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Advantages of a Dedicated Server

Advantages of a Dedicated Server By Daniel D Dwase...

When it comes to looking at moving to a dedicated server, initially it may seem that there are not many significant advantages.

After all for many, it's essentially just the same thing as a shared hosting account, but the truth is that a dedicated server is really worlds apart from anything a shared host could ever hope to provide.

Initially, the thing to consider is that many shared hosting providers have many thousands of hosting accounts per server! This means that everyone is sharing the same CPU, bandwidth and in many cases also the server address (IP).

Given that servers can only deliver so much, many shared hosting providers simply fill servers not just to capacity, but overcapacity resulting in massive slowdowns for everyone.

As the Internet keeps on growing, web applications are getting more demanding. Normally, dedicated hosting is one of the only ways to ensure that a server really can deliver the performance required, because shared hosting simply cannot.

With a dedicated server, you are free to use 100% of all the resources as much or as little as you'd like. The only catch is that unlike a shared hosting account, you are also responsible for the management.

Managing a dedicated server doesn't mean simply uploading and downloading files. Instead, with a dedicated server you are tasked with the responsibility of security updates, backups and also ensuring that everything is working! While there are advantages, it's not always straightforward when it comes to setting up your dedicated server.

Generally speaking however, a dedicated server gives you more than just a hosting account. Instead of simply having a place to store files and host your website, you have at your disposal an online platform from which you can do almost anything.

Running a streaming media service? No problem. Want your own VPN (Virtual Private Network) server? Easy. The choices are infinite, and the only limitation is your imagination, server capabilities and as always - the cost of bandwidth.

When thinking about choosing between a shared hosting account and a dedicated server, it's important to look at the advantages of a dedicated server objectively.

In general, think of the price, the performance and the reliability that you can gain and then make the choice based on an accurate assessment.

While indeed the costs for a dedicated server may be higher, it's certainly worth the additional investment, because of the fact it's not just your own 'computer' but you also get a great deal, more bandwidth than anything you've experienced with a shared hosting account.

Bandwidth and IP addressing has to be one of the biggest advantages of a dedicated server, because with your own dedicated server, you don't need to worry about your bandwidth or IP address being polluted by junk or spam sites which do nothing but destroy search engine rankings.

As a result, by creating your own server, you can be assured that the IP is dedicated to you and you alone.

Generally speaking, there are two main choices of dedicated server �virtual private servers (VPS) and fully dedicated machines. VPS servers are a great choice if you are on a budget as they provide all the advantages of a dedicated server, but in a virtualized environment meaning instead of renting an entire box, you simply rent a part of one.

Virtual hosting has dominated the market recently, and it is a hybrid between shared hosting and dedicated servers.

Think of it as having the power to host your own server, but without the expense of renting a whole box. It literally segments one big server into numerous chunks giving everyone their own mini-server within the main or parent node.

After choosing between a physical box and a virtual one, you are left with deciding just what exactly your server will run.

The obvious choice is to go for a UNIX dedicated server mainly because of the fact that this provides flexibility, freedom and most importantly, affordability.

However, if you're renting a dedicated server for your business, the advantages of a Windows dedicated server may speak for themselves if you are thinking of harnessing the power of Exchange, BizTalk and SharePoint.

However, before you decide to choose a dedicated server, it's important to realize that many budget hosting packages are unmanaged.

This means that from the moment it comes online, you are in control. The advantages of a dedicated server are great, but it's not very advantageous to have a server and not know how to use it!

Especially with UNIX servers, they are not very straightforward and this is perhaps one of the inherent disadvantages.

While yes, dedicated servers are infinitely more powerful and scalable, when it comes to ensuring everything is functioning correctly, this can be a fulltime job in some cases.

This means that renting a dedicated server means knowing how to administer and ensure that there are backups even in the worst case scenario.

Unlike hosting where you can simply call support for help, many dedicated server providers will actually charge you for this service!

Costing a dedicated server is actually easier than you'd think. It's quite similar to choosing a real computer, and most dedicated hosting providers offer online ordering which means your dedicated server can be available in just a few hours, and then your server will be live.

There are many dedicated server packages which offer more than just a box with a command prompt.

Today, more and more hosting providers are offering managed server hosting which gives you all the advantages of a dedicated server, but without any of the headaches that comes with administration or maintenance, it's simply a case of telling them what you need, and then they deliver. It's about as simple as it gets!

As shared hosting gets more and more overcrowded, people are electing to move from shared accounts to dedicated servers.

For many businesses such as web design studios and larger companies, a dedicated server is the only option, and while initially it may be a nerve wrecking decision to make, the advantages of a dedicated server speak for themselves and as they get more affordable, it's not many people who can't afford a quality dedicated server.