Web Hosting - Shared or Dedicated?
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Raj Rao
Web Hosting Overview
Web Hosting is the process of making your content and web based applications available on the Internet through your Domain Name. In other words, Web Hosting is the process of connecting your Domain Name, your Web Content, your Web Applications, your IP Address and your Web Space, to enable the visitors to your site to view and interact with you on the Internet.
Web Hosting generally comes in two forms: Web Hosting on servers that are shared; and Web Hosting on a server that is Dedicated to you (that is not shared with anybody else).
What is Shared Web Hosting?
Web Hosting on a shared server means that a single server is used for hosting multiple websites of different owners. The Web Hosting company owns the server and offers a service of maintaining your website on that server. For a personal website and a small company presence this is the preferred web hosting service owing to low cost. Shared Web Hosting generally does not have any restriction on the content or application that you can put on the Internet (as long as it is not illegal).
Most of the websites on the Internet are hosted on Shared Web Servers. The shared web servers are secure and there is no fear of break-in by other users of the shared server, provided basic security features like password are adhered to.
What is Dedicated Web Hosting?
Web Hosting on Dedicated Servers refers to hosting one or more website of your company on a Web Server that is not shared with anybody else. You have full access to the Server for hosting any number of websites. You are the Webmaster of the Web Server and also responsible for its maintenance, although the physical maintenance of the machine and the network is provided by the Web Hosting service provider or ISP.
You should go for Dedicated Web Hosting only if shared web hosting does not meet your requirement, or you have dedicated high speed Internet bandwidth which you intend to use for web hosting.
Tips for Choosing between Shared and Dedicated
a) If you have a requirement for hosting a single website with content and some standard applications like Shopping Cart, Discussion Board, Guest-book, Feedback Forms, and your Email requirements are limited, then Shared Web Hosting is ideal for you.
b) If you have a need for hosting multiple websites of your organization or your sister concerns and have the necessary manpower to develop and manage the web server, then it is recommended that you go for a dedicated web hosting. In this case too, you should evaluate if multiple shared hosting will meet your requirement.
c) If you have a large or sensitive application that is used only internally within your organization but from various locations, then it is worthwhile investing in a dedicated server, as this will give you the flexibility of configuring the web server and application to meet your demanding requirements.
