Choosing the type of web hosting for a website is one of the most important decisions that a website owner will make. This is because there are several different types of web hosting. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is important for the website owner to know more about these types, and to choose the one that will benefit their business most. One of the most popular types of web hosting is dedicated server hosting.
What is dedicated server hosting?
Dedicated server hosting is a type of hosting in which a single server is leased to a website owner or an organization. This means that the client will have complete control of the server. Furthermore, all of the software and hardware resources of the server are completely used by the client’s website. This type of hosting has a lot of benefits, and this is what makes it so important for certain types of businesses.
Benefits of dedicated server hosting
1. This type of hosting is more reliable. The website will have more up-time because it is not sharing its bandwidth with any other websites. Therefore, the website owner can be sure that the website’s visitors will never have any problem with bandwidth.
2. Improved scalability. New businesses are usually smaller, and they need less resources in a server. However, all website owners would like a server that allows them to grow their website with time. Dedicated servers usually have more scalability. This is because all the resources belong to the particular website. Therefore, they can increase the size of their website whenever they need to.
3. More flexibility and control. When a server is shared between several websites, no website has access to all the features. This is because changing certain features on the server could affect other websites on that server. However, this is not a problem with dedicated hosting. Since the client has the entire server to themselves, they have more control and flexibility.
4. Dedicated hosting offers the client better security. A dedicated server is not shared with any other website. Therefore, it is more difficult for any other person to gain access to files, passwords or information. This fact, combined with security patches and regular updates, makes this one of the most secure hosting options.
How to choose a dedicated server hosting service
All websites are different, and the needs of one website may not be similar to the needs of another website. Therefore, each website owner should consider certain hardware and software specifications when choosing their dedicated hosting service. Some of them include:
The server’s processor
The first question that all website owners who want a dedicated server should ask themselves is: How powerful should the server be? This usually depends on the type of website that one has. Websites that need very powerful servers usually have CPU-intensive scripts, virtualization servers, specialized servers for games, video transcoding servers, and SQL servers.
The memory needs of the website
Before choosing a dedicated server hosting, the website owner should consider the website’s memory requirements, and how this will affect their loading speeds. This is in the form of Random Access Memory. RAM is the data storage capacity that is available and that will allow the website’s visitors to access any information from the server. Therefore, the more RAM a website has, the faster it will load.
Storage needs
A website owner can choose the type and number of hard disks that they will have on their dedicated servers. This usually depends on whether they handle small and sensitive data, or massive amounts of data that is not too sensitive. A website that handles unique or sensitive information from the clients can have a single hard disk that stores the information, and other hard disks that store the back up. This way, the sensitive information is never lost. However, clients who simply want more storage without any back ups can have a large hard disk that stores information, and a secondary hard disk that will only be used when the primary hard disk is full.
Bandwidth needs
This usually depends on the amount of traffic that the website will have. This is because the bandwidth will determine the amount of data that can be transferred from the server to the website, and vice versa, within a particular period of time. This period of time is usually called the billing cycle. A website that has a lot of visitors requires more bandwidth. Furthermore, a website that will have images, videos, and scripts that require intense database communication will require a larger bandwidth.
Operating systems
There are usually two major operating systems that are used in a server: Windows and Linux. Whether one chooses a Windows Server or a Linux Dedicated Server will depend on their website as well as their particular needs. Websites that were programmed on a MS SQL or a ASP.NET server will have to be hosted on a Windows Dedicated Server. However, if it is designed using PHP, Apache, MySQL, or even Ruby on Rails, it will have to be hosted on a Linux/Unix Dedicated server that runs on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora or CentOS. It is also important for the website owner to make sure that they can use the control panel and other administrative areas on the server when choosing the Operating System to work with.
How to choose the best web hosting company
When choosing any web hosting company, there are a number of factors to consider. They include:
Technical support
It is always important to ensure that the technical support team will be available at all times to answer the needs of the client. This way, the client will have peace of mind as they will be sure that their website will always be taken care of in case there is an issue.
Up-time
All website owners would prefer if their website is up at all times. This is because every time it is down, they lose clients. It is always better to ask a web hosting company about their up-time percentage. It is better to work with companies that have an up-time percentage of at least 99.99 per cent in a year.
Customer reviews
A lot of web hosting companies usually promise to do a lot of things for the customer. However, only previous or current customers can provide an honest testimonial of their experience with a company. It is always important to work with companies that have positive reviews. If previous customers are satisfied, it is likely that the prospective client will be satisfied as well.
Hardware and software
It is important to choose a company that has all the hardware and software requirements that your company needs. This is the only way that the dedicated server will be perfect for the business.
Price
The cost of hosting with a particular company should always be considered. While it is not advisable to compromise quality with price, it is always better to host with a company that has reasonable prices. Dedicated hosting is usually more expensive that shared hosting or VPS hosting, but the price should not be unreasonable. The prospective client should shop around in order to ensure that the hosting company that they choose offers great value at a reasonable price.
Conclusion
Dedicated hosting has a lot of benefits, and there are quite a number of factors to consider when choosing a dedicated server and a web hosting company. However, a person who finds that a dedicated server is not what they need can still choose shared web hosting. This type of hosting involves sharing a server with several other websites. It is quite cheap, and it is suitable for small websites and blogs that do not have any sensitive information.
