Recently I have been forced into a change in web host. Some of you may have heard the chatter on the web about Layeredtechs hike in prices for all dedicated servers. A hike of 30% or more for all servers meant I would have been paying out near enough $100 more per month.
I therefore took the decision to move and in doing so consolidated several servers into one. This was rather a large task but it is something that I have come to the conclusion I have to accept on a cyclical basis if I want to get the best prices for web hosting.
Interestingly enough when i researched I not only found I could beat the new Layeredtech price but also the price I was paying before the price hike. I am now using UltraHost which are based in Canada, and after two months I have yet to have any problems with the servers or their service.
After ordering the new server, they say your server will be up and running within 48 hours, however mine was up in more like 12 which is impressive given the fast I ordered on a Friday.
One small issue that I need to keep my eye on is that they seem to measure used bandwidth in a slightly different manner than Layeredtech used to, meaning that I am running close to the 1500Gb per month allowance. This should not be an issue as data costs are relatively small but it is something I will be keeping tabs on, and if I start to use a substantial amount of additional bandwidth I will move proxies to a dedicated box.
The only other issue I had was that the server only came with 1 IP address, however you pay an extra $1 per month for additional addresses which means cost wise this is not a problem.
A major benefit of UltraHost is that the contract is month by month so you are not locked into a 12 month contract, however if you do pay upfront for 12 or 18 month contract you do get significant savings.
The move over is now almost complete, I have a couple of MX records to move across but these are pretty much for parked domains.
As with all these things I will attempt to keep you informed of how it goes and the level of service, but as of now I would be happy to recommend them.
