Cognisant-Hosting Starter Hosting, € 60.00/yr. on Linux Shared

Starter Hosting has been updated on May 15, 2020 (added April 29, 2016)

🔌 Hosted domains :	1
📌 Dedicated IPs :	0
💳 Payment Methods :	PayPal
🔨 Control Panel :	[In-house]
🔧 Category :	BackupSeo Hosting
✍️ Support Options :	EmailHelp DeskLive Chat
Other special features :	Free SSL
🌏 Server Locations :	United Kingdom
⚑ Targeting :	BE DK FI FR DE IT NL NO PL PT ES SE CH UK

See also initial Starter Hosting plan location on their website!

📜 Plan description

📄 Editorial Review

Cognisant Hosting is a web hosting, web design, and managed website-services provider based in Mijas, Málaga, Spain. The hosting business dates back to 2006, while the current Spanish company, Cognisant Associates & Hosting SL, has operated since 2016. Its services are aimed mainly at SMEs, WordPress users, hospitality businesses, real-estate companies, and customers that prefer combining hosting with website maintenance and development.

The range is considerably broader than basic shared hosting. Cognisant Hosting provides Linux shared hosting, Windows hosting, WordPress hosting, managed WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers, email hosting, SSL certificates, website migrations, web design, e-commerce development, hotel websites, booking systems, SEO, and WizWeb website packages. The website is available in both English and Spanish, which is particularly useful for its Spanish and international customer base, while hosting prices are primarily listed in EUR.

Shared hosting uses SSD storage and includes email accounts, webmail, MySQL databases, FTP access, application installation, backups, and SSL. Free Let's Encrypt SSL is included with suitable hosting packages. An interesting security feature is lockable FTP, allowing FTP access to remain disabled until it is actually needed instead of leaving the service permanently available.

WordPress hosting receives additional optimization. Features include one-click staging, optimized MySQL, edge/CDN caching, malware detection, nightly backups, and restoration tools. Website backups are performed nightly and can be retained for up to 30 days depending on the service.

Managed WordPress Hosting goes further by including WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates together with managed email, website backups, restoration assistance, and limited content maintenance. SecurSure Hosting adds stronger security controls such as malicious-IP blocking, brute-force protection, firewall functionality, anti-hacking measures, and recurring security scans.

The VPS range is suitable for customers requiring more isolation and server resources than shared hosting. Current configurations start with 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD storage, and one IP address, with larger plans offering up to 4 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, and 75 GB SSD among the standard packages. Management assistance is available, making these VPS plans more approachable for customers that do not want to administer every server component themselves.

Linux VPS customers can use cPanel or Plesk for management. Both environments provide familiar administration for domains, websites, databases, email, FTP accounts, and other hosting functions. Off-site backup can be added separately.

Dedicated servers provide another step up in resources. Current configurations include Xeon-based systems with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB storage, remote reboot capability, an IP address, setup, and a server control panel. cPanel/WHM and off-site backup can be added when required.

The dedicated-server specifications still reference CentOS 6 and CentOS 7. Both are legacy operating systems, so customers ordering a new dedicated server should confirm which currently supported Linux distributions are actually available before deployment.

Cognisant Hosting also combines hosting with website development through its WizWeb packages. These plans bundle hosting, website creation, email, SSL, backups, software maintenance, and, depending on the package, a domain registration for the first year.

Hospitality-focused WizWeb packages add online booking functionality, availability calendars, and accommodation management. E-commerce variants provide online shop functionality for customers that want hosting and website development supplied together instead of assembling several independent services.

WizWeb has a different contractual structure from ordinary hosting. These packages have a minimum three-year term and subsequently renew annually unless cancellation notice is provided within the required period. Early termination can require payment of the remaining contract value. Domains associated with the service may also need to remain under Cognisant's management during the contractual period, so customers should understand these conditions before choosing WizWeb primarily for its relatively low annual starting cost.