Server Management, monthly service
You own the server. We keep it patched, monitored and backed up.
Balanita Server Management is a monthly service that patches, monitors and backs up the server your LMS runs on. Balanita does not own or resell servers. The server stays in your name, with the cloud provider and region you choose, or on your own hardware.
- Price
- From US$ 150 a month
- Term
- No minimum on its own
- Backups
- Daily, kept for 14 days
- Restoration
- Within 4 business hours
You own it. We run it.
The server and the cloud account stay in your name. Balanita manages them every month. Every contract includes a responsibility matrix stating who owns what, so there is no doubt about who is responsible if something goes wrong.
You own
- The server or cloud account, in your name
- The choice of provider and region
- The cloud bill, paid directly to your provider with no markup
- Your domain and DNS settings
Balanita runs, every month
Server and environment
- Server sizing recommendation for your active learner band
- Operating system and web server maintained
- SSL certificate renewals
- Resizing guidance when your band changes
Security
- Operating system and server security patches applied
- Firewall and server hardening
- Server access limited to Balanita's own experts
Monitoring
- Automated uptime monitoring, around the clock
- Server resource use tracked: processor, memory and disk
- Monthly server summary covering incidents, resource use and backup status
Backups and maintenance
- Daily automated backups of files and database, verified by Balanita
- Backups kept for 14 days
- Restoration on request, within 4 business hours
- Planned maintenance announced 48 hours ahead
Where it runs
One of two arrangements. The monthly service is the same for both.
Cloud
Your cloud account
AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean or another provider. You choose the provider and the region, including regions with no Balanita presence. You pay the provider directly.
On premises
Your own servers
Accepted with minimum specifications and full admin access for Balanita. The response commitment is reduced compared with a cloud account.
What Balanita commits to, and what it doesn't
Balanita does not guarantee the uptime of infrastructure it does not own. That sits with your cloud provider's service level agreement, or with your own team on your own servers. Balanita commits to response times instead.
| Commitment | Detail |
|---|---|
| Security patches | Within 5 business days of a vendor release. Within 48 hours for an actively exploited vulnerability. |
| Critical incident | Site down: actioned within 2 business hours. |
| Alert response | Actioned within your support window. |
| Backup schedule | Daily automated backups, kept for 14 days. |
| Backup restoration | On request, within 4 business hours. |
| Monthly server summary | Delivered by the 5th of the following month. |
| Planned maintenance | Announced 48 hours ahead. |
Priced by active learners, same bands as Manage
An active learner is anyone who logs in at least once in the billing month. There is no minimum term when you buy Server Management on its own. Pay annually and you pay for 10 months and get 12.
| Band | Active learners | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A | Up to 500 | US$ 150 a month |
| B | 501 to 1,500 | US$ 300 a month |
| C | 1,501 and above | Quoted on request |
| Band | Pay upfront | Effective monthly |
|---|---|---|
| A | US$ 1,500 | US$ 125 |
| B | US$ 3,000 | US$ 250 |
| C | Quoted | Quoted |
No minimum term when bought on its own. 30 days written notice to cancel, on monthly billing. Prepaid amounts are not refunded for early cancellation. Band reviewed every quarter; a change applies from the next billing month. All prices exclude taxes, which are calculated according to the applicable country's laws.
Not in the monthly price
Anything outside the monthly scope is quoted first, or paid by you directly. Nothing is added to your bill without your approval.
| Item | How it's handled |
|---|---|
| LMS, plugin and theme updates, LMS support | Balanita Manage. Without it, you handle these. |
| The cloud bill | Paid by you directly to your provider. No markup. |
| Licence fees | Paid by you directly, in your name. |
| Third-party services | CDN, video hosting and email delivery. Paid by you directly. |
| Standby servers or multi-region failover | Not part of the standard service. Quoted separately. |
| Migration from your current host | Scoped and quoted after a review of the current setup. |
Articles on LMS hosting and security
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Why manage the LMS server separately from the platform?
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee server uptime?
No. Uptime of the underlying infrastructure is covered by your cloud provider's service level agreement, or by your own team on your own servers. Balanita commits to response times instead: patching, monitoring, backups and support within your window.
Can our server be in a specific country?
Yes, wherever your chosen cloud provider offers that region. Because the account is yours, the region is your choice.
Do you accept our own physical servers instead of a cloud account?
Yes, with minimum specifications and full admin access for Balanita. The response commitment is reduced compared with a cloud account.
What do you need from us before we start?
Six things. Each one blocks onboarding until it is in place.
- Your chosen provider and region, or your own servers
- Expected active learners and peak concurrent users
- Access for Balanita to manage the account or servers
- A payment method on your cloud account, held by you
- Access to your domain's DNS settings
- A named key contact and a technical administrator
Can we take Server Management without Balanita Manage?
Yes. Server Management has no minimum commitment on its own and can be bought alone. Without Manage, you handle LMS updates and support yourself.
Tell us your provider and region. We'll size and secure the server for it.
A free 30-minute discovery call confirms your provider, your expected learners and where your data needs to sit, then gives you an exact price.