Dedicated Servers are the most powerful hosting solution on the market. It is the most sought after hosting environment in the industry for large internet companies due to the specifications of its features. But, for those that are not technically inclined you may find yourself with more questions than answers about the robust power of dedicated servers. Not worry, we’re here to answer the most asked questions about this coveted hosting environment for your small business.
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1. Can you explain what Dedicated Hosting is?
Within a dedicated hosting environment, you rent to utilise the entirety of the server. Within this hosting environment, there is just one website on a very powerful server. Dedicated hosting is best equip to handle websites with extremely high traffic volume, and or require a unique server set-up with specialised software.
Dedicated hosting allows for website owners to have complete control over the server environment, allowing for server customisations for companies.
2. Who is dedicated server hosting for?
A dedicated hosting environment is designed for the more technically savvy users. This is because you are primarily responsible for managing your own server, configuring new software and securing it. If it sounds like a lot of work, then you’re right, it is.
For this reason, dedicated hosting is the choice for incredibly large websites with heavy traffic on a daily basis, intricate software and applications, and websites that require high-level security options.
Due to the price point associated with maintaining dedicated servers, it is usually a hosting option reserved for companies that have the resources to afford it.
3. How does dedicated hosting differ from other hosting environments?
Within the hosting industry, there are 3 types of hosting options with a plethora of features and levels available to users that will suit their website’s needs. While we’ve explained the essential make-up of a dedicated server you may be wondering how it measures up to other hosting environments.
Shared Web Hosting
Shared hosting is the usual first step a new website owner takes when choosing a hosting environment for a new website. In a shared web hosting environment, multiple websites are hosted on one server and they share the resources of that server. Because the resources are divided among various websites this keeps shared hosting price point very low. Websites that use this hosting option tend to be much smaller with little to moderate traffic.
Virtual private Server hosting
VPS hosting is the upgrade most users choose when they are looking for a more robust and powerful hosting environment but are not ready to break the bank and sign up for dedicated hosting. With VPS hosting, users get to enjoy the best of both worlds. A virtual private server functions within a shared environment but with the power of a dedicated server. So users purchase a virtual server within a larger server (thus being shared) however all of the resources belong to their website.
Dedicated servers, of course, are the ceiling when it comes to hosting environments. As we’ve said, the users rent the entire server. This allows for much more control and tailoring of the server to suit the needs or purpose of the company.
4. What’s the difference between managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting?
Unmanaged dedicated hosting is just as it suggests, you will rent a server that has nothing installed beside the specifications of the server itself, and you have free reign to customise it to suit your needs.
Additionally, you will manage your technical support, which includes installing software and software updates, server maintenance, security tools, etc. You will manage the entire server on your own. Naturally, this is well suited for companies that have their own tech support and or IT person that can adequately perform server upkeep.
With managed dedicated hosting your hosting provider will provide the technical support you need to help you set up and manage your dedicated server. While you may have to carry out some technical tasks yourself, your hosting provider will do most of the heavy lifting. This option comes highly recommended for those that would prefer to leave their server in the trusted hands of experts.
5. What are the best features of dedicated hosting?
If you’ve been paying attention you will have noticed that dedicated hosting is a high power environment that you can use to host your website, especially if you’re a large company. So the meat of it, I’m sure you’re wondering are the features that make dedicated hosting the crème de la crème of hosting.
- Fully customisable server options: CPU type, operating system, and the amount of RAM and storage available.
- 99% Uptime guarantee
- Optional cPanel and WHM panel for easy management
- Complete and full root access
6. What are the benefits of using dedicated servers?
If your website requires the power of a dedicated server then the advantages are numerous. One of the greatest benefits is that of security. Because the nature of a dedicated server is a solitary environment it translates to being the most secure hosting option. That is because there is no sharing of the server with other websites that may be susceptible to cybercriminals.
With dedicated server hosting, you get a higher rate of uptime due to little to no hardware and software failures. Optimised for performance, dedicated servers are uniquely structured too and can have further customisation to suit your website needs. As your website is the only one on the server, expect high server velocity and all the server’s resources.
Dedicated servers are fully scalable and can continually grow with the evolving needs of your website.
7. What are the drawbacks of dedicated servers?
While dedicated servers have more benefits than drawbacks, unfortunately, it is not a one-size-fits-all for all website owners. A few reasons include:
- Need for technical knowledge is a must: This hosting environment requires technical knowledge to ensure continued maintenance of the servers. Even with the managed option, you will need to know a thing or two about setting up a server.
- High-end Price-point: Because you’re renting an entire server for one website this drives the costs up. For that reason, dedicated hosting is the most expensive hosting solution on the market. If you don’t quite have the budget for a dedicated server, then VPS hosting is where you should look. Have questions about VPS hosting? Check out the most frequently asked VPS questions here.
By now you should have a much better understanding of dedicated servers. Certainly, this should help you an informed decision when selecting your website hosting solution. However, if you have further questions visit our FAQ section, knowledge base or contact support here.
