It would not be wrong to say that Dedicated Web Hosting is the most sought after service among the three primary web hosting methods. As the name suggests, Dedicated Web Hosting provides a dedicated server for a single IP address. This results in better connectivity, high speed and error free network. Just as Dedicated Web Hosting is the choice of many, Shared Web Hosting is also a popular web hosting service that gives direct competition to Dedicated hosting. Therefore, to understand Dedicated Web Hosting better, it is pertinent to understand Shared Web Hosting.

Many a times, people are unable to weigh the pros and cons of Shared and Dedicated Web Hosting. The difference between the two doesn’t lie in just being a paid and free service. There is much more that goes into these services. Shared Web Hosting has dozens, or may be hundreds of computer connections to its server, and obviously would have larger error risk than the Dedicated Web Hosting where one computer is linked with only one server. In Shared Web Hosting, the server uptime cannot be very reliable, though many companies provide high grade solutions. The error hunt-down and solution of the queries may also take time as there would be a long queue of computers who might have some technical or connectivity issue. You could be among the lasts in the queue and thus the query resolve session may take time. Even after considering these points, there still are many websites which are running successfully with Shared Web Hosting. With a medium sized business, you can keep your budget maintained by opting Shared Web Hosting.

Dedicated Web Hosting on the other hand has various advantages to its account, and is successfully opted by many website owners. If your website uses custom applications, has more number of web pages and higher traffic, you can no longer rely on Shared Web Hosting. A Dedicated server then becomes a must, with which you get the flexibility of administering and controlling the web server. As you are the only one who is sharing the resources such as hard drive space, bandwidth, processing speed, etc., the connectivity seems better, and your downtime is resolved easily. You also have a better administrative control in case some technical errors confront the internet connection. However, it requires no second thoughts that you need to pay a good price for dedicated servers, but with a large scaled online business, where a large number of visitors and potential buyers visit daily, can you take the risk of server downtime? Not really. And hence there are no real substitutes when it comes to Dedicated Web Hosting.

So whether you need Shared or Dedicated web hosting is something you need to decide. The magnitude of your online business and the size of your website could help you determine this.

A dedicated hosting service contains a single server which is used to host the website. A dedicated hosting service involves a system whereby the information on a website is stored and given out on demand from a remote location. In a dedicated hosting service, we have one computer which is in charge of one server only. Thus you can gain more control with regard to the operation and maintenance of your website. Selecting a dedicated web host is found to be expensive. But with dedicated web hosting service you can get your website loaded fast. Those users, who own big websites and have heavy flow of traffic, should definitely opt for a dedicated host.

A dedicated hosting service consists of a significant number of positive features. This is the main reason whereby users do not mind paying extra for customized services, even if it sounds expensive. With dedicated web hosting service, hardware and software requirements can be changed, based on the needs of clients. The owner can easily get access and change the contents as per the need. The service provider of a dedicated host takes the responsibility of updating and maintaining the equipment. It is the service provider who looks after it. A dedicated web hosts also facilitates longer website uptime. These days, dedicated hosting sites are being treated as an online shop where the customer or client engage themselves with various online shopping activities and thereby end up buying products of their choice.

In case of a dedicated server, the customer has full rights to the server’s bandwidth, memory and storage space. A dedicated server is suitable for companies and also individuals who deal with high web based traffic and good amount of bandwidth. Dedicated servers can be used for hosting gaming sites, database Management, etc. In a dedicating web hosting service, the customer gets the freedom to choose a particular operating system and hardware as per his or her choice. In other words, if the company wants to change the concerned operating system or hardware, it can be done accordingly. More services such as backup etc are provided in a dedicated host. A dedicated web hosting service consists of customer service facility, whereby representatives are ready to take up all issues and inquiries. Customers, who want to switch from a shared server to a dedicated web server, will find dedicated web hosting a promising option. However, those who desire to have a better control over their website, by using dedicated web hosting service, should take into consideration about the basic qualifications that they need to possess. You as a customer should have a basic understanding towards dealing with a dedicated web hosting server. One of the biggest issues that one may face towards a dedicated web hosting service is dealing with technical issues. It may so happen that with dedicated web hosting service, you may realize that you will not have the opportunity of having all of your technical problems answered by a support team. You might face a situation where you may find no one besides you to be around to help you in uploading particular new software, which may be needed at that time. In short, if you do not possess sufficient programming skills or be tech savy, you may then have to face a lot of technical issues while using a dedicated web host. You could solve your technical issues relating to dedicated web host, by hiring someone to assist you. However, a reliable person is required. Otherwise, you will land up in having an incompetent person who will disrupt the flow of your site, rather than helping you towards enhancing the traffic for your website. Whatever may be the factor involved, ensure that you will be able to handle issues that you may come across, after having purchased the concerned dedicated web hosting service.

If you have been in business on the internet for a long time and have seen your business progressively, it may be time for you to think about a dedicated server for your web hosting.

What Is Dedicated Web Hosting

What is a dedicated web hosting server? As the name explains, it is a server that can host your website alone. A dedicated server is the ultimate choice in web hosting for a growing business.

Moving From Shared Web Hosting

When your online business began, you may have used a shared server for web hosting. A shared web hosting server is more sensible when starting a business because the costs are substantially less. It is an ideal way to start your business on the internet. If you are finding that your customers are having difficulty accessing your website and you need more web hosting space, it is time for a dedicated web hosting server.

Web Hosting Space

Although a dedicated web hosting server costs more to maintain, it may end up being more cost efficient when it comes to looking at the added benefits. More web hosting space allows you to expand your business online by adding an e-commerce facility or any one of a number of possibilities.

eCommerce Web Hosting

Many businesses that advertise their product on the internet find it useful to have a database, such as an e-commerce facility, as part of their web hosting package. This allows a customer to browse your site, leave the website for a while and then return and the items remain in their basket. Studies have shown that a customer who returns to the website will often change their mind about buying things unless they are still in their basket.

Web Hosting Bandwidth

In addition to the added web hosting space, you can also get more bandwidth when you have a dedicated web hosting server. Bandwidth is what allows the web hosting server to direct customers to your website. When sharing bandwidth with other websites, you can risk losing customers as they will not be able to access the clogged web hosting server to your website.

Depending upon the type of service, bandwidth and web hosting space you are looking for on your new web hosting server, you will find a number of web hosting solutions available.

You know you need a web host, but you don’t know where to start. So you do a web search to research potential solutions and get a bit overwhelmed with all the jargon: UNIX, dedicated servers, POP3, CoLo… the list goes on.

Step back a bit. You don’t need to learn everything about web sites to choose a host. You do however need to know what a web host is, and the basic types of web hosting. This knowledge will lead you to know what type of hosting you need, and ultimately you can make a sound decision.

To begin, let’s define the term. Web hosting is a service that hosts web pages on servers that can be accessed through the Internet. There are three primary categories of web hosting providers that cater to the requirements of site owners; these include virtual web hosting, dedicated web hosting, and co-located hosting. There are various sources online that offer detailed information and reviews on these services, but there are several details you should pay most attention to. The points to consider before selecting a web hosting provider include the number of clients they service, years in business, customer service reputation, hardware specifications, and backup routines. With that out of the way, let’s jump in and explore the basic types of web hosting.

Dedicated hosting

A dedicated web server is basically like the name sounds: it’s dedicated to your site only. Typically it is leased to a site owner. The hosting company is responsible for the maintenance, backing up, security, and power management. The site owner manages the software-related issues.

Dedicated hosting is useful for websites that need extra bandwidth and system resources because of the use of technologies such as e-commerce software, customized server applications, and heavy traffic. Such websites are often better served by a dedicated hosting provider rather than developing and running an in-house solution. Dedicated hosting is possible with Windows, Mac, and Linux servers. A dedicated server can cost upward of $100 / month.

Pros and cons: 24/7 tech support is available. Speed, dependability, and customizability of website are often enhanced. The response time of dedicated servers is fast as compared to shared servers where the activity of other sites affects server speeds. Reliability and customizability of websites are improved as dedicated hosting offers greater storage capacity and greater freedom in terms of hardware configurations and software installations; hard drives can be upgraded and bandwidths increased with growth.

Shared servers and CoLo hosting are cheaper alternatives to dedicated hosting. Moreover, as the server is not owned by the site owner, security of sensitive data can be an issue.

Virtual hosting

Virtual hosting, also called shared hosting, is a popular and cost-effective web hosting solution. The hosting provider leases the website hosting server, services, and bandwidth to more than one website. Small and medium-sized websites, which do not have high traffic and have limited bandwidth requirements, benefit from virtual hosting. A virtual hosting offer by a service provider usually includes features such as Internet connection, domain name registration, file storage, email account, and may also include website design assistance. The cost of virtual hosting is in the range of $5-40 per month. It can be more or less depending upon the package selected.

Pros and cons: Virtual hosting enables the establishment of an online presence with no expensive equipment purchases required on part of the site owners and therefore is the perfect solution for SMBs.

One of the limitations of virtual hosting is that sites compete for the provider’s service; this may result in slow server response times in periods of heavy traffic and make browsing inconvenient. Since websites hosted on a server may be grouped under a single IP address, there is a chance that a site owner may have to share an IP address with adult or scam sites. This can lead to debarring from search engine placements which will have an adverse effect on the traffic. As the software components are shared between websites, a site owner may not be able to personalize the website as per his business objectives and target audience.

While purchasing virtual hosting services, it is useful to have an idea of the total anticipated traffic during the day as well as the visits during the peak period. This helps in obtaining a package with sufficient bandwidth for immediate and near term needs. Also, the cost of an upgrade and changes to the package should be understood.

Co-location (Co-lo) hosting

In Co-location hosting, the server is owned by the site owner and it is leased at the co-lo facility, where it is installed along with other servers in the facility. A co-lo service enables site owners to make maximum use of network access points and the freedom to choose between telecom lines provided by the hosting company and other telecom lines. Co-location hosting enables site owners to utilize high bandwidth at a cost that is not significantly higher than that of a normal web hosting package. The site owner maintains the server while the hosting provider ensures smooth running by providing regular power supply and IT support.

Co-location hosting services can be standalone data centers or companies that operate by leasing server space from a co-location web hosting reseller. The cost of the server and the volume of rack space required by the servers of a site owner influence the cost of co-lo hosting. Servers that fit in with the dimensions of the racks can help to save costs; co-locating tower servers usually cost more. Additional services provided by the hosting provider and insurance are other factors that affect cost. The monthly cost of a co-lo service for a half-rack of server space can be up to $1000.

Pros and cons: The benefits of co-location hosting include temperature and humidity controlled environment for the servers; security from hacking, fire, and theft; provision of redundancy and backup. It enables the site owner to control the critical features of web hosting such as bandwidth allocation, routers, VPN, server space, and VLAN.

Site owners may not find it easy to locate a co-lo service that is situated close enough to facilitate easy and safe transfer of servers and at the same time provide the best connection speeds. Co-lo hosting is of greater advantage to those who have hosting experience and consequently are better placed to recover the costs involved.

Ultimately, it is the requirements of the site that dictate the choice of web hosting solution. Online stores and sites with heavy traffic are better off with dedicated hosting, personal blogs and small sites without ecommerce activity that do not have high bandwidth consumption can function with virtual hosting, and websites that require a high degree of customization and deal with sensitive data benefit from a co-lo hosting arrangement.

To determine what type of host you need, ask yourself what type of site you have, and it should all flow naturally from there.

Deciding on using a dedicated web hosting service or a shared web hosting service is really up to each individual and depends on several factors like the size of your website, the dependability and security you need.

A Dedicated Web Hosting Service Vs. A Shared Web Hosting Service

Let us first define just what the differences are between a dedicated server and a shared server. The dedicated web hosting service gives you a lot of space on the server to hold your web pages, images, files, etc. When you use a dedicated server you don’t share the servers space with other websites and usually only host your own. This type of web hosting is usually reserved for websites that contain thousands and thousands of pages.

The Benefits of a Dedicated Web Hosting Service

Obviously using a dedicated web hosting server is going to be much more costly than that of a shared web hosting service, but you also receive many more advantages and benefits over a long period of time. If you have had an Internet site for some time and your site keeps getting bigger and bigger then this may be an option you want to take into consideration.

A dedicated web hosting server is going to give you a lot more stability and is going to be much more reliable. You will also be able to manage many more variables and make your website more efficient. You will be able to control bad scripts, code overload, and even the many ways the server handles applications and components of your website.

In other words, by using a dedicated server you have your own web server and can fully control it, even though the user does not own the server. The dedicated web hosting user can decide on which applications he needs and which software will help his site, and these are elements that a web site owner has no control over when he has a shared web hosting service.

By choosing a dedicated server you are not totally dependent on your provider, you can fix many problems that occur directly, allowing you to assist and support your own clients quickly and efficiently.

Who is a Dedicated Server for?

If you are a web design firm and have thousands of clients and need to host their sites then choosing a dedicated server may be an option for you. You might want to choose a dedicated server if you are a large corporation with several multinational websites, or if you are a very large product oriented company.

How Can I tell If My Dedicated Server is Making a Difference in My Business?

If you site was loading slowly when you were on a shared server, then you will notice how it loads much faster on a dedicated server. You will also notice that you missed out on several visitors because your site was loading so slowly.

Remember that the most important thing for you as an internet business marketer is assuring that your site is always up and downloads quickly no matter what the internet connection. If this is not happening, then maybe its time to change to a dedicated server or change your shared web hosting service to another company.

Ultimately deciding on whether or not to use a dedicated server web hosting service is up to you and depends on the type of business you are running, the size of your website, and the security you need for your web based business.

If your website is not of this nature and you are still having trouble, the website is loading slowly, you are experiencing a lot of down time, you are losing customers and information, then you might want to change shared web hosting services before deciding on a dedicated web hosting service.

Remember that just as in any other business there are also some great web hosting services and there are also some which just leave something to be desired. The answer may be to change companies and find a more reliable web hosting company.

A dedicated web hosting or managed web hosting is a form of internet hosting, wherein the client leases the entire server that is not shared with anyone. It is more flexible as compared to shared web hosting. This is because the organizations have complete control over the server, which may include the choice of hardware and operating system. Usually, the hosting company also provides server administration in the form of add-on service. In some situations, a dedicated server would offer larger return on investment and less overhead. Most often, dedicated servers are housed in data centers similar to the HVAC systems and collocation facilities. The server hardware is owned by the provider in contrast to the collocation and in some situations, also provides support for the applications or operating system.

System Support:

The operating systems offered on dedicated servers are determined by employee familiarity, price and availability. At no extra charge to the customer, variations of Linux are often included. Nevertheless, an additional license fees are required by Microsoft on all the products, thereby increasing the monthly expenditures of the dedicated server, which runs the Windows Operating System.

Microsoft Windows Server is a part of the commercial operating system that is offered through a special program known by the name “Microsoft SPLA”. By paying fees on a monthly basis, Red Hat Enterprise is another operating system that is made available to web hosting providers. With the help of an application called as up2date, the Red Hat Network provides OS updates against the monthly fees.

Before starting to search for a web host its important to decide whether to opt for dedicated web hosting or shared web hosting.

A shared web hosting account is an account on a web server that hosts other shared accounts. The number of accounts on one shared server can vary widely from few hundred to several thousands. For many small businesses hosting website on a shared server is a workable solution due to the fact that they are quite cheap in comparison to dedicated servers. These accounts have limited access to the core administrative functions of the server. In shared hosting plans, there are several companies offering comprehensive technical support for users along with the complete technical support, which is usually included in the price of account plan they offer.

As against shared hosting, a dedicated server is usually dedicated to one, or just a few websites, usually for the solitary use by individual company only. Dedicated servers are quite expensive as compared to shared hosting. Among various good features offered by dedicated server, one feature is to have access to the core administrative functions of the server not only this most dedicated server plans offers good technical support. There are some companies which don’t have an IT staff or a server administrator to provide support, for them many dedicated hosting companies offer “per issue” support, which means that user is required to pay a certain amount, which is usually an hourly fee, for technical support issues. Not only that some dedicated server plans have optional “support tickets” that one can purchase in advance.

Apart from above discussed two there is another option called a “managed dedicated” hosting plan. With this one can get a dedicated server and the required comprehensive support, which usually comes with shared hosting. Thus it evades the drawback of insufficiency of IT staff or a server administrator and provides all the technical aspects required for running a server. For this extra facility they charge extra price thus managed dedicated hosting plan is expensive in comparison to unmanaged one.

Thus all above can be summarized as whatever type of web hosting plan one choose, one must make sure that the plan is having all the required features.