TOSAUP: How Important it is in Your Business

There are a lot of things you need to consider if you are thinking of joining the world of world of websites, whether it is website hosting or just plainly managing a website. Maybe the most vital thing you need before you entertain your first client is firm rules that guides what they can and they cannot host. By doing this, you will avoid confusion, and as a user, it will reduce your problem because you will know beforehand what can and cannot be posted.

Virtually every web host in the industry has a TOS (Terms of Service) and an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). Their reason behind is to look after the company from the things that users will possibly do while using their products. It is the company that is ultimately responsible for what their users do.

What's the difference between an TOS and an AUP? Lot of people are confused about it, some thought they are all alike but they are not.

A TOS is a number of things you must agree to in order to use a service. This could be anything from not hosting malicious software on your website to restricting your monthly resource usage. It's incredibly important to have one, because otherwise users won't know what they're allowed to do on your servers.

As for an AUP, this is a rule made by the web host that is basically a set of rules. You're told what you can and cannot do on the company's servers. These rules are in place since the host must follow them too, though some set are added to the rules. If you host malicious software on your website and their datacenter catches on, they could suspend the entire server. Clearly, this is disastrous for a web host particularly on shared server.

Now,think about the importance of having these documents? Well, it's simple. They're legally binding contracts. Without them, users won't know what they can and cannot do, and hosts may lack the power of the law behind them. Users, too, would be at a disadvantage, although it is generally recognized that a host is not required to host anything.

Assume a stipulation in the AUP that states the user can only send 100 emails a day. The host has the right to suspend or terminate if for example the user sends 500 emails because this is abusing their service. Yet, if there is no rule, users technically will not have a boundary and there is nothing that binds them legally if they send 100 or less emails a day.

As for the TOS, suppose you are fourteen days into a billing cycle and you want to cancel your service. How do you know what you're entitled to? Are you reimbursed the entire amount, incomplete amount or nothing at all? That's what the TOS is for. It tells you what you can expect on a cancellation, when refunds are given, and the kind of service that your host will be providing to you.

While similar in some ways, the TOS and AUP are both extremely important. It is possible to combine them into one document and have a TOS/AUP, but whichever format they appear in, make sure you read them. Or, if you are considering entering the world of hosting yourself, ensure that you have these documents on your business website.