A Shropshire-based internet consultancy is warning local companies that unless they know who is physically hosting their website and how to access the data, they could risk losing it for good.

iSEV Ltd is a specialist internet and design consultancy based in Telford, and the team has recently rescued a number of clients after their web host intermediary company went into administration or closed down.

"It's much more common that you might think" explained Lee French, Technical Director of iSEV Ltd. "The recession has hit many businesses hard, and in the last fortnight alone we've seen a handful of separate clients who have either had their websites shut down or they've lost all access to the site and don't know where it's being hosted or by whom" he added.

iSEV is advising local businesses to check whether the company they're using to host their website is actually doing this on their own server or whether they're using a third party dedicated host. "If it's the latter, make sure you know who they are, where they're based and how to get in touch if the worst did happen, also make sure you personally keep regular backups of both the website and any databases" advised Lee.

"For many local businesses it can be devastating to lose their website - either because of the investment they've put into the site itself or because of the damage it can do to their business in terms of lost sales and negative messaging" he explained. "Worst still is the thought that the site may stay live but that the business owner isn't able to access the content to change and update it. It could be a nightmare, but one which can be avoided by asking the right questions now" he concluded.

iSEV Ltd is offering free advice to any local businesses concerned about their web hosting service, and has a dedicated helpline set up. "Anyone with any queries is welcome to call us on 0845 302 3080 or email advice@isev.co.uk and we'd be happy to give appropriate guidance" he concluded.