When a small business needs to make the move to dedicated web hosting, this is both a time for celebration and a time for concern. Obviously, if you have enough business or activity that you need to upgrade to a dedicated server, that’s good news; but even if you aren’t familiar with dedicated hosting, you can realize the added responsibility and the set of new concerns that working with a more complicated hosting situation can bring. There are definitely important decisions to be made, especially when any errors in judgment can cost the company a lot more money if the server goes down for any amount of time. However, extensive down time for your company’s server can be avoided if you make some informed initial decisions.
A dedicated server is a computer that provides services exclusively for your account. It is usually rented from your hosting company and stored in their data center and physically includes an operating system, a web server, related software, and a connection to the Internet. You generally get remote access, but not physical access to the server. In some cases, you can get a custom–made server, but any server that you lease should be scalable as your needs change. Most companies make the move to dedicated server hosting when their business needs become complex or they develop a high traffic ecommerce site, but there isn’t any need to wait.
Dedicated server web hosting is a solid investment if you want to implement custom software, need a lot of storage space, anticipate high traffic, or need a high degree of security. Because of the learning curve, it always better to be ahead of your needs. Of course, when you start shopping for dedicated server web hosting, the first thing you are going to notice is the price. The price mainly varies because dedicated server packages come with unmanaged, partially managed, and fully managed services. After looking at the prices, the first instinct is to go with unmanaged hosting because it is the cheapest, and between you and your staff, there should be someone who can figure out how dedicated serving works. You may even have a full time staffer who also manages your IT department to handle your dedicated server. But before you opt for someone on your staff to manage your dedicated server, consider the in-house cost versus the cost of outsourcing the labor.
A low cost web hosting company can provide you with an unmanaged dedicated hosting package that includes the standard set-up plus a daily data backup, root access, security, maintenance, and depending on the plan you sign up for, various kinds of basic software and other features. The rest is up to you. This means that are responsible for loading your site and any other data you want on to the server. This includes third party software and data bases. If you have a solid IT department, this isn’t a problem, but this is where the cost comes into play.
If you have an in-house tech department, then you have to pay wages and benefits for the amount of employees you have in order to update and manage both the site and the dedicated server. As well, when you assume responsibility for configuring and programming the dedicated server, the hosting company absolves themselves of all responsibility for any unexplainable glitches that sneak into the system, especially when it comes to installation of third party scripts by the customer. In order to get the hosting company to fix anything if your site stops working or crashes, you will have to pay a hefty dollar per hour fee. Take all of this into consideration when you decide whether or not to get managed dedicated server web hosting.
With fully managed hosting, most hosting companies automatically provide features like technical service, application updates, and security patches and audits for dedicated server web hosting customers, but the services are unlimited. A hosting company will tailor their level of commitment your project based on how many different services they can provide to you. They can even professionally design your site if needed. This may sound pricey, but the rates from the cheap hosting companies are generally reasonable and you have to think about the big picture.
By signing up for fully managed hosting with a year’s contract, there is no equipment to buy and no employees to manage. There is also a clear history of the work performed on your server and your site and the hosting company assumes all liability. Assuming you hire a decent company, you should experience little if any downtime and your staff can focus on your company. Either way, whether you purchase unmanaged or fully managed dedicated server web hosting, it is can be extremely profitable for your company to have, if you take everything into consideration before you sign a contract.
