You must look for a dedicated
server hosting plan from your current VPS or shared hosting when there is a
constant increase in traffic to your website. The indications about the system
performance can be felt as you will experience high webpage load time or frequent
error reports. This happens because the server you are currently using is
unable to bear the traffic load.
High traffic is good
news since it means your services are being liked by the consumers. it becomes
crucial that you ensure your site is available and performs at its best
catering to the varying demands of your customers.
How dedicated server
differs from the other hosting platforms
When you invest in a dedicated
server hosting plan, you have the complete physical server exclusively
for your business. It means the practice of sharing the server with other
websites is eliminated in dedicated servers. The complete 100% of the resources
like space, bandwidth, RAM is at your disposal. This makes it more reliable and
ensures the server will easily cope up with any kind of traffic pressures.
Higher in price:
However, a dedicated
server is more expensive than the other hosting options. This is mainly because
the expenses of the server are borne by one single entity, unlike in the other
platforms, where it gets split across multiple users. The fear of price has
deterred many of the smaller businesses to upgrade resulting in business
underperformance. You must look for service providers that offer a range of
packages that can be scaled as your needs grow.
You could start with a
low resource dedicated server hosting plan and upgrade as your requirements
change. In return for your investment, you will get assured benefits that will
enhance your business reliability and productivity. Before delving into the benefits there are
two other important factors that you must consider that makes a difference in
the price.
1. Operating system:
Linux or Windows?
Dedicated
server hosting plan is
offered in both Linux and Windows servers. Features and benefits are
similar in both though there is a difference in price. This is mainly because
Windows servers come with a license fee that is added to the plan cost making
it more expensive than Linux. For smooth performance, it is recommended to use
Windows servers if your site is built on the ASP.NET technologies. In case your
website is built using the open source script languages of PHP, Perl, Python
etc, you must buy the Linux plans.
2. Managed or
self-managed?
This is yet another
crucial decision that must be taken when you buy a dedicated server hosting plan. Managed hosting will work perfectly
for you since all the server technical tasks will be handled by the hosting
company that has built your machine for you. It also gives you more resources
and time to focus on core business. Managed hosting comes at a higher price
than the self-managed hosting. It works perfectly for businesses that are not
technically-inclined and saves you the effort of investing in qualified
engineers.
Self-managed hosting requires
the clients to have technical manpower to manage the server, deploy and
maintain the hardware, install and manage software updates, take care of the
security aspects and every other task connected to the server.
Benefits you get on
buying a dedicated server hosting plan:
Complete control: You
get root access to customize the machine as you wish. Ask for the hardware of
your preference, install any software, host any number of websites, use the
server for any purpose.
Easy to manage: Most of
the hosting companies will setup the server free of cost. It comes with a
control panel that allows easy and simple ways to manage your account.
Reliable: You can be
assured of high speed and superior performance since there is no distribution
of resources. You get a dedicated IP and
with tools like CDN, SSD, SSL, and more you can enjoy a clear-cut edge over
your competitors. Reliable hosts offer 24/7 technical support.
Security: The server is
built with strong firewalls and anti-malware solutions. Risks that you find in
shared hosting is not possible in this type of machine. The top hosting
companies offer proactive monitoring to make sure there are no suspicious
activities or unknown intrusions. The server is placed in well-guarded data
centers where access is restricted to people authorized by you.
