What is a Dedicated Server?
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
What Does a Dedicated Server Mean?
A dedicated web server is an entire computer that is dedicated to the hosting purposes of one individual company. This is done by the leasing of an entire server from a dedicated server host company.
Leasing a Dedicated Server
When you lease dedicated server hosting, the hosting company owns, maintains, and backs up the server. They also provide all the security, power management, and other aspects of maintaining a data center. The web site designer is responsible for all web server software issues.
Determining If You Need a Dedicated Server
If you web site expands to the point where it uses a lot of space and bandwidth, and requires advanced technology such as an extensive database or ASP, PHP or other server generated pages, then having an entire server for your web site is often the answer.
Another reason to use a dedicated web server is also the ability to resell services to other businesses. This is called Reseller Hosting and can provide an additional source of income to either an individual or a company who wants to provide web hosting services.
A dedicated server is usually the best solution for businesses that generate lots of traffic and who lack the personnel, resources, and security needed to build, install, and maintain their own computer for these purposes. Leasing a dedicated server saves the need for a network administrator position.
Generally, a dedicated server hosting account is substantially cheaper than providing your own computer, software and administrator to maintain these services. A business could see a savings of up to 85% on a per month basis according to TopHosts' Guide. Besides, a qualified network administrator is hard to find and requires a large salary for their expertise.
A dedicated server will cost approximately a few hundred dollars per month as compared to two thousand per month for a network administrator.
The actual cost for dedicated server hosting will depend on the package you choose from a hosting companies. They usually provide several different packages that are based on the server configuration. These provide different platforms, amounts of space, processor speed, IP addresses, CPanel for controlling your server functions, monitoring capabilities, and data transfer and bandwidth allowances.
A dedicated server will also provide security that other types of hosting can not provide. Since you will likely to be the only one on the server, problems generated by scripting codes that others use will not affect whether your site is available to your visitors or not. If your company stores highly sensitive information on your server, the increased security benefits will definitely be a high priority for your considerations.
A dedicated server will reduce the dependency of our company on the web host. There will be no time delays and possible expenses incurred from these delays. Using a dedicated server your company can provide instant support to your own clients whenever it is required. This type of service is not possible if you are on a shared server.
