Are You Ready for a Dedicated Server?

If your business is growing and you are still operating on a shared server, perhaps it is time that you thought about switching to a dedicated server. A dedicated server can offer you advantages that a shared server cannot.

When you first begin your internet web site, you can start up on a shared server. This limits bandwidth as well as space, but is usually the most economical option. With a shared server, you can save money as you share the server with other websites. This can work out well if you have a small internet business.

As your business begins to prosper and perhaps you develop other websites that relate to your business, it may be time to think about switching to a dedicated server. Although a dedicated server is a costly initial investment, in the long run, it can actually end up saving your money.

Nothing is more frustrating to your customers than being unable to access your website. This can happen if you do not have enough bandwidth but have quite a bit of traffic to your website. Just like anything else, the more traffic you have going through, the quicker you have to move the customers in and out.

An increase in bandwidth and space can offer you the following advantages when it is time to choose a dedicated server:

- More space

- More room for forums and shopping carts with a data base

- More bandwidth to accommodate more customers and allow easier access

If your business is growing, or if you have several websites that you have developed as money websites where you reap revenue from internet ads, a dedicated server may be your best option. Yes, the initial set up cost is high, but because you usually lease the equipment from the service company, you will continue to get updated computer whenever they update their system. This insures that your equipment does not become obsolete.

In addition to the above mentioned benefits of having a dedicated server, there is also the idea that you are the only one with access to the server. This means that you can set up your own security and keep others from getting on the server. Unlike a shared server, where you are liable for everything that everyone else does, the dedicated server is yours and yours alone. No one else has access to the server but you.

There are many options when it comes to choosing a dedicated server. Most dedicated servers cost about $100 per month and some with more individualized service can cost more. The dedicated server that you choose will depend upon your computer expertise, your budget as well as how you wish to use your website.

There are hundreds of reliable dedicated servers available on the internet today. When it is time to choose a dedicated server, take a look at the different services available and compare prices. Decide what type of services and additions you would like to make to your internet website before choosing the right dedicated server for you.

Why use a dedicated server? There are many reasons why you should choose to use a dedicated server. The most important reason is that you have full control of the server and no longer have to share space and bandwidth with other websites.

There are so many options to start an internet based business. According to a study done by UCLA, nearly 90 percent of Americans have access to the internet. In addition to business websites, people are using free internet servers to make their own internet pages.

There is a vast difference between an internet website and a web page. Most sites offer customers a free internet page. You can post photos of yourself and your family members and keep in touch with your friends across the internet. These pages are hosted by a server that may or may not put mandatory ads on your web page.

You can also find a web host server that will give you space for a free website. This can also be a good idea for a small website that is mostly used for social purposes. Some people use such websites as an online resume of sorts.

Online businesses, however usually want to have a lot of perks such as databases that allow forums and shopping carts so that customers can keep coming back. Databases take a lot of space. A free server will not be able to handle such a request; there would not be enough space. These businesses often, when they start out, seek a paid internet server to host their site. They pay a monthly or yearly fee and get assistance with the server operator when needed.

This can work well for small businesses. However, if a business really starts to grow, it makes more sense for it to host their own website. In essence, a dedicated website is a way to host your own website and your website only. The server is dedicated only to you and your online business.

How does this help you? For one thing, since you no longer have to share space with other users on the shared server, you have more space for your own website. You can add more pages and options for your customers.

You will also be able to use as much bandwidth as needed without sharing with other websites. The bandwidth of a server is what allows the traffic to the website. If too many people are trying to access several websites at once and the server cannot handle it, they may be turned away. No one with a serious internet business wants to turn away customers.

Although dedicated servers cost substantially more money than shared servers, they are a wise choice for growing internet business. In most cases you can save money by not only improving the options on your website, but allowing easier access for your customers so that they will not be turned away, therefore, making you more profits in your internet website business. A dedicated server is the only way a large internet business can grow.

The advantages of a dedicated server can best be described by the following analogy:

Suppose you wanted an automobile. You could not afford to buy one for yourself, so you decided to go in with four friends and everyone would own a piece of the automobile. This meant that although it was cheaper for everyone, they all had to share the car. A schedule would be worked out and everyone would abide by the schedule of when they could use the car.

Now suppose, all of a sudden, you got a job where you needed the automobile a lot more often. But you only had access to the car on certain days at certain times and the job would not wait. Because the car is just as much of your friends car as yours, they are also entitled to use it. You end up losing the job opportunity because you cannot use the car all of the time.

The above is similar to the difference between a business using a dedicated server and a shared server. A dedicated server, just as the name implies, is "dedicated" to serving only your business. This means that you do not have to share space and bandwidth with other online business websites.

While a small business or personal website can do well with a shared server, a large or growing business would find a shared server just as much of a disaster as the car analogy illustrated earlier in this article. There is only a certain amount of bandwidth in a server. It can only allow a certain amount of traffic through at a certain time.

Bandwidth can be compared to a toll booth. The toll booth allows a certain amount of traffic through at a time on a scheduled basis. This works out fine, unless everyone decides to leave town at the same time and take the toll road. Then it becomes a disaster as people wait for hours to get through the toll booth.

While you may wait for hours to get through a toll booth if you have to leave town and have no other way to do so, your customers will not wait hours to get to your website if you do not have enough bandwidth. Chances are, that if they try your website once and cannot get on, they will move on never to return again.

You work so hard trying to attract traffic to your website, it is a shame to throw that hard work out the window by not having enough bandwidth to accommodate all of your customers. This is the advantage of having a dedicated server. No longer do you have to share space or bandwidth with other businesses on the server. The server is dedicated only to your business, enabling traffic to flow quickly and smoothly.

Although a dedicated server costs more in monthly fees than a shared server, it may end up saving you money if you are losing customers due to the fact that the cannot get access to your website because your server cannot accommodate the traffic. If you have a large or growing business, a dedicated server is the only way to go.

It is not difficult to get a dedicated server. There are many that are available by a large assortment of providers online. You need only decide what type of service you need and then take a look at one of the dedicated server directories online.

Many businesses start out their internet business by using a shared server. A shared server can be the ideal host for your personal or small business website. In addition to being inexpensive, a shared server can also be user friendly. There is usually a small start up fee and a monthly maintenance fee. Fees for a shared server can be practical for the small business owner or someone who has a personal website in which to keep in touch with friends or family.

If you have a growing business, however, you may do better by having a dedicated server. A dedicated server only hosts your website and no other. This can be quite beneficial if you have a large amount of traffic, hope to have a lot of traffic or need a lot of space.

When you use a shared server to host your website, you have to share bandwidth and space with other websites. You will be given an allotted bit of space and bandwidth. In some cases, you can increase your space for additional money. However, without increased bandwidth, you may not be able to draw customers to your website. People may be trying to log on to your website and be told that there is a problem with the server. You may lose potential customers in this manner.

By having a dedicated server, you do not have to worry about sharing bandwidth with other websites. Customers will easily be allowed to access your website. In addition, you will have much more space available if you choose to expand your website.

Before choosing a dedicated server, think about what you want to do with your business. Do you need more bandwidth, more space? Figure out what you hope to attain by switching to a dedicated server. In most cases, you will want more of both.

You can find many different providers on the internet that offer dedicated servers. You will most likely want one that can offer you customer service and be on call in case you have a problem with the server. Nothing could hurt a business like having a server go down. An internet business that depends on revenue from customers and needs to allow them access to the website depends on their server.

Because your business will depend upon your dedicated server, you will want to make sure that you choose the best service provider that you can find. While there are some providers that offer budget servers for less than $100 per month, price is only one objective. Do not sacrifice quality service for a low price when it comes to your web server.

Once you have found several companies that offer what you are seeking in a web host, call them up and speak to them on the phone. Make sure that customer relations are as important to them as they are to you.

If you have made the decision to switch from a shared server to a dedicated server to host your website, you may be a bit overwhelmed at the thousands of dedicated server providers advertising on the internet. When choosing a dedicated server, you will want to make sure that the provider is reliable, continues to update equipment and has excellent customer service.

Nothing is more frustrating to a business website owner than the server being down. This happens occasionally, but if you cannot get in touch with the server provider, it can prove to be disastrous.. Imagine not being able to have customers reach your website for days! The revenue that you lose could be astronomical.

One of the most important things to look for in a dedicated server is good customer service from the provider. You will notice that there are many providers online that offer dedicated servers. Some of them seem to be very inexpensive. While an offer for a cheap dedicated server may be tempting, you certainly do not want to sacrifice quality for price.

If something goes wrong with the server, you will want to know that someone will be on call to help you with any problems. By having a dedicated server, you are, in fact, hosting your own website. Unless you are a computer whiz, or have an IT team on hand, chances are that you will need help from time to time. This is why it is so important for a dedicated server provider to have good customer service.

You will also want to check out the space available on the dedicated server as well as the space allotted for your website. One of the reasons why most businesses choose to have a dedicated server is to increase bandwidth. Bandwidth is what allows customers to visit your site. When you have a dedicated server, you do not have to share bandwidth with other websites.

Space is also an important consideration. Even if the space that you have now is sufficient, you may want to expand your website at one point in time. You can also use the additional site to host websites that are affiliates of your website that can earn revenue by receiving advertisements. There are many different ways to earn money with websites on the internet. By hosting your own site the sky is the limit when it comes to internet income.

In addition to good customer service, bandwidth and space, you will also want to find a dedicated server that you can secure. One of the best aspects of having a dedicated server is that you have control over the security of the server as well as your website. This enables your website to be more secure than if you were using a shared server.

Price may be a consideration when choosing a dedicated server, but it should not be the only consideration. A dedicated server is no good unless it can actually help your business. If run properly, you can make even more money by hosting your own website.