What is a dedicated server ?

You may have seen the term “dedicated server” when looking for web hosting services. If you are not familiar with what a dedicated server is and the advantages or disadvantages it may have for your online business in comparison to shared hosting, then you will find this article very useful.

Simply put, a dedicated server (also known as “managed server” or “dedicated hosting server”) is a network server owned by the web hosting company that is controlled and managed exclusively by your company (as opposed to shared servers, which are maintained by web hosting providers themselves and can be shared by a big number of their users).

In order for you to better understand the difference between a shared server and a dedicated server, we could say that shared hosting service is like renting an apartment, while managed or dedicated server hosting is like renting an entire building.

Of course, the costs associated to the use and implementation of a dedicated hosting service are bigger than those related to shared hosting, but as your business grows and its user database gets bigger, it pays off.

Dedicated servers give you several advantages over shared hosting. First of all, you have complete freedom to choose whatever software configuration you may need, since the hosting provider will follow your directions regarding operating system and applications and services running. You also get complete remote management access to your rented server. As you can decide exactly what to do with your server, you can install whatever custom-designed system your business may need to run effectively, including statistical software and any other service application that is not available to you when renting shared hosting server space.

Unless yours is a huge company with tremendous computing power needs, like Google or Yahoo, renting a dedicated server is also a cost-effective alternative to having your servers in-house. When you rent a dedicated server, there is no need for you to take care of hardware maintenance or setting up a datacenter, since the hosting providing company takes care of your server by keeping it in an adequate environment to ensure it works correctly. This adequate environment includes refrigeration, uninterrupted power supply with redundant power lines, periodical back up of critical data and regular maintenance. Typically, you will just have to hire a person to take care of the remote software management and administration of your server (although many hosting providers offer this as an additional service).

In conclusion, dedicated servers ensure your business will be able to deal with high loads, and shared servers are less expensive. Whether you choose one hosting service or the other is only up to you; take your business’ needs into consideration and you will be making the right decision.

After all, nobody knows your company better than you!

David S. Townsend
Dedicated Server Advisor Team