, and spelling variations (UK and US spellings). Also, save your data, so you can always repeat your searches. Step 5: File a Patent Application As mentioned, you can file for a patent on your invention on your own, or seek the services of patent attorneys to do the filing for you. Patent applications take a lot of technical and legal expertise, and the potential for mistakes is extensive. Such expertise is costly, with a simple patent sometimes costing thousands of dollars. Going through the patenting process yourself would save you a lot of bucks, but you’ll miss out on the advantages of a lawyer’s experience. For example, your description may not fully expound on your invention, whereas an experienced lawyer would think of alternative scenarios and cover all angles. Exclusive rights are harder to enforce with a poorly formulated, limited patent, which defeats the whole purpose of a patent in the first place. Competitors are always looking for loopholes; any missed details may just give them what they need. However, you can still do a lot with self-made applications for patents. For one, you can file for a provisional patent, which doesn’t have any strict formalities a utility patent would. Drafting and filing a provisional application can be done on the USPTO web portal. You should also have a lawyer look at it before it is filed. This is cheaper than having the lawyer draft it, but you’d still get an expert legal opinion. You can also draft a utility patent application yourself, using a related patent as a template. Just ensure that you include your own draft drawings, all relevant references, and claims that differentiate your invention from others. This way, even if you require a lawyer, the bulk of the work has already been done at no cost. Alternative Methods Of Filing A Patent There are two ways you can actually patent an invention for free, sort of. If you cannot afford an agent or attorney, look to the Patent Pro Bono Program or the Law School Clinic Certification Program, both provided by the USPTO. The Patent Pro Bono Program pairs registered patent agents or attorneys with inventors. The attorneys are all volunteers, so inventors do not have to worry about paying them. However, it’s not an entirely free process, as you would still need to pay all the USPTO filing fees. The Law School Clinic Certification Program, on the other hand, involves law school clinics providing free legal services to inventors. Law students provide these services under the guidance of an experienced supervising attorney at the law school. This is perhaps the easiest “how to patent an idea for free” method. Further Reading How to Start a Meal Prep Business 41 Small Business Statistics: Everything You Need To Know How To Start a Bookkeeping Business

With a point of sale (POS) system, you can receive card payments from customers and optimize your daily operations, which can save you time and help increase your returns. If you’re just starting a business you should know that there are advantages and disadvantages of a POS system. We’ll show you both in this article so you can decide which approach suits your needs.  Advantages You’re probably already aware of the benefits of POS systems for online and in-person transactions. But you might be surprised to find that with the right approach, they can also help you improve many other aspects of your business venture.  Increased Sales   Nowadays, people don’t necessarily carry a lot of cash around, which is why having a user-friendly and efficient payment system can boost your sales. Card machines allow you to make sales as soon as the customer is ready.  There are also indirect ways in which these systems can help boost your sales. For example, a POS system keeps track of your stock across all of your branches. If you’re out of a certain product, you can instantly check which of your other stores have it in stock, then either send the customer there or get the product transferred. That way, they’ll still buy from you instead of your competitors.   Inventory Management  That brings us to real-time control of your inventory, one of the major benefits of a POS system. This automated service will keep your data synced; it removes the item from stock as the order is placed.  Cloud-based POS systems provide even greater ease of access and help you manage your inventory remotely. This allows small business owners to keep their stock in check, manage their orders in a timely fashion, and provide a better service with limited resources. Team Tracking  Optimizing your daily tasks means keeping track of your staff. Some POS systems provide great tools for these administrative purposes, as they allow you to track employee productivity. This way, you can easily check who’s slacking off and who’s hard at work. The right software can also let you allocate shifts and provide incentives in the form of commission structures. Employees get to track their own progress and see how close they are to earning a monthly bonus.  Theft prevention is another invaluable feature of POS systems. You can control who has access to the system itself and who logs in when, and you can limit the information that each employee gets to see. You can also connect your video surveillance feed to your POS system.  Customer Service Another one of the POS benefits you’ll get is an improved customer experience. The retail and hospitality industry have the most to gain from a system like this because it allows them to tailor each service to their clients’ needs.   One of the main advantages of a POS system in restaurants is that you can get software and hardware that’s specifically designed with this niche in mind. You’ll be able to make quick changes to the favorites menu, add or remove items that have run out, get an overview of the tables, and see if any of your customers have been waiting too long for service.    Disadvantages  Modern POS systems may not suit every business; there can be hidden costs and data security concerns that could sway you towards a more basic approach. Cost POS systems can be costly. Buying or renting hardware usually involves a significant initial outlay, while you’ll probably need to pay monthly fees for software. There will be extra costs for repairs and regular maintenance. Also, some services may charge up to 3% for each transaction, and that might prove to be too much, especially if you’re a small business owner. Even if there’s no up-front fee, you should check for hidden costs and calculate how much you’ll be paying for the service you require. Security Risks One of the main disadvantages of card swipe machines is the security risk. While customers may find them very convenient to use, POS systems can be subject to malware threats. If a POS system is hit with a malware attack, this could allow hackers to steal your customers’ personal info.  In order to avoid these attacks, the system will need regular software updates and almost constant maintenance. If you fail to do this and end up losing your customer data to hackers, you could face liability charges in court.  Reliance on the Internet  Interrupted internet connectivity is another disadvantage of POS terminals that can slow down your sales process and test your customers’ patience. Dealing with these issues may burden your team needlessly, and fixing them can take more time and effort than you’d expect. Some newer systems have an offline mode that can ensure data safety while still accepting card payments, but you won’t know if the transaction goes through until you get your system back online. Buying Used POS Systems If you’re on a budget, you might also consider getting used equipment for your business. However, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of used POS systems beforehand. The lower price point looks tempting and these systems do provide the basic functionality you’ll need. However, you might not be able to receive software updates on these machines as new security requirements arise. The hardware could also cause issues as replacement parts become more difficult to obtain. Final Thoughts We hope we’ve highlighted both the advantages and disadvantages of a POS system in our article. It doesn’t matter whether you’re running an online shopping site or a brick-and-mortar store; you’ll be able to improve your service with a well-organized POS system. It’s up to you to browse through the POS packages on the market and choose the one that will be the best choice for your business.