What’s included with the WordPress Monthly Maintenance?

• Individualized, weekly backups of the full web site.  Databases and all files.
• Backups are stored offsite in cloud storage.
• Weekly web site check to make sure web site is functioning properly.
• Automatic updates to core files and plugin files for WordPress.
• Manual check that web site to make sure updates are functioning properly.
• Up to 1 hour of time to fix any issues that are found from upgrading or updating.

Why do I need the WordPress Monthly Maintenance package?

• WordPress is very popular thus a huge target for hackers.  WordPress runs 20% of all web sites on the internet which is the largest amount for any web management system. Everyday WordPress web sites are scanned and attempted to be hacked by bots, hackers, and others.  High traffic sites may get scanned up to a 1000 times per hour!
• If errors or issues come up from the updates or backups then fixing the issues is free for up to one full hour. Weekly Azunga will hand check to make sure the site is properly functioning and running smoothly. If errors are found then we fix them right away.
• WordPress plugins, themes, and core files are updated on a irregular but frequent basis. Most web sites run around 15-25 installed plugins. All plugins and themes run on separate code from the core files, all written by different authors, and all have different development cycles. Recently, a very popular plugin was found to have a exploit and the only fix is to update the plugin.
• The core files are more regularly updated and announced but they have a bigger impact on the site since the WordPress developers sometimes stop using some types of code and introduce new code, features, and ways of processing data. That means things can often break when upgrading to a new version.
• Known exploits for old versions are available online from a number of sources. WordPress hackers know when new versions of WordPress come out and they know the exploits for the old versions.
• Regular backups are smart in case another site on the same server or the server itself gets hacked. Unless a site is running on it’s own dedicated server (most aren’t because that’s way overkill and too expensive for many sites) then there’s most likely other web sites on the server running any number of random types of code, software, or management system.

What if my web site does get hacked?

• Any personal information on the site could be taken and exploited.  Many states have identity theft laws which hold businesses accountable for securing personal information such as social security numbers, addresses, ages, email addresses, and more. The state of Oregon, for example, can issue penalties of up to $500,000 per occurrence.    The site can be setup to act as a gateway and host for virus’s, malware, and spyware.
• The site can be made to look identical to other well know sites (banks, credit card processors, Paypal, etc) in order to trick users into revealing personal information. Often these cloned sites files are located in folders of folders of folders ie. really deeply located in the web hosting. This helps prevent detection but can be difficult to find and remove.
• The site could become blacklisted, the domain name registrar could terminate the domain name, or the host could cancel hosting services.
• The site could be used to send mass email spam. This could cause a sites email and domain name to be blacklisted on all major spam protections around the world.
• The site will then need to be fixed and patched. With this monthly service that is included without additional cost for up to one hour.