What is dedicated server hosting?

In order to display a website online, you have to find a way to host the site. Buying a domain and designing a page are not enough. There are many ways you can choose to host a website. Dedicated server hosting is without a doubt one of the safest and most secure. A professional company will rent you a dedicated server, which means no one other than you has access to it. They will also store the server in a data centre and make sure it is completely secure. They will monitor it for you and even send you alerts if and when there is a problem.

What are the benefits?

Although this is not as cheap as shared hosting, it provides excellent value for money. With this service you don't need to buy the hardware, you don't need to plan and equip a resilient data room and you have the peace of mind that your server is safe and secure. If you have a website that takes payment information from customers you should always choose this type of hosting over a shared server package. Because the server is dedicated to you alone the loading time of websites is quicker and there is no danger of something going wrong with your server because someone elsewhere has "fiddled" with their own site. Although rare, it has been known for problems to spread through sites that are shared on the same server.

What are the alternatives?

There are other options available. Mentioned briefly already, shared hosting is a popular choice for many, especially those on a very tight budget. There is a lot of competition out there between hosting companies which makes this a very affordable option. The downside is that other people have access to your server. A problem with one of the other sites could become a problem of yours. It also makes websites slower to load. Colocation is another alternative. You buy the hardware and place it physically in a nearby data centre. It does mean however that you are in charge of purchasing and maintaining the server itself and responsible for buying replacement parts.

The final option available is installing your own on-site data room and purchasing your own servers to put in it. This is the most costly option and places a large amount of responsibility on your shoulders. Large companies are able to do this but solitary webmasters or small companies are much better off employing the services of a professional hosting company.

The online world is quite fickle. Perhaps a few years ago a website could be forgiven for being slow to load or having an occasional problem, but not any more. Web visitors are unforgiving and impatient and that means you only have one chance to impress them. If they visit your site but cannot see a page loading quick enough, or there is another type of problem they will simply click away. Websites that involve monetary transactions in particular need to be professional and with excellent functionality otherwise people will not trust the site enough to part with their money.

If you are thinking about getting a website or a group of websites started you should consider dedicated server hosting. You will enjoy the peace of mind it brings that your server is safe. You can request constant network monitoring too so if your site goes down you know about it instantly. A managed dedicated server should always be used if the site is going to involve monetary transactions of any kind as customer details and credit card numbers need to be kept safe.