Computer/Internet
Server hosting. Servers are devices that support a company's computer and Internet networks, and "host" all its associated data. They are typically owned by Internet service providers (ISPs), which lease out server space in addition to providing customers with Internet connectivity. Businesses without the in-house technical support necessary to maintain a server typically rent space on a remote server or use a managed hosting service. These services provide businesses with their own servers and also provide full-time technical support.
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Other businesses may lease their servers from ISPs and self-maintain them. Having a dedicated server, as this is known, is cheaper than using managed hosting services, but it's only feasible for companies with technical expertise. [See Related Story: The Tech Tools Small Business Owners Rely on Most]
Data center. A data center is a facility that houses computer and data-storage systems, including servers. Many data centers are owned by ISPs or large companies, like Google or Amazon. Linux hosting. Linux is an open-source operating system that can be installed on Web-hosting servers. Many servers run Microsoft operating systems, but some businesses believe that Linux is a more secure and reliable option, and so prefer to choose Web-hosting services that run Linux.
Back end. What you see when you click on a Web page is the front end. The back end is everything else behind the scenes of that page, like Web servers, databases or applications that make the page work. When developing your website, what is in the back end can have an effect on what search engines see.
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