Website Development
Website Hosting: Your Server or Your Agency's?
You can host a website on your own server, on your agency's server, or on both. Your own server gives you control and puts the upkeep on you. The agency's server removes the upkeep and ties you to the agency unless the exit is agreed in writing. Neither choice is wrong; the cost of getting it wrong is in the details you did not ask about.
What is the difference between hosting on your own server and your agency's server?
Your own server means infrastructure that your company controls, either machines you run yourself or an account you hold with a hosting provider. The agency's server means the agency runs the website on infrastructure it controls, and you reach it through the agency. A third option, often called hybrid, splits the pieces: for example the public website on one side and a data service on the other.
The choice decides who holds the logins, who applies updates, who keeps backups and who can move the site.
When is your own server the better choice?
- Your company policy requires it. Some companies must keep their systems on infrastructure they control, or inside their own network.
- You already have an IT team or a provider who runs your servers and can add a website to the routine.
- You want the accounts in your name from the first day, so that nobody else can switch the site off.
- The site connects to your internal systems and sits better next to them.
The price of this choice is responsibility. Someone on your side must apply security updates, watch the site, renew certificates and keep backups. If nobody is named for that, the site slowly becomes a risk.
When is your agency's server the better choice?
- You do not want a server to manage. The agency handles the setup, the updates and the backups.
- You have no IT team, and the site is not tied to your internal systems.
- You want one party to answer for the site. If something breaks, one call is enough.
The price of this choice is dependence. Ask early what it would take to leave: what you receive, in what form, and how long it takes.
What should you compare before you choose?
| Question | Your own server | Your agency's server |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs and updates it? | You, your IT team or your provider. | The agency, if the contract says so. |
| Who keeps the backups? | You. Agree a routine and test a restore. | The agency. Ask for the frequency and the retention in writing. |
| Who holds the logins? | You. | The agency. Ask for your own admin access. |
| How does it affect cost? | You pay for the server or account and the people who maintain it. | You usually pay the agency a hosting or care fee. Ask what it covers. |
| How easy is it to move? | Simple, because you hold everything. | Depends on what the agency hands over. Agree it before the project. |
| Who is accountable when it breaks? | You, or your provider. | The agency, within the limits of the contract. |
What about security and where the data lives?
A website often collects data: contact forms, quote requests, newsletter sign-ups. Ask where that data is stored and who can reach it. Whichever option you choose, check these points:
- Access is given to named people only, and credentials are shared through a secure channel, not by plain email.
- The site runs over HTTPS, and someone is responsible for renewing the certificate.
- The software behind the site is updated, and someone is named for that.
- Form submissions and visitor data are described in your privacy information, and you know where they are stored.
Do not accept a security promise you cannot read. Ask for it in writing, and be wary of absolute words such as "unbreakable" or "100% safe".
What should you have in writing before the site goes live?
- Domain: it is registered in your name, and you hold the login.
- DNS: you have a record of the settings, and you know who may change them.
- Admin access: you have your own login to the site's admin area.
- Backups: where they are kept, how often, for how long, and how to ask for a copy.
- Documentation: how the site is built, how to edit content, and where it runs.
- Ownership: what you own once the project is paid in full, and what stays under a third party's licence, such as fonts or tools.
- Exit: what you receive and what happens if you leave the agency or stop its care plan.
Can you switch later?
Usually yes, if you prepared for it. A site built with documented methods, with the files handed over and the domain in your name, can move to another server or another provider. A site that exists only inside one provider's system is harder to move. The simplest protection is to ask the question at the start: "If I want to move this site, what do I receive, and how long does it take?"
Is a hybrid setup worth considering?
Sometimes. A hybrid setup suits companies with mixed needs, for example the public website with the agency and a service that holds sensitive data on your own infrastructure. It also adds a boundary that must be documented: who runs which part, and who answers when the two parts disagree. Ask for a short diagram and a list of responsibilities.
How do we handle hosting?
We offer three options: Millisave's server, your own server, or a hybrid, which we discuss per project. In every case we set up the domain, DNS and HTTPS, and you receive access, documentation and a walk-through at handover. Backups on our server are discussed per project. Once the project is paid in full, you own your content, your domain and the website files we deliver. Third-party tools and fonts keep their own licences. Read the details on our hosting and deployment page.
If you are still choosing a provider, our checklist before you ask an agency for a quote puts hosting in context, and our page on the ways to get a website compares the four common options. To ask us about your project, use the quote form. Tell us which hosting you prefer, or choose "not sure" and we will advise.