What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is a server we leases to you. Unlike shared hosting where you share a server with other customers, with dedicated hosting you control an entire server. You’re free to host as many websites as you wish on the server. Additionally, you can customize it by choosing your operator system software. You can also choose the control panel you’ll use to manage your websites. You can select the amount of RAM and bandwidth you need. As you’ll see, dedicated hosting offers advantages.
Benefits
If you’re like most small businesses, you probably launched your website using shared hosting. Shared hosting is an inexpensive hosting option that gives you the tools needed to get websites up and running quickly. This is important if you’re operating with a limited budget and have little technical knowledge. However, as your website expands and your web traffic grows, you may benefit from the control you get with a dedicated server.
Less Downtime
Chances are you’ve experienced times when your website went down with shared hosting. When it did, you had to patiently wait for service to be restored by your web host. All of that downtime means lost money for your business. In contrast, when you’re hosting your website using a dedicated server, you have more control over these outages. For example, if your server goes down, you can work on getting it up and running quickly. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can use the services of a systems administrator to manage your server.
More Reliable
When you host your website using shared hosting, your website may load slowly at peak times. Traffic from other websites hosted on the same server can slow your website down. As a result, visitors may become frustrated. And if your website loads too slowly, they may leave the site. Consequently, you could lose income. In contrast, with dedicating hosting you don’t share bandwidth with other websites. This is an advantage when it comes to speed.
Added Security
When you host your website on a dedicated server, you have fewer security concerns. However, with shared hosting, another person sharing the server with you could upload a file that contains a virus that negatively impacts the entire server. But with dedicated hosting, the only files you have to worry about are the ones you and your staff upload. This means fewer worries and headaches about security issues.
Dedicated IP Address
With dedicated domain hosting, you get your own unique IP address that directs only to your website. With shared hosting, each of your websites has its own individual IP address. To locate the proper IP address, your hosting company uses a special software called a host-header-reading software. Going through this additional step can slow down how fast your websites load. With a dedicated server and your own unique IP address, website loading is usually faster.
Is a Dedicated Server the Best Choice for You?
If you’re a larger business that needs more hosting space, control and security, a dedicated server is a good option. You can customize your server to meet your needs and add additional features as needed. Your pages will usually load more quickly, because you’re not sharing bandwidth with other websites. A dedicated server costs a little more, but for some businesses, the benefits are worth it.