Many people mistakenly believe that shared hosting is the best option for their business when they launch a website. After all, it’s generally the cheapest way to get started with a web presence.
However, as your business grows and gains recognition for its products or services, you will need more than what shared hosting can provide. Some of your visitors are also going to be travelling from very far away – if their timezone happens to be different from yours – so perhaps you would like to consider a server that supports multiple environments based on timezones in order to make sure your audience gets a better user experience by those visiting the site throughout different parts of the day across the globe.
While most shared hosting servers are generally limited in traffic as well as disk space, this might not be enough for growing businesses that have already gained some traction and have thousands of enthusiastic visitors.
What is a Dedicated Server or Hosting?
A dedicated server is also known as a bare-metal server since it’s a piece of computer hardware that is mainly used by website owners to host their:-
- Websites
- Data
- Applications
A dedicated server provides the same functionality as an in-house server does but with more efficiency. Here, the user or customer remotely connects to the dedicated server over the internet to perform a bunch of services that are specifically designed for the following things:-
- Administration of a website.
- Administration of a server environment.
- Administration of email and domain names.
- Administration of file hosting.
- Administration of operating system maintenance.
- Administration of other web management tools.
In short, a dedicated server is more than a mere web host. It has the power to use complex software and technology to provide clients with dedicated services and resources not availed by shared hosting.
Key features of Dedicated Server or Hosting
In this case, you have to shift your website to a Dedicated Server, as in a Dedicated Server, you will get plenty of features, and among them, here are the key ones:-
- Server Management
- Scalability
- Security
- Administrative Access
- Server Configuration
- High Availability
- Operating System Choices
- Hardware Choices
- Control Panel Options
- Top-Notch Technical Support
- Enhanced Security features
So, dedicated hosting essentially refers to a certain type of hosting service that comes with some profound benefits but also entails its fair share of risks too.
The first and foremost reason why you might want to look into it is that this kind of hosting option will give you the much necessary flexibility that comes with having your own space on the web.
The only thing is that it can get quite expensive if you don’t do enough research beforehand, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into before diving in.
When should you go for a Dedicated Server?
Before opting for a dedicated server, you should consider whether your website is receiving heavy traffic or not. So, if you find your website is receiving heavy traffic, then it may be time for you to upgrade from a shared hosting plan over to a dedicated server.
In this case, if you have a good budget then a dedicated server will be a perfect choice. But, if you have a tight budget then you should consider VPS or Cloud hosting.
Conclusion
Dedicated servers are more expensive, but they’ll get your website message out to the masses for you and won’t affect your data or bandwidth.
However, you still have to consider that it can be more difficult and costly if a dedicated server is not properly maintained, as here, the security of your website will be in your hands alone.
A managed server will require you to pay an additional fee per month, but the web host will guarantee that your site remains online at all times while guaranteeing high performance due to the availability of faster processors and additional hard drives.
So, if you are only hosting one website, and the money is not an issue, then going with a dedicated server will be an ideal option.
But, if you are running a small business or having sites with low traffic then a dedicated server is not for you, as it will significantly increase the expenses.