When Is It Time To Get A Dedicated Server?
There are several different types of web hosting that you can purchase. For the most part people want cloud servers or dedicated servers. Dedicated options are going to cost more, and there are several options to consider overall. Does everyone need a dedicated server? The short answer is no. But there are some people that will want to choose that over traditional hosting solutions. As you start to look into this, make sure that you consider a few elements moving forward, especially when you are ready to purchase dedicated server options.
For Gaming
The first group of people that need a dedicated server are gamers. Gamers that are looking to play video games online and want to play with others in a community need servers that are fast. The power that you get from a dedicated server is immense compared to other options. If you’re going to play on a serious, competitive level, you need to make sure that you have the power and the speed to perform as fast as you can. Otherwise, when playing against others, you’re going to end up a split second if not more slower than your competition. For gaming purposes, a dedicated server is an excellent solution to get involved with. Without this, you’ll have to look for players across the world and hope that you can play without lag or any issues. If you’re a hardcore PC gamer, or someone that wants to put up serious tournaments and more, then make sure that you look for a dedicated server.
For Security
One of the reasons why people purchase a dedicated server option is because of the security. Security is far more complex when you have one of these, especially since you receive root access. When you have shared hosting, you do not get any sort of access to the root of the server. That’s a dangerous proposition because others have websites on the server and you could essentially delete, modify, or cause damage to those pages. When you sign up for a dedicated server, you will be able to install security measures, or completely lock down the environment. The environment that you can utilize here is customizable to your exact specifications. Developers, designers, and those that are working with heavy coding will want security, and more importantly, root access. This is NOT for everyone, as you can easily open yourself up to scrutiny, and hackers if you order a dedicated server and you don’t know how to lock it down security wise.
Software Development
Another main reason why you may want to utilize a dedicated server is for software development and launching points. When developing software, or high end performance web design, you have to have a development staging area that is online. That is where a dedicated server comes into mind. If you do not have this in place, you will not be able to get proper QA testing done. This is crucial for companies that are developing applications for web, mobile computing, and much more. Outside of the scope of a dedicated server, you would have to launch a full site, and hope that your code worked within the parameters that you are stuck within in terms of shared hosting protocol.
Performance Levels (higher)
Above other options, you’ll find that a dedicated server gives you more RAM, more power, and faster connection speeds. If you have a large website and you are getting hit with a ton of traffic, your performance on a shared hosting site is going to be impossible. Shared hosts that get hit with enough traffic will start to slow down and it will be absolutely difficult to manage. However, a dedicated server will be powerful and can handle a load of traffic that is going to be absolutely better. Those that are launching podcasts, or are doing something that gets millions of hits a day, a dedicated server is the only option that you are going to want to use to get yourself into the right arenas. Otherwise, you will have your website pulled, flagged, and cited for “abuse” among shared hosting options.
Suffice to say, you absolutely need to have a dedicated server if you are building software projects, gaming, or need better performance. Without these performance levels, you will not be able to do the professional grade web development, design, or have root access to servers of any kind. This is going to cost more, but you will receive a lot more tools and customization to what you want to do with hosting elements. Bigger is better, but only if you need it. Not everyone needs dedicated server solutions.
We’ll do a review in the coming weeks on the best dedicated server providers, stay tuned!
