Why choose a dedicated server for your web site
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Vanessa December 22, 2010
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The web hosting industry has developed many solutions for web
businesses looking to create an online presence. Many different
solutions exist based upon the needs of the business in growth, space or
bandwidth needed, and ability to self administrate. The dedicated server hosting solution is best used for businesses on a growth spiral, who need full
control of their administrative privileges, with an audience or customer
base large enough to justify the expenses of full server maintenance. What is a dedicated server?
A dedicated server means that a business has the full resources of a
web server all to itself. Most web hosting solutions today are shared hosting,
which means that a web site shares a server with many other web sites.
Bandwidth is shared. This means that the problems, or even the
successes, of one web site can become the problems of another. If one of
the web sites on a shared server experiences a sudden spike in
activity, other sites lose bandwidth and may suffer negative
consequences, up to and including down time, through no fault of their
own. A dedicated server negates this problem. Dedicated servers also
give the user much more administrative control. There are managed web
hosting solutions available for business owners who may need technical
assistance with administration. Why choose a dedicated server for your web site?
A dedicated server is absolutely essential under certain
circumstances. If your business requires daily updates, has frequently
dynamic streaming content, or relies on user generated content or any
type of submissions for its business model, a dedicated server may be
your best bet. In such businesses, memory usage is not constant and can
fluctuate wildly. Administrative privileges will be necessary to keep up
with the constant pressures that new information will have on the base
web site. If the audience of a business is large enough that
any down time would adversely affect sales, a dedicated server may be
the best solution as well. Audiences on the web are notoriously fickle,
and if they cannot obtain the product, or service, your business
advertises as soon as they need it, they will simply find the
competition and buy from them. Also, if your business brand is already
well known, there are considerations of reputation to consider. On a
shared server, another site could be responsible for your site's
shutdown, but your customer base sees it simply as unprofessionalism on
the part of your business. Managed vs. Unmanaged Servers
With dedicated servers, the business is given complete administrative
control of the server. Unless a business has a dedicated division for
server administration, the best solution is probably a managed server
solution. A managed server solution means that the company owning the
server is fully responsible for server maintenance and troubleshooting. Unmanaged server plans are less expensive, but provide even more
freedom for the technologically prepared. Full in house control of a
server gives a business unlimited access to bandwidth needs,
administrative privileges, and troubleshooting problems. Though most
businesses choose a managed solution, if a business grows to the point
where it can afford in house help, the unmanaged server plans can help a
business grow even faster. |