What Is Dedicated Hosting And How To Pick A Provider?
A shared hosting account is often sufficient for small companies just starting out on the web. It easily allows them to establish an online presence, position their brands and products, and start collecting leads or selling goods.However, when that company starts growing and business picks up, or when its site becomes larger and more complex with corresponding increases in traffic, the website may slow down, start lagging, or stop responding altogether. That means the site needs more resources than it has available and shared hosting is no longer enough. It’s time to look at dedicated hosting.
What Is Dedicated Hosting?
Of all the terms used by hosting companies, dedicated hosting is perhaps the most easily understood. It simply means that a web server is completely dedicated to one client’s needs. No other customer shares the machine or its resources, and the client can set up and then use the server in any way it sees fit. It can host one very large website, host a number of smaller sites, or even let other companies use some of the server if it chooses.
With a dedicated hosting package, the client does not own the server. It’s simply rented, and the cost of the machine and its maintenance is included in the client’s monthly fee. The price of a dedicated box is largely based on the type and specifications of the computer (for example, a customer will pay extra for a more powerful processor or additional memory) and the amount of bandwidth allotted to the account. Whether or not server administration and support is included in the price of a dedicated hosting package depends on the individual web host, as does the matter of who has responsibility for software and operating system upgrades. Dedicated hosting gives the client full root access to the server, so that it can be configured as desired.
Advantages of Dedicated Hosting
If you need dedicated hosting and your budget supports it, a dedicated server holds a number of huge advantages over shared hosting packages.
Performance and reliability: Since there are no other clients hosted on a dedicated server, no one else’s sites are using any of the memory or bandwidth. That means website speed, uptime and overall performance are maximized with no sudden or unexpected problems caused by another client’s surge in traffic.
Control and flexibility: Robust sites often need very specific configurations, software or resource allocations not possible when a server is being shared with multiple users who have very different needs. With dedicated hosting, the machine can be set up and run according to the requirements of the client. It’s also likely that a client won’t immediately use all the resources of a dedicated server, providing room to grow a web presence without needing to change hosting arrangements; in many cases, the server can simply be upgraded if more memory or storage space are required.
Security: With virtual hosting, the client has to rely on the web host to patch security holes and update vulnerable server software. On a dedicated hosting plan, the client has the option to handle those security issues immediately. Additionally, since no other customers have sites on the server, there’s no chance that someone else may be running a site which could be compromised by a virus or attack affecting the entire machine.
IP addresses: A dedicated server will be assigned at least one unique IP address which isn’t shared with any other client, as opposed to the shared IPs used in virtual hosting. Most hosts can also supply additional IPs, if justified, for dedicated hosting clients.
Disadvantages of Dedicated Hosting
There’s really just one major disadvantage when comparing dedicated to shared hosting: cost. The price of an entry-level dedicated server can easily be ten times higher than a small virtual account, and will almost always be in the $100 per month range (if not higher). However, if you’re making smart decisions about hosting, this is really comparing apples to oranges. A company which needs dedicated hosting can’t provide the same web experience to users if it hosts on a virtual account; in fact, it’s likely that a website which should be running on a dedicated server won’t even function properly on a shared account. For a client whose site (or sites) needs dedicated hosting, the cost should be easily manageable.
It could also be said that there’s a disadvantage to a dedicated server if a client chooses an unmanaged package, since server administration can be time-consuming and requires expertise on the part of the customer. This is easily handled, though, by opting for a managed server solution which normally doesn’t cost a lot more than unmanaged packages.
A final small disadvantage is that common software, script or platform installation is not included with dedicated server packages as it is with most shared control panel hosting with one-click installation. In most cases, however, those tasks aren’t very difficult to perform and many hosting companies are willing to assist, if necessary, as part of their support service.
(There are several disadvantages to dedicated hosting when compared to colocation - purchasing all of the hardware and renting rack space at a nearby server company - but since colocating servers is only a realistic possibility for the largest of clients, those issues don’t really matter to the majority of hosting customers.)
Difference Between Dedicated and VPS Hosting
Put simply, VPS (virtual private server) hosting is actually shared hosting designed to “mimic” the advantages of a dedicated server at a lower cost. VPS accounts are set up on a server that’s shared with a small number of clients, each of whom has their own separate section of the machine with its own dedicated resources and storage.
A VPS account gives clients more control than they would have with a shared account, since they can configure their own area of the server as desired (with some limitations). It also lowers the possibility of poor site performance due to demands on the machine from other clients’ sites. However, VPS hosting provides nowhere near the resources available with a dedicated server, is somewhat less secure, and doesn’t allow a client root access to completely manage the setup and operation of the box.
VPS hosting usually costs a good deal less than dedicated hosting, because the client gets a lot less. It’s often seen as a stepping-stone between a simple shared hosting account and a full-fledged dedicated server.
How To Pick A Dedicated Hosting Provider
As with any hosting decision, the first step is to narrow down the possibilities by checking the performance and reputation of the providers you’re considering, either by speaking with other business professionals who have responsibility for their company’s hosting or by checking honest reviews online (on web hosting boards or sites devoted to monitoring web host performance).
Next, you should decide whether you want managed or unmanaged hosting; the pros and cons have already been discussed above, but this is usually a simple decision, based on whether you have the ability and desire to handle server administration. If you decide on managed hosting, look for reviews on the companies’ tech support capabilities while you’re checking their reputations.
It’s then time to assess your server needs: the processor power, the amount of RAM and how much storage you’ll need, as well as how much bandwidth you will be likely to consume. These will depend on the type of site(s) you’re running; the more complicated the sites (if they’re delivering a lot of multi-media files, if there are large amounts of visitors, if they’re serving dynamically-generated pages or running demanding scripts) the more power and bandwidth you’ll need. You can then compare dedicated hosting packages and prices from the providers you have on your list in order to make your decision.
If you’re at a loss trying to figure it all out, many hosting providers will be happy to discuss your needs and their packages with potential dedicated server clients. At the very least, be sure that the cost of excess bandwidth isn’t exorbitant and that the host will guarantee bandwidth availability (so your site doesn’t go down) while arranging to move you to a higher-level package.
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