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For just about everyone these days it is important to have some type of website. People in general are more familiar with the term web server hosting and the fact that web servers are needed for a site to be shown on the internet. A limited, shared hosting plan will be sufficient for most small and even medium sized companies on the net, but if a business takes off and traffic gets heavy, then it is probably time to consider moving the site to a dedicated server.
A dedicated server is simply a web hosting computer that is "dedicated" to one particular website or web business. When a server is "dedicated," it means that all of the computing resources of that server are solely allocated to one single client. In most instances, the dedicated hosting server is leased or purchased by the client who owns the website being hosted. Usually, these specialized servers are housed in a secure data center, which also provides extra services, such as environmental control, power backup systems, security and the needed connection to the internet.
In most cases, a dedicated server is utilized when there are unique requirements that the website business has in terms of resources, security or setup. When a website has these kinds of special requirements it usually means that the less expensive, shared web hosting plan will not be sufficient.
A dedicated server is also a viable alternative to purchasing a powerful and scalable server in-house, and any additional software that might be necessary. The outright purchase of such powerful dedicated servers can be very capital intensive and the expense can be extreme for fledgling companies, even if they are planning for significant growth and expansion. Instead, dedicated servers provided by dedicated hosting services offer an alternative that provides the computing power needed for a thriving website that is in demand, at a cost that is easier to handle.
Another advantage to using a dedicated hosting service is that the server can be built to the specifications of the company that owns and operates the website. At that point, it is dedicated only for the use of that company, and the company is able to completely manage and control the server remotely, in terms of system administration and application use. At the same time, it is the dedicated hosting service provider, or web hosting service, that is responsible for maintaining the all of the hardware and the network connectivity. In most cases, this means that there are technicians available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to make sure that the web servers are always running.
Since the companies that offer these dedicated web hosting plan options are providing this equipment to a number of clients, the maintenance and staffing costs of the secure data center can be shared. This is one of the primary reasons why it is much more cost effective to have a managed dedicated server offsite and maintained by the hosting company, rather than having it done in-house.
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