The only way to ensure your website remains fast and secure is to ensure it's up to date.
What's included in this service?
Standard Package
- Hosting
- Database Synchronizing & Backup
- Anti-Spam System
- Firewall
- Rate Limiting
- Load Balancing
- Content Deliver Network (CDN)
Complete Package
- Real Time Security Monitoring - We'll host your website and with it comes a suite of software (server-side) and key WordPress Plugins to help keep your website fortified from attacks. This includes:
- Monitoring file and database changes that we're certain are malicious and unauthorized.
- 404 Page Monitoring & Remediation - We'll use a suite of Plugins that help us work with Google to ensure your website's broken pages (pages that have been deleted or blocked to search engines) will get fixed so you avoid the penalty search engines impose when it occurs.
- Device Testing - We will review your website on the latest and most popular versions of browsers and devices once a month for up to 1 hour. You can purchase additional time upon request.
- Technical Note: We rely on BrowserStack to give us access to any device and OS to perform these tests.
Technical Details
If you care to know the nitty-gritty details we've outlined them below.
Hosting
We will only host your website if we developed it or have completed a rigorous audit. Please contact us with any questions.
Database Synchronization
If you have ever had to make major updates to your website (such as an update for improved security, fixing something that's not functioning properly, add a new feature, etc...) then you have probably been asked to suspend all use of your website when your development team updates it.
This costs you potential income and interrupts your visitors experience.
We utilize a cutting edge process and system that partially automates this and will ensure your live website remains synchronized with the development version of your site. This ensures you, your staff and your customers and clients can continue to use your website without interruption.
Note: The functionality is provided by WP Migrate DB Pro and Mergebot.
Website Backup
We'll backup your website including it's database and files every day and again when any code-level changes are made and rolled out to the live website.
Web Server Firewall
Unfortunately, hackers are inventing new ways to attack your website every day. "Firewall" is a generic term that describes a product or service that prevents these attacks. So there are many types and solutions out there. In WordPress is comes down to three types:
- Web Server Firewall - Your first line of defense. Think of it like a metal detector. It evaluates the traffic coming to your website separating threats from the rest.
- Malware Scanning - Your second line of defense. Think of it like security camera's outside your house. Installed onto the server we deploy for your website is software that regularly scans the server for malicious code. If it finds it it is quarantined and we are notified and can diagnose how it got there to prevent it in the future.
- Web Application Firewall - Your third line of deference. Think of it like locks on your windows and doors. This is code installed into your website itself that prevents people from using your own website to hack itself. For example, any form on your website can be used to inject code to "unlock" those "windows and doors" into your website.
Anti-Spam
Spam isn't overtly a security risk, but it is a nuisance that can interfere with your websites organic rankings, user experience and professional look of your website. This service includes, when applicable, implementing anti-spam services so you will get fewer, if any, spam comments, registrations, form submissions and other types of submissions on your website.
For commenting systems we usually recommend replacing the WordPress default system with Disqus, which is optimized specifically to prevent spam without interfering with the user experience.
For general form submissions and logins we implement Google's Invisible reCAPTCHA.
Note: This particular aspect of the service is not something that is recurring, but setup one time out of your first months setup fee.
Rate Limiting
What is this?
Rate limiting is an automated process of limiting the number of times, and the speed at which someone views your website. It's designed not to prevent individuals, but automated attacks on your website.
How does it benefit me?
It will prevent the majority of automated attacks designed to overload and shut off your website.
Technical Notes: This service is provided by CloudFlare and configured by our staff.
Content Delivery Network
What is this?
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) makes copies of your website and stores them on servers throughout the world. Ensuring everyone viewing your website will get it as fast as possible.
How does it benefit me?
It's more expensive to host media files on the same server as your website. It also ensures your media and website both load as fast as possible.
Technical Notes: This is provided by WP Offload S3 and Amazon S3.
Load Balancing
Load Balance ensures that if your website receives a spike in traffic that it sends excess traffic to another server that has a copy of your website so it continues to run smoothly for everyone.
This often occurs when running advertising like Groupon. It also can occur if an attack breaks through the web server firewall.