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What is Dedicated Hosting?
Joshua Ogunjiofor
8 mins
Spend any time searching for web hosting online, and you’re bound to come across the terms such as shared hosting and dedicated hosting. But what exactly is dedicated hosting, and why would you ever need it?
Dedicated hosting is a type of web hosting where an entire server is devoted to a single client or website. This is opposed to shared hosting, where multiple websites are hosted on the same server.
To help make sense of it, think of it this way: shared hosting is like renting a room or bed space in a dormitory, while dedicated hosting is like renting out an entire house.
Just as you would be free to make such a house your own, with total control over how it is furnished, decorated and used, you also have exclusive access to the dedicated server’s resources.
You can choose everything from the hardware and operating system to all other software applications that run on it.
While it can be more expensive than shared hosting, a dedicated server can be a worthwhile investment for businesses and websites that require high performance, scalability, customization and security.
We’ll explore the benefits of dedicated hosting, who might need it, how to choose a hosting provider and the potential drawbacks to consider.
What are the benefits of dedicated hosting services?
Dedicated hosting offers several benefits that may make it an optimal choice for demanding businesses.
High performance: In dedicated hosting, the server resources are exclusively dedicated to one or a handful of websites or applications, ensuring fast loading times and low latency.
Customization: Unlike shared hosting, dedicated hosting offers unbeatable flexibility by letting you customize your hardware, software and security to suit your specific needs and requirements.
Reliability: Because your server resources are not shared with other websites or applications that could affect performance and cause downtime, dedicated hosting provides unmatched reliability and uptime.
Security: Dedicated hosting lets you avoid security risks due to co-tenants in shared hosting since you don’t depend on other tenants being equally careful. You can also install your own security software and restrict access to foolproof your security.
Dedicated support: Dedicated hosting providers typically offer premium support to their customers. You don’t have to resort to tickets or live chat. Instead, you get dedicated support channels with agents that have expertise in dedicated hosting issues.
Compliance: If you’re in industries such as healthcare, banking and finance or e-commerce, dedicated hosting may help you comply with industry regulations, such as HIPAA for healthcare businesses or PCI DSS for eCommerce sites.
Cost-effectiveness: While dedicated hosting may be more expensive than shared hosting, it can be more cost-effective in the long run due to improved performance, reliability and scalability. Not to mention, you lose less revenue to downtime.
Who needs a dedicated hosting server?
Typically, if you have specialized needs and high bandwidth requirements, you stand to benefit the most from dedicated server hosting. Bonus points if you have the technical knowledge required to maximize the customizability offered by dedicated hosting servers.
Here are the top candidates for dedicated servers:
High-traffic websites with a large volume of visitors may require a dedicated server to handle the traffic efficiently.
eCommerce websites that handle sensitive information like customers’ credit card details may need a dedicated server for enhanced security to protect customer data.
Organizations that need enhanced security to safeguard reams of valuable data might be better served by a dedicated server.
Organizations with custom software requirements that cannot be met by shared hosting may need a dedicated server to host and run their software.
Websites that require high levels of customization and control over their hosting environment may benefit from a dedicated server.
How to choose a dedicated server hosting provider
With so many web hosting providers available, choosing the best dedicated server hosting provider for your organization can be quite a challenge.
And when you throw all the varying pricing plans, products and features into the mix, you get a dizzying array of options that’s next to impossible to sift through on your own.
To help narrow down your choices and make the best decision, follow these seven steps:
Determine your hosting needs and performance requirements: Assess the type of website you have, the amount of traffic you expect and the resources required to support it.
Assess server management: Determine whether you want to manage the server yourself or have the hosting provider manage it for you and look for providers that offer the level of management you need.
Evaluate server security: Look for hosting providers that offer robust security measures, including firewalls, malware detection and intrusion prevention, to safeguard your website and data.
Check server uptime: It’s not unreasonable to expect a 99% server uptime guarantee from your hosting provider. Look for hosting providers that can guarantee high server uptime with minimal downtime or service disruptions.
Evaluate customer support: Make sure the hosting service provides reliable and responsive 24/7 customer support to assist with server issues or technical problems.
Consider pricing: Compare pricing plans from the narrowed-down hosting providers and find a balance between cost and value. Make sure to choose a plan that fits your budget and hosting needs.
Check for additional features: If there’s a tie, look for other features each hosting provider offers. You can look for backup and recovery services, load balancing and content delivery networks (CDNs).
And while you’re at it, check out Bluehost’s dedicated hosting. We provide the best combination of value for money and a complete feature set suitable for any use case. If you start today, you can get a discount of up to 42% by opting for a 36-month term.
What are the disadvantages of dedicated hosting?
While dedicated hosting offers great value for high-traffic websites, it’s not without drawbacks. Let’s consider a few disadvantages of dedicated hosting.
First, you’ve high costs. A dedicated server can be expensive compared to shared or cloud hosting, as you’re paying for exclusive access to a server.
Second, you’re responsible for maintaining and updating the server’s hardware and software, which can be time-consuming and require technical expertise.
Not to mention, while you can scale your dedicated server within the performance limits of your server easily, going beyond that requires increasing the server’s capacity. It’s an expensive and time-consuming process that quickly turns your rapid growth into a nightmare.
Common questions regarding dedicated hosting services
What is dedicated hosting?
Dedicated hosting is a type of web hosting where an entire server is devoted to a single client or website. This is opposed to shared hosting, where multiple websites are hosted on the same server.
Who needs a dedicated hosting server?
Typically, if you have specialized needs and high bandwidth requirements, you stand to benefit the most from dedicated server hosting.
How is managed hosting different from dedicated hosting?
Managed hosting is a type of hosting where the hosting service manages and maintains the server hardware, software and security, while the customer manages their website or application. On the other hand, dedicated hosting provides the customer with their own physical server, which they have full control over, including hardware, software and security management.
What is multi-server management?
Multi-server management refers to the process of managing and administering multiple physical servers simultaneously to provide access to various services and applications to users. In this way, you can get a higher level of reliability and availability compared to a single-server environment.
What is RAID storage space?
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and it refers to a storage technology that combines several hardware disks into a single virtualized logical unit to provide data redundancy (that is, protection against hardware failure) and performance improvement.
What is the purpose of a dedicated server?
The purpose of a dedicated server is to provide businesses and organizations with a powerful, efficient and reliable system capable of handling large amounts of data and processes.
Is dedicated hosting worth it?
A dedicated server can be an excellent choice for businesses that require a high level of control, customization and security for their websites or applications. However, it is also more expensive than shared hosting or virtual private servers.
How is dedicated hosting different from VPS hosting?
As a middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting, VPS hosting is typically more expensive than shared hosting, but it can also be significantly more affordable than dedicated hosting usually is. Learn more about VPS vs dedicated hosting plans.
Final thoughts: What is dedicated hosting?
Dedicated servers offer high performance, reliability, scalability, customization and security for large businesses, developers, IT professionals, high-traffic websites and specialized applications.
If you’re looking for a reliable dedicated hosting provider, consider Bluehost. With prices starting as low as $79.99/month and 24/7 support from a dedicated team, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better offer on the market.
Get started with Bluehost dedicated hosting today.
Note: this piece was ghostwritten.
