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Website and server care plans, so updates and backups are someone's job
A website or server that nobody maintains slowly becomes a risk. IT-Labs offers monthly care plans that keep your site and server updated, backed up and watched, with a short report so you can see what was done.
What it is
Website and Server Care Plans: what you get
A care plan is a regular, planned routine. Each month we apply updates and security patches, check that backups exist and that they can actually be restored, watch uptime and certificate expiry, make small changes you ask for, and send you a report. You get a person who knows your site, instead of finding someone in a hurry when something breaks.
This is different from our maintenance and support service. Maintenance and support is for custom software we have built or taken over: fixing bugs, extending features and keeping the application running. Care plans are for websites, CMS-based sites and the servers they run on. If you have both, the two fit together.
Many sites we meet still run on old PHP or an old CMS version that no longer gets security fixes. A care plan includes an upgrade path: we assess the site, say what can be updated in place and what needs rework, and move it forward in steps, keeping it working while we do.
Problems we solve
Typical problems this solves
Updates nobody applies
Plugins, themes and server software fall behind, and known weaknesses stay open. We apply updates and security patches on a regular schedule, testing first where it matters.
Backups that have never been tested
A backup you cannot restore is not a backup. We check backups and test restores, so recovery is something we have tried and not something we hope for.
Finding out about downtime from customers
We monitor uptime and certificate expiry, so a down site or an expiring certificate is noticed and dealt with early.
Small changes with no one to do them
A new page, a changed form or a corrected text should not wait for a project. Small changes are part of the plan.
A site stuck on old PHP or an old CMS
Old versions stop getting security fixes. We give you an upgrade path with the risks explained, and run the old version safely until it is done.
Deliverables
What we deliver
- Regular updates and security patches for the operating system, web server, CMS and plugins
- Backups checked, with restore tests
- Uptime and SSL certificate monitoring
- Small changes and fixes on your site as part of the plan
- A monthly report of what was done and what needs attention
- A written upgrade path for old PHP or CMS versions
Technologies we use
- WordPress and other CMS
- PHP (old and current versions)
- MariaDB / MySQL
- Linux server administration
- Security patching
- Backup and restore
- Uptime monitoring
- SSL certificates
- DNS
- Server hardening
We work in any language. See all technologies.
Built and running
Work we have built and run
Examples from our own work, described without client names.
- Server security hardening and clean-up on a live production server.
- Old PHP applications that are still run and maintained, alongside modern code on current PHP versions.
- Company websites, both CMS-based and hand-built, for businesses in India and Canada.
Engagement
How the engagement works
We start with a free consultation and a look at what you run: the site, the CMS, the server and its current state. We tell you plainly what condition it is in and what the first month would involve, then send a written estimate for the plan.
The first month usually includes a clean-up: updating what can be updated, setting up backups and monitoring, and noting what needs a bigger fix. After that the plan runs as a routine, with a monthly report. If your site is hosted with us, the care plan and the hosting come from the same person; if it is hosted elsewhere, we can still look after it where access allows.
Questions
Common questions
How is this different from maintenance and support?
Maintenance and support is for custom software that we built or took over, where the work is fixes and new features. Care plans are for websites, CMS sites and servers, where the work is updates, patches, backups and monitoring.
Does it include changes to my website?
Small changes are included as part of the plan. Larger changes, such as a redesign or a new feature, are quoted separately with a written estimate.
Do you test backups?
Yes. Backups are checked, and restores are tested, because that is the only way to know a backup works.
Can you look after a site that is not hosted with you?
Often yes, where we have the access we need. We would tell you at the start what we can and cannot do on another host.
Our site runs on very old PHP. Is that a problem?
It is a risk, because old versions no longer get security fixes. We keep it running safely and give you a staged upgrade path. Our PHP modernisation service covers the upgrade itself.
How do you charge?
We do not publish prices. After a free consultation we give you a written estimate for the plan, so you know what is included before you commit.
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Tell us what you need built
Describe the problem, the system or the idea. We offer a free initial consultation and a written estimate, and you will talk directly to the developer who would build it.