Do you know it takes mere 3 seconds to decide if a visitor will stay on your website or not? Agree or not, we live in an attention-deficit age where most of our visitors, if not all, don’t have the patience to wait if your page takes longer-than-normal to load. They expect your website to look great, be easy to use and run exceptionally well. Anything that offers a below-par user experience is simply not acceptable. And that’s why a powerful hosting solution is important.
These days, web hosting providers offer a broad spectrum of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS server hosting, cloud hosting and dedicated server hosting. While a dedicated server is hands down the most powerful solution, it requires you to spend a considerable sum of money-big enough to dent your IT budget. So, a dedicated server should be chosen only when it is absolutely necessary.
So, what exactly is a dedicated server and under which scenarios you should choose one for your business. Let’s dive in and discuss.
What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is what the name suggests-a physical server that’s entirely dedicated to a single organization, website or application. This simply means all the resources of the server, including its RAM, CPU, storage and bandwidth, are available for your exclusive usage. This also means there are no neighboring accounts to share your resources. This creates an environment that’s both physically and virtually separated from any other server-an environment conducive to the growth of your website.
Should I invest in a dedicated server?
As discussed earlier, a dedicated server isn’t for everyone even though it is a powerful hosting option. Here are some scenarios when you should consider investing in a dedicated server hosting plan:
1) You want to enjoy the highest level of privacy
If you need a server for backing up confidential data or running an application that stores your customers’ personal information (full name, address, date of birth, social security number, credit card details, etc.), privacy would be a key consideration. In a dedicated server, the server remains separated at the physical level; this allows for the highest level of privacy and security.
While there are other hosting models that are quite secure, for instance VPS hosting, the servers there are separated only at the virtual level i.e. through a hypervisor. If the hypervisor is not robust enough, a security breach can occur, compromising your confidential data. With a dedicated server in place, all such concerns are done away with.
2) You need flexibility in configuring your server
When you are the only client using a server, you enjoy absolute control over the configuration of the server. This means you can have the operating system of choice-Linux or Windows, install the software you want, keep the hardware configuration you need, and even decide what you will use the server for-hosting, data storage or applications. So, if you are working on an application that needs a high degree of customization, a dedicated hosting service can be a great fit.
3) You want minimal page load time
Page load time can negatively affect the performance of your website. Most of the visitors on your site will not wait for more than 2-3 seconds for your page to load. If they find your website sluggish, they will simply click the ‘Back’ button and leave. The importance of page loading time can be ascertained from the fact that the world’s largest search engine Google, that accounts for over 80% of the searches on the web, has listed loading time as a key SEO ranking factor.
No physical server, however powerful it may be, offers unlimited resources. When the server resources get split among a large number of hosting accounts, it can overwhelm the RAM and CPU after a point, resulting in slow loading time or even downtime. For a business owner’s perspective, it means a loss of business. Such unpleasant scenarios can be altogether avoided by renting a dedicated server.
4) You anticipate high growth very soon
If your business has grown to a point where you anticipate high growth in near future (e.g. you are regularly seeing a high volume of users visiting your website), a dedicated hosting service is probably what you need. A dedicated server creates a robust foundation for the growth and expansion of your website, and guarantees a stable performance.
But, if you wait too long before making the switch to a dedicated server, the results can be disastrous, particularly if you are doing it in a hurry. So, it’s vital that you plan the transition well in advance to avert any goof-ups.
Stay ahead of the Curve with Go4hosting’s Dedicated Web Hosting
As a two-decade-old entity in the cloud and infrastructure domain, Go4hosting offers the whole gamut of web hosting services at competitive prices. Our dedicated server web hosting solutions, in particular, are endowed with a range of highly coveted features that make running your online business a breeze.
So, what are you waiting for? Connect with our hosting experts NOW and choose a plan catering to your needs.
