Newbie guide to select hosting

A guide for small to medium-sized NGOS on choosing a hosting provider for their website

Outputs

An updated guide that walks users from A ("I need help!") to Z ("I learned a lot and solved my problem") that was tested by at least two potential users. Plus dissemination plan. Stretch goals: additional elements, e.g. boxes, illustrations, pictures or concepts for those

Connection to previous RDFs

The guide rests on a previous version created during the RDF on Hosting in Amsterdam. It has been published here: http://internetprotectionlab.net/considerations-when-picking-a-hosting-provider/

Notes

- pad for editing: https://pad.riseup.net/p/rdf-hosting

Audience

The guide is directed towards non-technical staff in small to medium-sized organisations that need to make decisions on hosting. They often are faced with this problem for the first time and are overwhelmed by the number of hosting solutions that exist.

The organisations that it is aimed at are often NGOs that publish or receive sensitive or controversial information through their websites. Their websites are often at a higher risk than usual.

The guide should also be useful for intermediaries advising organisations, and funders who care about responsible data use of their grantees.

Contributors

- the original guide was created at the RDF on hosting in Amsterdam, where Menso Heus was lead author

- at RDF Budapest Adrian Sawczyn, Marco Túlio Pires and Friedhelm Weinberg

Food for thought

• concepts, problems
• questions to ask frequently
• preventions: what do you actually do in concrete terms to prevent these things from happening
• reactions: responsible responses for when things go wrong

Resources (we <3 links!)

The International Comparative Legal Guide to Telecoms, Media & Internet Laws & Regulations 2015 - http://www.olswang.com/articles/2014/09/an-overview-of-the-eu-regulatory-framework/