But how do you know when you really need a dedicated server? Many smaller websites can perform just fine without one, but for larger sites and businesses, the benefits quickly become apparent. Here, we’re taking a closer look at dedicated servers and what they can offer for your online experience. We provide some key information about dedicated servers to help you determine if you need one for your hosting.
What is a Dedicated Server?
If you’ve just started a website or an eCommerce company, you probably went with a cheaper web hosting option. This just makes sense. For smaller websites and online businesses, you most likely don’t need the power and capabilities of a dedicated server or the more costly hosting options out there. However, as your site grows in terms of traffic, bandwidth, and storage requirements, you may find that your previous hosting methods simply aren’t cutting it anymore for what you need.
This is when you should look into a dedicated server. When you’re hosted from a dedicated server, this essentially means that you have an entire server to yourself, enabling you to take advantage of the server’s full capacities and power. At this point, some might opt for a virtual private server (VPS). A VPS is still an upgrade from a shared server, but it doesn’t give you your own server. Rather, a VPS provides you exclusive space on a server that may still be shared with other web owners. While this option may come at a cheaper cost, it simply can’t match the benefits, security, and full capability of having your own dedicated server.
Benefits of a Dedicated Server
In comparison to traditional hosting options, there are quite a few benefits to hosting your site, eCommerce business, or online gaming experience from a dedicated server. Here’s a look at some of the top benefits that might convince you that you need to make the upgrade to a dedicated server.
- Exclusive server usage: when you really break it down, do any of us want to share our server capabilities? Exclusive server access is one of the primary benefits of using a dedicated server for your hosting needs. You’ll receive all the disk space, bandwidth, RAM, and storage for your website and hosting needs. A dedicated server also offers root access. This can be incredibly important because it allows you to configure specific settings and add or remove access for other users. If you want complete control over your web hosting, a dedicated server is a way to achieve this.
- Better security: especially true for those hosting an eCommerce site, web security is critical to ensure customers will shop with you again. With web hacking on the rise, the security of your site needs to be a top priority to protect yourself and the personal information of your customers. The infrastructure of a dedicated server incorporates 24/7 web monitoring and firewalls so that you can rest easy knowing your data and information are secure. Dedicated servers also offer an unmatched level of customization so that you can find the security measures you need.
- Better performance: when it comes to web hosting, you shouldn’t ever have to sacrifice performance. Even if you’re just online gaming with friends, slow load times and lag can quickly ruin your favorite game and your entire online experience. For eCommerce companies, poor performance translates to fewer sales. Dedicated servers provide access to the best performance in the industry with unmatched RAM, memory, and faster page loading speeds. Take your web hosting to the next level with the power of a dedicated server.
- Reliable web hosting: whether you’re hosting a website or an online game, there’s nothing worse than a sudden server crash. A server crash can keep your site down for an extended period of time, and if this becomes a frequent occurrence, hurt the overall reputation of your site and your business. Reliability is one of the most important benefits of using a dedicated server. With a dedicated server at your disposal, crashes become far less likely, and with additional resources available for your hosting needs, the server will perform even during times of high traffic. More bandwidth also gives you more capabilities to expand the potential of your online gameplay and your site.
Do you need a Dedicated Server?
While the benefits of a dedicated server are quite clear by now, this doesn’t mean this technology is necessary for everyone. A dedicated server, as expected, comes with higher costs, which means that you may not want to make this upgrade unless you actually need it. But as your website or eCommerce business grows, you should also factor in the risks of having a website that fails to perform. In the long run, this could hurt more than the upfront costs of having your own dedicated server.
Conclusion
The right web hosting is essential for the success of any website or eCommerce company. Web hosting is essentially the engine behind your site, providing RAM, memory, speed, and performance for all your users. While shared hosting may work fine for smaller sites, as you grow you may find that you simply need more. If this sounds like your situation, a dedicated server could be the answer for you.
Dedicated servers provide exclusive access to a server for your site or online gaming experience. With better performance, faster loading speed, enhanced security, and customizable options, a dedicated server can transform your hosting experience and take your website to the next level. To make the jump, check out a dedicated server provider today.
