"Ongoing maintenance" for CiviCRM: hosting and infrastructure
The foundational element of maintaining a CiviCRM installation is hosting and infrastructure.
If you’re thinking about getting started with CiviCRM, you'll definitely need to give this some consideration.
But even if you're already running CiviCRM, and you're looking for help to keep it running smoothly, it can help a lot to know what's actually required at this foundational level.
(Quick note: There are several fully-hosted CiviCRM offerings which, while fairly limited in what they can do, will allow you to sidestep this topic entirely. See my recent email, “No money, no time? CiviCRM Spark”)
What it is:
CiviCRM is an online system that has to be hosted somewhere. It lives on a server somewhere, and you usually don’t care too much about where, as long as it’s secure and reliably connected to the internet.
That hosting server has to be maintained: it has to stay online; regular backups must be taken; server-level security must be kept up; and any service outages must be dealt with.
What it isn't:
What we're describing here is only what's needed to keep your hosting server up and running.
Hosting services don't typically include security updates for CiviCRM, and they often don't include high volume outbound email, as for your newsletters or other email appeals.
This topic also doesn't include the other things I'll be talking about in this series, like configuration and user management and graphic design and content management. It's worth considering those things, but they’re separate from hosting and infrastructure.
Who can do it:
This is fairly geeky technical work, and it's unlikely you will want to manage this in-house, though I have some clients who do.
Because this is both fairly technical and rarely specific to CiviCRM, you probably going to get more bang for your buck by paying the relatively small amount to have an outside provider ensure that it's all done right.
Fortunately, such services are quite easy to find. Almost any hosting service that can host a Drupal or WordPress site will do fine with this.
Joinery offers such a service, as do several other CiviCRM partners. If needed, we can even offer customized hosting solutions in case your site has special needs such as very high visitor traffic.
If you're tight on funding and just need something basic, you can also check out CiviHosting. Their shared hosting packages are very reasonably priced and have a good reputation in the community. (That’s not a referral link, either; I’m just happy to recommend them.)
In summary:
It's fairly technical and generic, so you're probably better off outsourcing this.
it only includes the task of maintaining the internet server where your site lives. Anything else related to making your site do exactly what you want is generally not covered here.
Tune in tomorrow for a similar discussion on keeping up with security updates for CiviCRM and the rest of your website.
All the best,
A.