If you had the choice as to where you wanted to build a brand new house for you and your family, you would presumably locate it in an area known to be secure and free from the risk of crime. That same principle applies when it comes to where you wish to locate your website, only this time it is not a physical location you are selecting, but a hosting company. At first, it might seem that barring a few variables to pricing, server disc space and bandwidth, most hosting companies seem pretty much all alike. That might be how it appears, but it is an assumption that can have huge implications for the security of your website. We say that because one of the key ways you can differentiate between hosting companies is the security protocols and features that they offer. Whilst no hosting company can give you a cast-iron guarantee that you will never be hacked, what they can at least have in place is the appropriate type and number of security features that will minimise the risk as much as possible. As for what those essential hosting security features are, here are some of the main ones you should expect them to have. Network Monitoring One of the ways a hosting company can guard against hacking attacks is to have a network management team constantly monitor their network. This will quickly identify any attacks as they occur and allow them to take preventative action as soon as it occurs Firewalls Whilst you may know about firewalls protecting your home computer or laptop, you might not be aware they can also protect hosting servers. if you think about it, a hosting server is basically a huge computer, albeit with infinitely more memory space than the device you are currently using to read this. By having firewalls in place, hosting companies can fend off and block connections from those who mean them harm.