Dedicated server hosting is a form of website hosting protocol that is specifically designed and implemented to run the services of only one particular client. This form of server hosting is essential for organizations that wish to keep their online activities robust and have them running smoothly 24x7.

One of the issues that arise with website hosting is caused not by the creation of the site itself, but by the actual implementation i.e. the web server. This is because there are several factors involved. For example: The type of server on which the server sits; the server installation & build, monitoring the operational status and carrying out regular maintenance work. Here, IT firms have the upper hand as their employees generally have the desired skill set for carrying out these jobs. But what can non IT organizations do? Hiring dedicated network administrators for this job might not always be in the interest of such businesses. This is why it may be a good idea for them to outsource such services to dedicated server maintenance firms.

Shared versus Dedicated Server Hosting in the UK

The world of web hosting is divided into two categories, shared and dedicated. Here, shared server hosting means running several websites on a single server. This implies the sharing of vital hardware resources such as network connectivity, CPU speed, memory and disk access. To maintain equality, certain restrictions are placed on the extent to which such resources can be used by any particular website. Despite this, such websites are sometimes unable to perform effectively. Data loss, slow response rates and long load times are some of the common drawbacks.

Dedicated server hosting does away with all the shortcomings of the shared format. Here, the whole server is designed to support only one business client and their website. This means that the network port and processing power are focused on a single role. However, these servers can be a little bit more costly than the standard shared models.

So, which server hosting is best suited for your website? The budget is probably the first parameter that can help answer the question. You will also have to consider the expected net traffic the website will attract daily and the level of security that you need to provide to them. For organizations that wish to use the website for advertisement of the online sale of products and services, dedicated server hosting is a serious option.

Factoring the Cost in Managed Dedicated Servers

Assuming you decide on dedicated server hosting for your website, you then need to choose how to look after your server's needs – its configuration and maintenance. Without in-house technical resources to call on, managed dedicated servers could be the perfect solution.

With these servers, you decide on the server that meets your requirements (for the non-techies, a good hosting company will help you decide which server is best). A service contract is set up and then, the rest is handled by the server management team.

Here are some of the benefits of using an organisation providing dedicated server hosting in the UK:

• state of the art systems with redundancy features to provide 99.995% uptime.

• 24/7 support ticketing for server management issues.

• Secure and resilient hosting.

• Using economies of scale to provide high levels of equipment and services (such as high speed communication links) not normally available to small businesses

However, hiring all these services might mean paying a good amount of money each month. So, what can you do if you have a limited budget? Cheap dedicated servers are the best option for you. Here are a list of options you might want to look out for:

• Processing Power: Either a quad or dual core CPU

• Connectivity of 100Mbps - capable of supplying 300,000 typical Web pages each hour

• Protection against disk failure (uses RAID technology)

• Your chosen web platform may be limited to specific operating systems, so at least one of these should be supported by the dedicated server

• The option of monthly billing, which makes it easy to budget for and to spread the cost

As you can see, the word 'cheap' is relative in this case, as even these servers can come packed with power.