Is Having a Dedicated Server Worth It?

The debate of having a shared or dedicated hosting package for your
website is one that is ongoing. Both have their benefits and deciding
on the best choice for you will depend largely on your business
requirements. In general, dedicated server hosting is more expensive.
It often also requires more technical expertise. When looking at it
from this perspective, many business owners ask, Is it really worth
it? Let's look at dedicated hosting in more detail and the benefits
associated with it.What Is a Dedicated Server?By simple definition, a
dedicated machine hosts just one client on the server. Compare this to
a shared server where there can be hundreds of websites on a single
server and you can immediately start to see the benefits of having a
dedicated server. While a dedicated server has only one client, it
doesn't necessarily mean that you can have only one website. In fact,
for large companies where there are multiple divisions, it is often
more cost effective to host several domains on a dedicated server than
it is to host each one on a separate shared server.When Would You
Choose Dedicated Hosting Package?Typically, dedicated machines are
used by larger companies with a large web presence. They may have
exceeded their capacity on a shared server and have more technical
requirements for their website that cannot be accommodated on a shared
server. If you are looking at the options of dedicated servers then it
is probably because you have a large capacity website. You may also
want to customize certain aspects of the hosting on the server. Most
shared servers don't allow for customization so if this is important
for your business, dedicated server hosting may be your only other
alternative. What prevents most companies from having dedicated
servers is that they are generally much more expensive. This is why
usually only larger businesses make use of them. While you may have
started out hosting your website on a shared server, you may get to
the point where your business has grown sufficiently and a dedicated
server starts to make more sense.What Are the Benefits of a Dedicated
Hosting package?There are many benefits to having a dedicated package.
Often, when you weigh them up compared to the higher cost, they still
make a convincing argument. A great advantage of a dedicated server is
the higher level of security on the server. Because your business is
the only client on the server, if you are vigilant about your security
systems and anti-virus software, this greatly reduces the risk of
infection. Compare this to a shared server. You can be diligent about
protecting your website but someone else on the same server might not
be. This means that they could fall prey to a virus or spyware which
could then inadvertently affect your website as well just because it
is on the same server. With a dedicated server, you completely
eliminate the risk of this happening. In general, you have a much more
secure hosting platform.A second benefit is the level of customization
available. Often, the technology that you can use on a shared server
is limited because it needs to conform to a shared interface. However,
on a dedicated server, you have the freedom and flexibility to set up
your website using whatever technology and scripts work best for you.
This means that if you have advanced technical knowledge, you can go
into a great amount of detail on the back end of the website and
incorporate whatever technology works for you.Often with dedicated
servers, you get a higher level of customer service from your hosting
provider. You have access to their technical expertise to help you
troubleshoot when you have problems with your website. Because you are
a more valuable client, hosting providers usually go the extra mile to
make sure they are meeting your needs.Another benefit of having a
dedicated server is stability. You have much more control over what is
processed on the server. In this way, you can ensure that you have
maximum uptime for your website. Your website will be unaffected by
other websites or hosting clients. You can control what scripts and
processes you run to ensure that the website functions optimally. On a
shared server, your uptime can often be affected by things that are
beyond your control. With a dedicated server, you do not need to worry
about this.