Security & upkeep
Common website security threats, and how Lightning helps
Key takeaway
Stolen passwords, outdated software, harmful requests, traffic floods and lost files can interrupt a business website. Lightning Web Hosting brings together AWS WAF, SSL, CloudFront, individual accounts, private previews and daily website backups to help protect the site and recover when something goes wrong.
In this guide
Security is about keeping your business working
For a business owner, a website problem usually means something practical: customers cannot find you, an enquiry goes missing, the wrong information appears or someone gains access they should not have. Good hosting helps reduce those risks and gives you a recovery route when a problem does happen.
Our hosting runs on AWS, the cloud provider used by major enterprises including Netflix and Canva. We use that foundation for a managed service aimed at NZ businesses. The value is the combination of infrastructure, sensible access, backups and an understood process for changes.
Sources: AWS customers, including Netflix and Canva (opens in a new tab)
Requests that try to exploit the website
Automated tools can send requests looking for weak spots in a website. A web application firewall, shortened to WAF, checks incoming requests against security rules to help protect the website from common attacks.
AWS WAF is included as part of Lightning’s platform security. It helps identify harmful request patterns and unwanted automated traffic. The firewall works with SSL, protected portal accounts, CloudFront delivery and daily website backups, so protection comes from several layers working together.
Too much traffic arriving at once
A traffic attack tries to overwhelm a service so real customers cannot use it. It is often called a DDoS attack. You do not need to remember the initials to ask a host how it handles a sudden flood of requests.
Our plans include Amazon CloudFront, a content delivery network or CDN. It can serve eligible pictures and other public files through AWS’s delivery network, reducing repeat work for the main server. CloudFront also benefits from AWS Shield Standard protection against common network attacks. Website code and capacity still matter, so this is one part of the protection rather than a promise of uninterrupted service.
Someone gets hold of a login
A shared password or a convincing fake sign-in message can give the wrong person access. Your team should use individual accounts, keep passwords private and check unexpected requests before signing in.
Our portal gives people their own accounts and checks their company and website access. A customer account does not open another company’s websites. Change records identify who requested and approved the work, and access can be removed when someone no longer needs it. That makes a clearer trail than a shared administrator login.
What to look for in a secure hostAccess and software security at Lightning Developments
Software gets left behind
Website software needs maintenance. With WordPress that includes WordPress itself, themes and plugins. A custom website can have libraries, forms and connected services that need attention too. The important question is who has agreed to look after each part.
Our modernised websites use HTML or React according to the agreed brief, with human oversight. We assess what the website needs and manage the agreed hosting setup. Tell us about existing plugins or special features before a move so their support and maintenance can be confirmed.
A change breaks something or publishes the wrong information
An honest mistake can cause a business problem too. A deleted phone number, a wrong price or a picture in the wrong place is easier to catch before customers see it.
On Lightning, Arc prepares supported everyday changes as a private preview. You review the revision and approve it before publication starts. Drafts remain separate from the live website, and approval is tied to the version you saw. Previous changes and their approval records stay available in the portal.
Files are lost or the website stops responding
Daily AWS website backups are included in both plans. They provide recovery copies of website files and published content. Our team checks the available copy when a restore is needed. A separate shop, mailbox or outside business tool can have its own backup requirements.
Our platform also has independent AWS availability checks and operational alerts. We monitor our Lightning Developments and Lightning Web Hosting websites, plus portal and backup health. Tell us which functions are critical for your website so any additional checks and recovery needs can be agreed.
Security comes with the hosting
Thunder is NZ$55 + GST a month per website. Lightning is NZ$99 + GST and includes Arc’s everyday updates, subject to fair use. Both include platform security, SSL, CloudFront CDN, daily AWS website backups, free domain registration and DNS. We do not sell higher security tiers for those essentials.
You keep ownership of your website and supplied content, and hosting only starts billing when your website is live with us. Start with its address and we can assess the move, the features you rely on and what needs looking after.
Compare the plansStart with your website addressChoose hosting with clear responsibilities