Windows Scope of Support – Liquid Web

Your servers are a critical part of your business and must be available, 24/7/365, but you don’t always have the time to maintain servers, software, and networks. You chose Liquid Web so you could focus on your core business rather than the technology which makes it happen. Unfortunately, at times things go wrong and you need technical help. We have the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting (™) who know the servers, software, and networks you rely on and we will help pinpoint and resolve problems when they occur.

Our teams are dedicated to helping your business and realize your server and applications must be up 24/7/365. We do the server stuff so you can sleep at night. Around the clock, you have our Tier 3 technicians on-site at our Data Centers and our fully staffed Monitoring, Security and Network Teams focusing on our network, platform, and your servers.

We work through queue-based support systems handling each request in the order we receive them. However, if you have an urgent request please contact us for immediate assistance.

Our Windows environment includes state-of-the-art servers and software designed, tested, and integrated to work seamlessly with Applications and IIS websites in both our Dedicated and Cloud Server options. They outperform our competitors across the board and offer an unprecedented array of features, supported by The Most Helpful Humans In Hosting (TM).

You can choose between three levels of support for our Windows servers: Plesk Fully Managed, Core Managed, and Self Managed.

You are busy and may not want to worry about servers and infrastructure. The Fully Managed option provides the highest level of service and takes the most tasks off your plate. Fully Managed means that we will assist in almost every aspect of server management through the Plesk interface. This covers hardware, software installation via the Application Vault, repairing errors, troubleshooting problems, and other services offered through the Plesk control panel like domain creation and the installation of SSLs (purchased through Liquid Web). For Plesk Fully Managed servers, all configuration and content must be created and managed within Plesk. Any customizations performed outside of Plesk may not function as expected and we may not be able to provide support for these changes. We actively monitor Plesk, DNS, FTP, HTTP, POP3, SMTP, RDP, and Ping (ICMP) on your server by default and will send you alerts if issues are detected.

Other technologies supported include:

• Windows Updates (through Group Policy only)
• Plesk and any Plesk supported software (see release notes or Plesk Updater for full list). *Liquid Web only officially supports items that are configured and managed through Plesk*
• Microsoft SQL Server
• MySQL
• DNS (zone creation and script-based editing)
• ESET Endpoint Antivirus – paid managed product on request
• Firewalls
• Server infrastructure
• Load balancers (excludes Windows Server role)

If you are very familiar with Windows servers and want to do extensive customization to your server environment and need the flexibility to install custom software or configurations that Plesk may not allow, Core Managed may be a good fit for you. Our expert technicians will provide installation, troubleshooting, and problem-solving for core Windows software installed by Liquid Web. This includes IIS, Microsoft FTP, ESET Antivirus (if selected for the server), and any other Liquid Web provided product. Core Managed customers handle most basic server tasks like creating sites in IIS, managing users, and permissions. We actively monitor HTTP, RDP and Ping (ICMP) on your server by default and will send you alerts if issues are detected.

Other technologies supported include:

• Windows Updates (through Group Policy only)
• Microsoft SQL Server / MySQL (basic installation and limited administrative tasks)
• Firewalls
• Server infrastructure
• Load balancers (excludes Windows Server role)

You may be an expert at server administration and want to fully customize your server, managing all aspects of your server. With Self Managed, you have that flexibility – making the changes you want. We will be here to assist with hardware, network, and administrative login issues. We actively monitor RDP and Ping (ICMP) on your server by default and will send you alerts if issues are detected.

Your Liquid Web server can deploy any number of different Content Management Systems (CMS). You can create your website from scratch, load your own code, or pick from several CMS applications during the initial setup (only available on our Fully Managed servers). For your convenience, our Fully Managed systems include installers for current versions of WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.

Our experts can provide advice on how to configure and utilize core add-ons. However, we are not able to provide support for custom code, custom themes, and third-party plugins. We specialize in managing your server, so modifying or developing code is outside of our expertise and is best handled by your development team. Should you be in need of a developer to assist, we have a team of partners who specialize in a wide array of technical areas that may be the perfect fit for your needs. For additional information on these providers please see our Partner Directory or contact our solutions team.

You know your business best! Developing your website is a critical part of that and typically entails unique coding, customization of plugins, and data management. Our team understands how important this process is to your success and we are happy to work from a consultative standpoint to your development team. However, coding, debugging, website design, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), and plugin customization exist outside our expertise and are best left to your developers.

Sometimes your software, application, or website started somewhere else – maybe on your development server, or at a different hosting company. There are two ways to transition data to your Liquid Web server. You are welcome to migrate the data yourself, or in most cases, our Migrations team may be able to help. Please read about how to prepare for a site migration to Liquid Web.

Keeping your website, data, and customers secure is critical to your success. Plesk places all of your website data into segregated file structures in the server. Access can then be limited to be more secure. In addition, you can control access to files via users created in your control panel.

As your partner, we provide secure data-center environments. Upon request, we can also provide guidance on how you can secure individual sites and servers. However, due to the customizations and unique development, you create for each website, security is a customer’s responsibility. Our technicians will provide suggestions for standard security practices but you need to ensure your servers and software remain up-to-date and correctly configured. Ensuring that your site is regularly updated with current releases for the content management system, associated plugins and themes are critical to maintaining security.

Unfortunately, technical disasters do happen. You make a change and your software no longer works. You use a plugin and it corrupts your database. You have a disk drive failure and data is corrupted. Having a backup of your data simplifies the recovery process and can be a lifesaver. Ultimately, you are responsible for making sure your critical data is backed up and stored in an accessible location. Best practices also recommend some backups are stored off the server that your website or application data reside.

If you are looking for a backup solution, there are many options on the market. Liquid Web offers several solutions tailored to your needs – Backup and Recovery Options.

Your data is the cornerstone of your business and we respect that. We will get your approval before any changes are made to it.

Your databases and their optimization are vital. We can advise on database connectivity and performance issues, however, we do not troubleshoot queries or modify database data. For critical database issues, we recommend that you contact a professional Database Administrator.

Services that are handled outside of Liquid Web (DNS hosting, security services, CDN services, third-party backups, etc) are not supported by our technicians. We will be glad to provide guidance when possible but we do not configure, customize third-party code or access third-party control panels.

We have trusted specialists, partners, and agencies to assist with needs outside of our Scope of Support. For additional information on these providers please see our Partner Directory or contact our solutions team.

Occasionally, you need assistance with issues on your server or site that fall outside of our Scope of Support. As a quick reference, below is a chart which summarizes the areas of responsibility. Regardless of where your issue falls, you will always have the support of the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting (™).

View Table