Some businesses don’t realize just how important it is to have an online presence. Statistics show that most consumers, private and corporate, now use the Internet to locate new products and companies. In fact, the highest percentage of online searches are conducted from mobile devices and this further proves the importance of having a well-developed and highly ranking website.
However, hosting that website becomes problematic when it comes to choosing the kind of server to use. It can get a little tricky if you don’t understand the various types of hosting and which suits your business best. Let’s look at a few of your options and then talk a bit about whether you need dedicated server hosting.
The Most Popular Types of Web Server Hosting
Before looking at what kind of server your business needs, it helps to know a bit about the most popular types of web hosting available. These would be, in order of popularity:
- Shared server hosting
- VPS – Virtual Private Server
- Dedicated Servers
- Cloud Servers
- Managed Hosting – Usually VPS Managed Hosting
Although quite popular, most companies can rule out Shared Server Hosting and Virtual Private Servers. The reason for this is because they are typically limited in size and speed and these types of hosting services entail sharing server space with other companies and/or individuals. While they may be fast enough to accommodate your needs in terms of load times, they may not be as secure as a dedicated server. Cloud and Managed servers likewise use shared space that has been ‘compartmentalized.’ In other words, in anything other than a dedicated server hosting platform, you will be sharing space with other entities.
A Quick Look at Dedicated Hosting
Perhaps your web development company advised you that dedicated server hosting would be in your company’s best interest and although you are familiar with the term, you aren’t quite certain why they would suggest that. You may even want to know if they get a kickback from the hosting company they recommend. This may be the case, but most reliable web developers know that a dedicated server offers the ultimate in protection as well as storage space and transfer speeds. However, that does come at a cost, and this is what has you questioning their motives.
Yes, it is more expensive to host your site with a dedicated server but what you may not fully understand is the amount of protection you are offered. Think of web hosting like a residence; it is, after all, where your website resides. Which do you think would be safer, an apartment building with one guard servicing 100+ apartments or a single family dwelling with iron security fencing and state-of-the-art security systems plus that security guard? You’ve got it! That single-family dwelling with its own private security team, state-of-the-art at that, would be your most secure.
When Security Is Your Ultimate Concern
So then, to answer the question as to whether or not you need dedicated server hosting, ask yourself just how important security is to you. That’s the predominant reason for the extra expenditure and one which can impact the life of your company. Yes, typically you will have more bandwidth and storage space, but that really isn’t as important as security.
When you live alone you are not going to be as impacted by the behavior of others in your building (server) as you would when sharing space. No matter how strong those interior walls are, they are not as secure as outside boundaries and that’s what you need to know in a nutshell. Are security and ultimate concern? That answers your question. If so, then yes you need dedicated server hosting.
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