Dedicated server hosting provides a physical server exclusively for you and your business, offering dedicated resources for improved performance without resource sharing. You get full user control and extensive customization options. These servers are ideal for high-traffic websites and resource-intensive applications, ensuring faster load times, stable operations, and scalability.
Dedicated web servers have advantages in reliability and performance but can be pricier and may require a higher level of technical expertise compared to other hosting types, especially for unmanaged hosting.
How can you determine if it's the right choice? In this guide, we'll explain the benefits of dedicated servers, the most common use cases, and help you choose a reliable hosting provider.
The Best Use Cases For Dedicated Servers
Dedicated servers offer numerous benefits for businesses and applications. You have the entire server, including all processor power, memory, and storage, and you can customize it to fit your specific needs.
Here are some common use cases.
High-Traffic eCommerce Stores
If you run a booming online store, dedicated hosting might be the best investment for your business. Having exclusive resources like your own Central Processing Unit (CPU), high Random Access Memory (RAM) and bandwidth, and ample storage, contributes to a fast and reliable service even during peak traffic.
Together, these resources ensure that dedicated servers can handle demanding workloads, maintain high performance, and achieve maximum uptime, making them suitable for periods of high traffic such as big holiday sales.
Gaming Servers
Dedicated server hosting is a dream for gamers who want a lag-free, customizable experience. With high-speed CPUs and ample RAM, dedicated game server hosting provides smooth gameplay.
Low-latency networks make real-time play in games like Minecraft even more enjoyable. With full root access, gaming communities can customize their experience to their heart's content. And, with customizable storage options, there's plenty of room for all your favorite games.
Media Businesses
Streaming videos or music? Dedicated servers are your best friend, providing ample bandwidth and high transfer limits for smooth playback.
With this setup, you’ll get a network infrastructure that is designed to handle multiple high-definition streams simultaneously, even during peak hours.
Private GIT Repository
To enhance your Global Information Tracker (GIT) workflow, dedicated servers offer full root access and custom configurations, allowing you to personalize your GIT repositories effortlessly.
Development teams also benefit from heightened security and reliability. That means you no longer have to worry about sharing resources or protecting your privacy. This creates a safe and private space, protecting your code and enabling your team to collaborate peacefully.
Large Databases
If you manage a massive database, you need lots of processing power and storage. With dedicated resources, you can maintain fast query responses and minimize latency, which is crucial for managing large databases.
Plus, you can customize your database server to fit your specific needs. Choose from various database platforms and optimize server settings for optimal performance.
Benefits of Dedicated Web Servers
Dedicated private servers offer numerous advantages over VPS or shared hosting for businesses and websites with high resource demands. Let's explore why dedicated web servers are perfect for growing eCommerce businesses, entities in the Information Technology (IT) space, and more. Dedicated server benefits include:
Dedicated Resources
With dedicated servers, you get all the web hosting resources to yourself, including access to your own CPU, RAM, and disk space. This means your website runs smoothly, stays stable, and maintains high uptime, even during traffic spikes.
For instance, if you’re running a Cyber Monday campaign and anticipate a huge spike in visitors, dedicated hosting can easily handle the traffic without slowing down or crashing. Hosting.com offers a 99.9% uptime commitment, so your site is always up and running, even during your busiest periods.
Faster Speeds
Dedicated servers help your website load fast, which is great for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keeping visitors happy.
By utilizing cutting-edge technologies and network infrastructure, Hosting.com offers quick connections and low latency for your website.
This includes features like high-speed Solid-State Drives (SSDs), multiple data centers, and advanced routing technologies, all of which contribute to your site's speed and overall performance.
Complete Server Customization and Scalability
Dedicated servers can be customized to fit your needs perfectly. You have full control over your environment and can even choose from several popular Linux distributions.
However, managed dedicated plans are still extremely customizable – when you look at the options available in A2’s managed dedicated hosting plans, for example, you can see that you have the option to choose a custom server, upgrade your RAM, add page-level caching, and add more local backup drives – just to name a few of the available upgrades.
Full Root Access
With full root access, you get the highest level of control and flexibility over your hosting environment. You can perform advanced customizations, install any software, and configure security protocols according to your specific needs. Hosting.com offers optional root access for our dedicated plans.
Higher Security
Dedicated servers come with advanced security features, like hardware firewalls and isolated environments, which provide a strong defense against potential threats.
A2 Hosting goes the extra mile by offering additional security benefits, such as DDoS protection and free SSL certificates. These measures safeguard your website and instill confidence in your online presence, so you never have to worry about security vulnerabilities.
If you want your hosting provider to manage the latest security patches and updates, just choose our Managed Dedicated Server hosting plan, and our Guru Crew will take care of the rest!
Often More Cost-Effective in the Long Run
While dedicated servers might cost a bit more upfront, they pay off in the long run. With their reliable performance and lack of shared resources, dedicated web servers can help reduce downtime and minimize the risk of data breaches, which can be costly for businesses.
Dedicated plans also offer the flexibility to scale resources up and down, preventing the need for frequent upgrades or migrations.
Dedicated IP Address
Here are the main advantages of a dedicated Internet Protocol (IP) address:
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Improves SEO: Search engines like Google consider dedicated IP addresses as a sign of a more reliable and trustworthy website, which can potentially improve your search engine rankings.
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Enhances Security: With a shared IP address, multiple websites share the same address, increasing the risk of security threats. A dedicated IP address reduces this risk, as your website is the only one using that address.
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SSL Certificate Support: For businesses dealing with sensitive data or requiring secure eCommerce transactions, a dedicated IP address is essential. It enables the use of an SSL certificate, which encrypts data transmitted between the user's browser and the server, protecting sensitive information.
At Hosting.com, we understand the importance of having a dedicated IP address, which means you get two free dedicated IPs in your plan, with additional IPs available.
Considerations When Choosing a Dedicated Server Host
Choosing a dedicated hosting server can be tough. Here are some key considerations to help guide your decision:
Performance Specifications
The last thing you want is a slow, unreliable server that can't keep up with your business's needs. That’s why it’s important to consider the server’s performance metrics when choosing a dedicated hosting plan.
These include:
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CPU: The faster the CPU, the more powerful the server. Hosting.com Hosting’s dedicated server hosting plans offer a range of CPU options to provide the processing power you need.
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RAM: Hosting.com provides up to 128GB DDR5 to ensure your server has enough memory to keep up with your business.
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Storage Type and Capacity: SSDs are faster and more reliable than traditional Hard Disk Drives (hard disk drives). With Hosting.com, you get up to 2TB NVMe SSD, so you never have to worry about running out of storage.
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Potential for Upgrades: As your business grows, your server's resources may need to grow as well. Hosting.com allows you to upgrade your server's resources, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, at any time.
Network Uptime and Reliability
Every minute your website or server is down can lead to lost revenue, decreased productivity, and potentially damaged reputation.
To avoid the risk of downtime, be sure to choose a dedicated server host that offers a strong uptime guarantee and has a solid track record of reliable performance.
A2 Hosting, for example, offers a 99.9% uptime commitment. This means you can count on us to keep your website up and running without any interruptions.
Security and Compliance
When choosing a dedicated server host, you want to make sure your server is secure and compliant with industry standards, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Luckily, with Hosting.com, you can rest assured we’ll protect your server with security solutions, such as:
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Free SSL Certificates: When you choose Hosting.com, your free SSL Certificate is added to your domain automatically. Best of all, our free SSLs are just as secure as paid SSL alternatives.
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Complete Security Suite: Hosting.com offers a comprehensive security suite that protects all hosted websites against malware infections, web attacks, and other threats.
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DDoS Protection: Included with all hosting accounts, our DDoS protection keeps your site secure from even the most sophisticated DDoS attacks.
Scalability and Growth Potential
As your business grows, your server resources may need to increase to handle the increased traffic and data. This is where scalability comes in.
You can either add more resources to the same server (vertical scaling) or add more servers to handle the load (horizontal scaling). Vertical scaling involves adding more CPU, RAM, or storage to the same server, while horizontal scaling involves adding more servers to distribute the load.
A2 Hosting's Dedicated Hosting plans are based on our Turbo server technology to deliver the best performance. You can scale your plans to increase CPU performance, RAM, and bandwidth.
Customer Support and Policies
There’s only one thing we all need when something goes wrong, and that’s someone to count on. Hosting.com Hosting’s friendly and knowledgeable support team is available 24/7/365. No matter the problem, big or small, our in-house Guru Crew is just a phone call, chat, or email away.
In addition to great customer support, you also need comprehensive Service-Level Agreements (SLA) that cover all aspects of the hosting service.
With Hosting.com, you can trust that your hosting service is being monitored and maintained to the highest standards. From uptime to support response times, Hosting.com's SLAs give you complete peace of mind.
Location and Data Center Quality
The location of the data center is a crucial consideration for ensuring optimal performance and legal compliance. Businesses require a hosting provider that invests in high-quality physical infrastructure to support reliable and secure server operations. Hosting.com's global network of data centers is strategically positioned to prioritize low latency and adhere to relevant regulations, delivering top-tier infrastructure for organizations of all sizes.
Get Started With Managed Dedicated Hosting From Hosting.com
With Hosting.com Hosting’s Dedicated Server hosting, you get complete control over your server, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and enhanced security.
With our Managed Dedicated Server Hosting, Hosting.com takes care of all the technical aspects, like maintaining the server, keeping it secure, and updating the software.
With both these plans, you also have the choice between the standard package and Turbo, which is hosted on our Turbo servers and delivers blazing-fast site speed and performance. You get ultra-powerful resources, including premium processors, DDR5 memory, and ultra-fast NVMe storage.
No matter which plan you choose, Hosting.com has the features and resources you need to keep your business running at its best. Ready to upgrade to your exclusive server?
Check out Hosting.com Hosting’s Dedicated Server plans to get started!
