A Brief Guide to Dedicated Servers
If you are planning to build a new website or application, you would require a robust web server to host the same. Out of the myriad hosting options available in the marketplace, the one that has gained tremendous popularity over the recent years is a dedicated server.
As the name implies, a dedicated server is a server reserved exclusively for a particular website, customer, or application. Depending on what you are looking to host, you can choose a dedicated server tailored to your preferences.
In this blog, we will discuss everything related to dedicated servers-what they are, how they benefit your business, and the various kinds of dedicated servers you can choose for your business. So, let’s begin without further ado.
What is a Dedicated Server?
Also called a bare metal server, a dedicated server is a server you buy or rent for your exclusive use. This simply means all the resources housed on the server are meant for your usage only.
Since they cater to the needs of just one client/website, dedicated server in India come with the apparent benefits of better speed, performance, and control. They also offer ample room for customization and scalability. No wonder, dedicated servers are considered an ideal option for hosting a high-traffic, resource-heavy website.
Now, let’s have a look at the key benefits of a dedicated server.
- Speed and Performance
When you have a large server to yourself, you are bound to enjoy enhanced speed and performance. Your pages load faster and your site delivers an optimal experience to users. In this day and age, when a website is akin to your digital identity, this is an important prerequisite to succeed in the online world.
- Security
As dedicated servers are islands in themselves, they offer the highest level of security. You have no neighboring accounts posing a threat to your security in any manner. In addition, you have the freedom to tailor the server to your needs, so you can install new software or tweak the hardware configuration to beef up your security settings.
- Control and Customization
One of the biggest advantages of using a dedicated server is the control and customization it lends to your business. Dedicated servers come with root access, so you can configure the server as per your needs. This feature comes in handy when you have an application that entails a high degree of customization.
- Reliability
A dedicated server has just one account-and that’s yours. This means there are no other accounts that may consume excess bandwidth or be affected by malware. Such an arrangement ensures your website keeps up and running at all times.
With all the aforementioned benefits, there is one major downside to a dedicated server-its cost. Because you have an entire machine to yourself, you have to pay a hefty sum to access its features.
How are Managed Dedicated servers different from unmanaged ones?
Depending on the level of management, dedicated servers in India can be categorized into managed and unmanaged.
Managed Dedicated Servers
In a managed dedicated server, your service provider takes care of most of the responsibilities related to your server including backup, patching, upgrades, control panel management, performance monitoring, etc. You can get in touch with your provider for issues related to the functionality and processing of the server.
Unmanaged Dedicated Servers
In an unmanaged set up, you (and not the service provider) handles all the tasks related to the day-to-day management of the server. Your provider’s only responsibility is the security and storage of the physical server.
The kind of server plan you choose will depend primarily on the degree of your technical experience and the level of responsibility you are willing to handle. If you are well-versed with the nuances of server management and/or want to manage the server on your own, go the unmanaged way. Otherwise, a managed server will be the right fit.
How much does a dedicated server cost?
By now, you must have understood that dedicated servers are an expensive option and might be wondering how much they cost. There is, unfortunately, no simple answer. As in the case of most IT services, there is a wide price range and the amount you need to shell out depends on your service provider, type of hosting plan(managed/unmanaged), amount of resources you need and the duration of your hosting plan.
Service provider: While many providers offer a decent plan within $70-80 per month, some may require you to spend up to $1000 per month. So, it’s vital that you conduct adequate due diligence before choosing your host.
Duration of the Hosting plan: If you pay on a monthly basis, you will have to pay a slightly higher price than if you pay annually or once every two or three years.
Type of Hosting Plan: If you lack the technical know-how to set up and manage a server, you can pay your service provider some extra amount to manage everything on your behalf.
This is opposed to an unmanaged hosting solution where you handle the server administration on your own and, therefore, end up paying less than in a managed plan.
Amount of Resources: Every website has unique needs with respect to computing resources. If your website or application requires more cores, storage, memory, or bandwidth, you will need to pay more.
In any case, you will have to spend at least $70/month for a decent hosting plan. It is interesting to note that there’s no upper limit to a dedicated server hosting plan. You can spend up to 100 thousand dollars for an enterprise-level dedicated server.
What can a dedicated server be used for?
From what has been discussed so far, many of you tend to think that dedicated servers in India are solely used for hosting websites. Well, that’s not the case. Dedicated servers have a range of other uses too. Let’s have a look at these.
Dedicated Servers for Websites
This is by far the most common application of a dedicated server. Dedicated servers in India serve as a great option for hosting high-traffic, content-heavy websites as they offer ample resources for the smooth running of such sites. The loading time and uptime they come with create an unrivalled experience for your visitors. In addition, the security they provide is hard to find elsewhere.
Dedicated Servers for Emails
In addition to websites, dedicated servers are used for hosting emails. Using a dedicated server, business owners can monitor their communication, decide upload limits for files and attachments, and create professional email addresses for employees. Top-notch security features needed for sharing sensitive information are also available.
Dedicated Servers for Gaming
Online games these days require adequate resources in order to run smoothly. Dedicated servers create a superb gaming experience for you, allowing you to enjoy your game without any lag.
Dedicated Servers for Forex Trading
Forex trading needs servers that offer superior speed and low latency, and a dedicated server fits the bill perfectly. Traders get a high uptime for a hassle-free trading experience and also enjoy the utmost degree of security.
The Final Word
So, all in all, dedicated servers offer the speed, control and security required for running your websites and applications in a seamless manner. If you are hosting your site on a shared server that doesn’t have adequate resources to support the increase in your traffic, it’s probably time to switch to a dedicated server.
That said, choosing the right dedicated server depends on your business needs as well as your IT budget. The more sophisticated server you choose, the more you will need to spend on it. So, it is vital that you consult a reliable hosting provider before selecting a suitable plan for your business.