Dedicated servers are what we commonly think of when we think of hosting – big iron in a closet somewhere that runs 24/7 and is perfect for launching massive sites or for heavy gaming/streaming. However, dedicated servers come with a price – they are expensive and, as a result, not practical for all websites or applications.
If your site or app doesn’t need the power of a dedicated server and you don’t have the money, you’re going to have to look into the cloud. The cloud provides you with all the advantages of a dedicated server (shared hardware and software infrastructure, centralized management, etc.) and you only have to pay for what you use.
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In the world of cloud computing, dedicated servers are becoming more and more popular as the prices keep coming down and the performance also keeps improving. There are many different companies that offer dedicated servers, each with their own feature set and perks. You want to make sure that you’re comparing apples to apples when making a decision about which type of server to go with.
Performance
One of the key differentiators between a dedicated server and a cloud server is performance. A cloud server will give you the best performance possible given that it shares a common infrastructure with other customers. However, the flip side of this is that the performance of a cloud server is going to be, more or less, equal across all users. This can make managing performance a little more difficult.
A dedicated server will give you the highest performance available for your hardware and OS. This is especially beneficial for high-performance applications such as gaming or large computing tasks (computing-intensive data analysis, processing, etc.).
Cost
Another key consideration when choosing a dedicated server is cost. A cloud server can be a cost-effective solution if you’re only using it for light tasks, but it’s always more cost-effective to go with an enterprise-class dedicated server. Don’t expect savings on the cost of a dedicated server from using a cloud service – it’s not going to happen. Not all dedicated servers are created equal, and some of them are definitely more expensive than a cloud server.
Features
Dedicated servers come with many features which can make them more suitable for certain tasks or apps than a cloud server. Some of these features are:
- firewall
- DDos protection
- high performing hardware
- advanced storage options
- backup options
- high availability
- scalable storage
- load balancing
- wide area network support
- direct connectivity
You can also find a dedicated server that comes with all of these features and more – the sky is the limit. If you’re looking into dedicated servers, make sure that you research the features that are important to you before making a decision.
Availability
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a dedicated server is availability. Just because a company offers reliable service doesn’t mean that their servers are always available – they could have some down time due to routine maintenance or scheduled downtime for hardware upgrades. This can make things highly inconvenient for you if you’re relying on them for essential services.
The availability of a dedicated server is usually specified in the product’s documentation and can be found on the company website. Make sure that you read about any planned maintenance or downtime before taking them up on their offer of 24/7 support.
Security
Last but not least, we have security. Many companies offer security as an add-on product for their dedicated servers, but you have to be extremely careful about who you trust and what you’re getting into. Just because a company offers security doesn’t mean that their security solutions are the best – they could be the worst. Make sure that you do your research and know what security solutions each company offers before making a decision about which one to go with.
Hopefully, this article gave you a good idea of what a dedicated server is and the key things to look for in terms of hardware and software. Just remember – cost-effectiveness does not always equal convenient or secure operation. You need to weigh all of these factors and decide what’s most important to you. Keep in mind that, for some tasks, a dedicated server might be the best solution and, for others, a cloud server might be the way to go. It’s all about what you need and what works best for your situation.