Tag Archives: shared
Shared or Dedicated Hosting – What is the Difference?
First of all, the question arises, “What Are Web Hosts?” They are the service provider companies that give a place to the net users on their servers that provide space on their servers for internet users. Web hosts provide online systems for internet connectivity and for storing information, image mediums and other internet content to their users. Most reasonably sized web hosts generally have numerous different hosting packages available with size requirement and a choice of shared or dedicated hosting facilities as different options. If a company wants web as a medium of conducting business, then selection of web host is a crucial first step in any internet marketing strategy.
So, what is the difference between a shared host or a dedicated host then? Shared hosting occurs when you pay a monthly fee to a third-party service provider in order to use their equipment for your web server. The service provider handles everything ranging from backup and security to setting up the server and managing the bandwidth. The sole task of your company, in such a scenario, will simply be website content development.
Dedicated hosting, as opposed to shared server hosting, is mostly used by big corporations and businesses that see a large amount of traffic. Dedicated hosting service simply means that your web server sits on its own box which is partly managed by the service provider. It is the complete opposite of shared server hosting, and means that the server is entirely dedicated to your needs and web traffic alone.
Both types of hosting scenarios come with their own unique features. The most important benefit of shared hosting is the cost factor. Since you are sharing the server with other websites, it is a very economical option. One of the most important considerations is the level and efficiency of the technical support provided. No systems are flawless so when things go wrong, you need to be able to fix the problems as quickly as possible. A good hosting provider will have technical experts available on their support desk who can assist you with any problems. The stability of the server is another important consideration. A well-maintained and managed server should seldom go down and this is what you want from a web host – a website that is accessible 24/7. Security is handled by the service provider and you need not worry about it. The web host also provides the required hardware, so you do not have invest any money there. The only potential problem with shared hosting is that bandwidth is limited, so if your web page becomes very popular you might find yourself running out of bandwidth quickly.
Dedicated hosting can offer increased speed since the server is solely dedicated to your website alone. The response time will be much faster since there are smaller queues that the visitors have to wait in, helping to maintain the level of traffic on your website. With a dedicated host, the entire bandwidth available on the server lies at your disposal. Since you are monitoring and regulating the server yourself, the costs incurred by you will be greater. You will have to invest more on hardware and security and regularly carry out maintenance checks. Dedicated server technology offers you great flexibility, such as the ability to install and run whatever operating system you deem desirable and necessary. Another benefit of dedicated hosting is you may resell the space/bandwidth to people who want to setup their own website.
With websites becoming major marketing tools, hosting companies are offering added features and tools to make websites more efficient. Some of these sets may only be offered on dedicated hosting packages while others are packages specifically for shared servers. There is a vast difference between the two and the one that is right for your business will depend on examining a variety of factors to make the best choice.
A Guide to Managed Dedicated Server Hosting and Its Benefits (Page 1 of 2)
Managed dedicated server hosting is when a third party company hosts your website for you via a dedicated server. That means no other sites are hosted on the same server and it also means the outside company take care of all server costs and maintenance. This is one of the best and most secure ways you can have a website hosted. Hosting is a vital part of having a website, without hosting the site won’t be online in fact. There are different choices available as to how your site is hosted, with benefits and a disadvantages of each. This article explains in more detail what managed dedicated server hosting is and the benefits of it.
Having a dedicated server is crucial if you run an online business, have websites that take payment information or have a website that is of vital importance to your business. On a dedicated server no one but you hosts a website on it. If a server is shared then multiple websites are hosted on the same server and multiple people have access to it. Not only can this make loading times quite slow but your own site could be affected by some other webmaster accessing the server and making alterations to their site. Viruses are even a risk as they can spread to other sites on a shared server. If you are a serious business or have multiple sites then shared server hosting should be avoided at all costs, unless finances are extremely tight. The benefits of having a shared server are financial – it is extremely cheap to host your site this way.
A dedicated server is not as cheap to have, but the security benefits outweigh the higher cost. By choosing managed dedicated server hosting as well as providing the server on which the websites are run, the company providing the service will also take care of maintenance tasks and ensure the server is working well and there are no technical problems through constant monitoring. Having a website go down due to network problems or some other technical hitch can be very problematic, especially if your business depends on the site. It is simply not worth taking any risks and managed dedicated server hosting eliminates those risks.
It is possible to look after your own servers. This of course carries costs and an additional task list. Having a server is more involved than simply owning the hardware, you need a data centre in which it sits. You can rent space in a nearby data centre instead of purchasing the equipment and installing a data centre of your own. This is known as colocation. You would be responsible for all maintenance, monitoring and general technical support.
You may not have considered setting up your own data centre but were instead thinking of a server rack or server cupboard. In an open plan office space, a server rack can be quite noisy and distracting. A server cupboard means the server is out of the way but may not meet the needs of an efficient system. Cooling in a data centre is a major factor, as is a clean power supply. Over heated servers and mains power spikes can severely impact your website and the average office space is not necessarily designed for these benefits. In an office, the internet access equipment, the routers, may also be on standard mains supply and so these too are at risk.
A Guide to Managed Dedicated Server Hosting and Its Benefits (Page 1 of 2)
Managed dedicated server hosting is when a third party company hosts your website for you via a dedicated server. That means no other sites are hosted on the same server and it also means the outside company take care of all server costs and maintenance. This is one of the best and most secure ways you can have a website hosted. Hosting is a vital part of having a website, without hosting the site won’t be online in fact. There are different choices available as to how your site is hosted, with benefits and a disadvantages of each. This article explains in more detail what managed dedicated server hosting is and the benefits of it.
Having a dedicated server is crucial if you run an online business, have websites that take payment information or have a website that is of vital importance to your business. On a dedicated server no one but you hosts a website on it. If a server is shared then multiple websites are hosted on the same server and multiple people have access to it. Not only can this make loading times quite slow but your own site could be affected by some other webmaster accessing the server and making alterations to their site. Viruses are even a risk as they can spread to other sites on a shared server. If you are a serious business or have multiple sites then shared server hosting should be avoided at all costs, unless finances are extremely tight. The benefits of having a shared server are financial – it is extremely cheap to host your site this way.
A dedicated server is not as cheap to have, but the security benefits outweigh the higher cost. By choosing managed dedicated server hosting as well as providing the server on which the websites are run, the company providing the service will also take care of maintenance tasks and ensure the server is working well and there are no technical problems through constant monitoring. Having a website go down due to network problems or some other technical hitch can be very problematic, especially if your business depends on the site. It is simply not worth taking any risks and managed dedicated server hosting eliminates those risks.
It is possible to look after your own servers. This of course carries costs and an additional task list. Having a server is more involved than simply owning the hardware, you need a data centre in which it sits. You can rent space in a nearby data centre instead of purchasing the equipment and installing a data centre of your own. This is known as colocation. You would be responsible for all maintenance, monitoring and general technical support.
You may not have considered setting up your own data centre but were instead thinking of a server rack or server cupboard. In an open plan office space, a server rack can be quite noisy and distracting. A server cupboard means the server is out of the way but may not meet the needs of an efficient system. Cooling in a data centre is a major factor, as is a clean power supply. Over heated servers and mains power spikes can severely impact your website and the average office space is not necessarily designed for these benefits. In an office, the internet access equipment, the routers, may also be on standard mains supply and so these too are at risk.