A dedicated hosting plan is just one of the several types of web hosting services that are usually offered by internet hosting providers. It only means that the client has an entire web server completely at their disposal for his or her own projects. Unless otherwise explained, the majority of hosting packages that are sold nowadays are shared hosting packages that deny you the right to have the entire server to yourself. Shared hosting packages usually make it possible for webmasters to access very low prices. Nevertheless, there are notable disadvantages that shared hosting has over buying dedicated servers. Shared hosting aside, let us establish why you need to consider buying a dedicated server for your business.
1. For the highest and fastest performance
If your website project requires a high amount of processing power, then shared hosting will be too slow for you. It is especially the case if your project entails the performance of a lot of server-side calculations. This can happen if your website experiences high traffic volumes or performs complex tasks such as 3D rendering or image conversions. By purchasing a dedicated server, you will be sure that all your hardware potential will be at your service.
2. Memory needs
Does your project require large amounts of Random Access Memory? If it does, then you need a dedicated server to help you provide a service with appropriate response times. It is especially the case where large database applications are involved. When you are in need of large memory, it is almost impossible for you to trust shared hosting.
3. Privacy and security
A dedicated server is commonly used by a client who buys or rents it. On the other hand, it is important to note that dedicated hosting usually comes with the responsibility of managing your own server. You can tweak all the aspects of security as much as you want in dedicated servers, as long as you are aware of and understand what you are doing. On the other hand, you must be ready to install all the security updates and patches among numerous others. If a dedicated server is what you need but want to get rid of performing the administrative tasks of managing the server, you may want to consider buying managed dedicated hosting.
4. Availability of large storage and traffic
Does your project require a considerable amount of storage space? Do you hope to get enormous traffic at any one point or most of the time? If yes, what you need to invest in is a dedicated server. With dedicated servers, you will have the entire disk space at your disposal. Dedicated servers usually have large amounts of bandwidth capable of accommodating huge amounts of website traffic. In this regard, you can be sure that your clients will experience faster web page loading when they type in your URL in their browsers.
5. Access to custom hardware and software setups
When it comes to shared hosting, you must be willing to accept the standard package on an as-is basis. On the other hand, a dedicated server provides you full control over all the aspects of the hardware as well as software. For instance, you can install special ISAPI elements on your dedicated windows server if you so wish. Additionally, you are at liberty to install special third-party software; something that cannot be said about shared servers.
With all these advantages that dedicated servers have over shared hosting, it would be impossible not to consider the former for your business. Therefore, if you have a large business, you are anticipating huge traffic or your website is expected to perform complex tasks, then the right solution for your business is a dedicated server. However, you must be willing and able to spend a considerable amount of money compared to shared servers.
Photo credit: Pierrot Carre
