When Should I Invest in a Dedicated Server?

Whether you are just starting your business and building a website or you are looking to increase business and scale the number of site visitors, you might be wondering when to choose a dedicated server with your web host. There are many hosting plans and options for your website or application, including a shared server, a virtual private server (VPS), and a dedicated server.

The best option for you requires looking into whether a dedicated server makes sense for your business and budget. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for web hosting plans. Instead, carefully consider your website’s needs against what a dedicated server can offer. You can then determine if a dedicated server is unnecessary for you at this stage or whether it will provide the best starting point for your business’ planned growth.

What is a Dedicated Server?

A dedicated server is a remote server used by only one individual, organization, or application. In other words, you will not be sharing it with another organization or application as you would with a shared hosting service or VPS. While the resources provided to you with a shared server or VPS are consistently assigned to you, you may experience a slightly lower performance or level of security than that of a dedicated server.

Typically, dedicated servers are rented by the users and are maintained by a hosting, cloud, or managed service provider (MSP), such as Bluehost. As opposed to simply housing the hardware on-premises, the benefit here is that the service web host provider maintains, customizes, and manages the server for you. If your staff is already stretched thin, dedicated servers with remote access will prevent your employees from work overload as the company grows.

Conversely, if you or your staff are equipped to customize and manage the dedicated server, you can have full control over the resource without having to go through a web hosting service. However, due to its shared nature, you will not have this option if you choose a virtual private server. Additionally, if your company is distributed across the globe, then dedicated servers will allow for remote access; teams of developers can access the server from wherever they wish to work.

Should I Buy a Dedicated Server Hosting Solution?

There are four main reasons you might choose to invest in a dedicated server:

1. Highest Level of Privacy

By physically separating your server from any others at the MSP you choose, you have automatically achieved a higher level of privacy. If you were to use the server for confidential data backup or to run an application that contained end users’ billing and personal information, privacy would be a key requirement.

While a VPS hosting service is very secure and does allow you to install your own security software, if another user’s neglect opens the door to a breach, your site is at risk on the same server. However, with a dedicated server, you are not at the mercy of others; you are instead in full control of any potential security breaches.

2. Ability to Configure the Server Any Way You Choose

No compromises are necessary when you choose the configuration for a dedicated server. Without other users sharing the same server, you have full control over how you want it set up, what operating system you want to use, and what you will use the server for, be it web hosting plans, applications, or data storage.

3. Isolate Yourself from Other Users

In addition to having privacy with a dedicated server hosting solution, you also won’t be impacted by other users. If you use a VPS, when other users experience a surge in site traffic, your site performance may be affected. On some VPS hosting platforms, if one website is maxing out its resources but the other websites on the VPS are not, that website will be able to borrow resources (also known as hypervisor) for better functionality. If two users of a VPS need to take on more resources temporarily, that’s where the problems occur and site performance suffers.

MPS takes great care to ensure that each VPS can perform as consistently as possible. However, with dedicated servers that are physically separate, you’re guaranteed to be unaffected by other users.

4. Stable and Predictable High Performance

If your website sees high levels of traffic, you will want to use a dedicated server to ensure high performance. In addition to isolating your services onto one server, a dedicated server has a higher performance level than a VPS hosting service. For example, VPS servers start at 2GB of RAM, whereas dedicated servers start at 4GM of RAM.

Dedicated Server Hosting Offers the Highest Level of Performance, But at a Price

If your business is poised to scale in a big way, having your website and applications on a dedicated server will ensure top performance. A dedicated server, however, is a large investment for a company, so do your research and test out the options before you invest.

If you are currently using a VPS, run a comparison with a dedicated server. Perhaps start small by moving just one application over to a dedicated server from a VPS to compare the performance and security improvements over a short period of time. Then you’ll be able to determine if and when you want to move more resources over to dedicated servers.

If you are confident that your website and business will grow massively, then having a dedicated server from the start could save you time later. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that no matter how big you grow, you will have the resources in your pocket to power your web presence.

Your decision as to whether to move from VPS to a dedicated server will also be predicated on price. Dedicated servers offer the highest performance, but that comes at a premium. VPS offers adequate performance, flexibility, and security for small and medium-sized businesses and personal websites.

If your business or website is in a position to afford a substantial increase in price, then consider contacting your MSP to discuss the upgrade to this web hosting service. This way, you will ensure consistent site performance and the highest possible security with your website hosting.

Looking for a different hosting solution? The pros at Bluehost can help. Visit our website today to find the best website hosting plan for you or your business.

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