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Offshore Servers, is there a catch?
Have offshore servers, or offshore web hosting really improved the internet?
Many web hosting companies are now offering offshore servers. This is because offshore servers are becoming popular due to their benefits over traditional servers.
But what are offshore servers and how do they differ to traditional server options? How does one decide which option is best for your website?
Much of the offshore hosting jargon can seem overwhelming.
In this post we will get the answers to these questions and answer other frequently asked questions about Offshore Servers as well as dispel a few myths.
Offshore Servers FAQs.
There’s a few misconceptions about Offshore Servers and Offshore Hosting. Hopefully these can be clarified and answered in this FAQ section.
What is the difference between an Offshore Server and an Offshore Hosting Company?
Firstly, what you need to understand is that Offshore servers are only part of the equation when it comes to having a successful online business.
Offshore servers are merely one component in an online business infrastructure.
With that said, these companies will generally deal with Offshore Servers so you generally don’t have to deal with anything technical at all.
You just need to know what you need (so they can provide the best servers for your requirements) and then leave the rest up to them.
Otherwise, an offshore hosting company will generally be responsible for the entire infrastructure of the site which includes hardware maintenance, bandwidth provisioning etc., etc…
Where are Offshore Servers located?
Offshore servers are basically located in countries outside of your own, offshore refers to the practice of storing data outside a company’s country of origin.
Traditionally this “Offshore Hosting” protects your website from governmental oversight and regulations of your “Home” country.
Thankfully, some Offshore Hosting countries have strong privacy laws which protect websites hosted on their “offshore servers” and these protections are among the strongest in the world.
Offshore servers are often offshore for a reason. The impression is sometimes given that offshore servers are located offshore simply because they are cheaper to run, this may be true to some extent, but offshore hosting companies have other motivations for storing data offshore.
The main motivating factor being the realization of legal protection which offshore servers enjoy.
The offshore hosting industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.
In part, this is because offshore servers provide a greater level of protection for web hosts and their clients.
Unfortunately, offshore hosting jargon can be difficult to understand.
What are Offshore Host’s server locations?
Web server locations are fairly straight forward when considering traditional servers, but offshore servers add the benefits of being in an offshore location, making the concept a little more complicated.
Offshore hosting plans include the same types of plans that you have come to expect from traditional hosts like Shared, Cloud, VPS and Dedicated Server Hosting. However, Offshore hosting also includes the added benefit of being ultra-private offshore servers.
Can I have an Offshore Server for my business which is Physical and Virtual at the same time?
It’s possible to have both a physical and virtual (or cloud) server in the same datacenter, however this is pretty rare because there tends not to be enough traffic to justify it.
You would need an incredibly large site with millions of visitors daily for this to be possible.
So, the short answer is no, you can’t have both on an Offshore Server. It’s either one or the other.
What are Virtual Servers?
A virtual server (also known as a virtual private server), is basically like having your own physical server in terms of rights and access, but it’s not a physical server.
Instead, it’s on the same hardware as other virtual servers and you’ll share resources with everyone else on that machine such as RAM, CPU cycles and bandwidth.
Basically, this means that your website is only going to be as good as the weakest link on that server. So if some other site on your virtual server is slowing down the server for everyone, then you will be affected as well.
What are Dedicated Servers?
A dedicated server is a physical machine which is shared by nobody. So you have full rights to the machine and it’s all yours.
However, these tend to be very expensive so you need to have a very large website to justify this type of hosting.
Generally, if you’re running a basic site then shared hosting is the way to go.
But if you need more resources – e.g. bigger hard drive space, more RAM etc… then dedicated servers are your only option.
Apart from that there are also managed dedicated servers which is where the hosting company will handle everything for you – hardware, software maintenance etc., etc…
Does it matter which country your website is hosted?
In regards to the original reasons why many webmasters choose Offshore hosting to hosting closer to home is freedom of speech.
DMCA takedowns are one of the most aggressive techniques used by US companies to silence critics.
However, offshore hosting is not the only option for webmasters who value freedom of speech.
Web hosting blacklists also censor content that they don’t like, even if that content is hosted in another country.
What is DMCA ignored hosting?
It’s a hosting service that doesn’t care if you are uploading copyrighted content on their servers. But, then again, what is considered copyrighted material in one country might not bode as well in another.
The bottom line of DMCA ignored hosting is the fact that they usually don’t look for copyright infringing material in order to avoid becoming liable under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Besides, you’d be surprised at the amount of offshore hosts that offer monthly plans for just $5. One such company is Orangewebsite based in Iceland.
Why choose Offshore DMCA Ignored Hosting?
Well, it all comes down to confidentiality and eventually your own offshore structure. An offshore host is more likely to keep your data confidential, respect your offshore status and not bother about DMCA.
There are offshore hosts out there that will terminate the account of a user under DMCA pressure or even report them to law authorities; sending you up the creek without notice.
Offshore servers may be used for offshore hosting; however, offshore servers are not always offshore hosts. Some “Offshore Hosts” may be incorporated in the U.S, so this may cause legal trouble if your data lands in the hands of US law enforcement.
How do you host a website that can’t be taken down?
If you host your website in a country that is not only outside the jurisdiction of your home country, but also doesn’t recognize nor have any jurisdictional binding agreements or treaties with your home country either. Then, this should be sufficient.
However, what many website owners overlook is that the country you choose to host your website in should also have rule of law and protect your rights as well.
Many so-called “Offshore Hosting” countries sometimes have stricter censorship laws and lack of legal protections for the webmaster’s themselves who can suddenly find their websites offline without even as much as a notification.
However, if you host your website offshore in a country like Iceland, this can mitigate some of those risks.
For example, according to the Icelandic constitution, freedom of expression is among one of basic human rights guaranteed by the government.
Iceland not only has free speech laws but also strong privacy & personal data protection laws, and Icelandic courts are required by law to uphold the Constitution above all other interests.
Also, many Offshore web hosting providers are located in developing countries with poor infrastructure and frequent power outages.
In short, the perfect country to host your ‘unstoppable’ website is Iceland.
Iceland is not only a first world, developed country with a modern infrastructure, high internet penetration rates with an over 90% English literacy rate among its population, but the country passed net neutrality laws in 2010 without any major problems.
It’s Geothermal power grid is not only totally self-sufficient and abundant, but the most ecological source of energy on the planet.
In fact, Iceland is now one of the leading prefered destinations for Bitcoin mining itself!
Offshore Servers, conclusions.
In conclusion, you would be surprised at how many people don’t know what an offshore server is, even though they use one every day of their lives.
If you are reading this post on a screen, then chances are that you will be using a product or service with an offshore server component to it.
The Internet is full of companies who care about your privacy and security, and who are ready to offer you the offshore servers that you need for your data.
When it comes to storing your data or keeping your personal information secure, an offshore server is the best option.
