CMS Security Handbook: The Comprehensive Guide for WordPress®, Joomla!®, Drupal™, and Plone®

What to Look for in Web Host Security

Choosing a hosting company does not typically require a multi-year agreement. Generally speaking, the fees for web hosting are charged on a monthly basis. Co-location might be an annual commitment, but, typically, terms are included that allow you to break the agreement. Even so, choosing the wrong company for your hosting needs could be costly.

This section examines a topic of growing importance — security. When selecting a host, you want to have a clear understanding of the finer points that are not typically considered. This discussion is broken down into the following topics:

• Physical security
• Cyber security
• Environmental support

Each of these shares common ground and can clearly have an impact on each other.

Physical Security

The phrase physical security likely conjures up mental images of contract security guards on patrol, or the guard in the lobby of a business admitting visitors. The truth is that these are examples of the physical security of a hosting company, but there is much more to security in your hosting company.

Glass Windows

Let's start with the simple example of the building in which the host is located. Many areas could be a huge concern. If you tour a web host or co-location facility, make note of your surroundings. Does it have glass windows in the building allowing light, heat, and prying eyes into the data center?

Of concern with glass in a data center would be things like the temperature of the building. Glass tends ...