Dedicated Server School

The dedicated server has to be good. After all, it is dedicated to you – your needs and your ambitions. This server makes sense for growing businesses. Living with the shared server can be detrimental to your growth, thanks to the limitations in terms of bandwidth, disk space, security and control. If your business depends on your Web presence significantly, you have got to go for a dedicated server. Here’s why.

High availability: Dedicated servers offer high availability of applications and the websites hosted on the server.

Improved performance: Since you are no longer sharing resources with other websites, you can enjoy improved server performance.

Customization: High bandwidth and a generous amount of disk space allow you to customize your server the way you like. You can install as many applications as you want.

High security: You can make your server secure at different levels now that you are in control.

Increased scalability: You can upgrade disk space and memory easily when your needs increase.

The dedicated server lets you to be in charge, something that you will need if you want to grow. Some organizations are not too sure about taking charge, though. Don’t worry if you are not equipped to handle the dedicated server. Outsource its management to a hosting company. Yes, that means investing a little more money. But this investment will fetch you returns that you have always wanted. A professional team will maintain, monitor, troubleshoot and optimize your server efficiently. Just make sure you choose this team with care.

There is no doubt that managed hosting means increased expenses. After all, you are hiring a company to manage your server and your websites for you. You’ll need to shell out some money. The cost of managed hosting often deters organizations from going for it. Before we rule it out or adopt it, we need to ask ourselves two questions. First, do we need managed hosting? Second, how much are we willing to spend on it?

The answer to the first question is ‘yes’. Every organization will do better if it goes for managed hosting. So, everyone needs it. That does not, however, mean that everyone can go for it. There lies the answer to the second question. Your budget indicates how much is too much for you. Now, if you can manage your server in-house, go ahead but make sure you are not compromising anywhere. Going for managed hosting means additional expenses, yes, but that does not mean you are losing money anywhere. That is because the benefits you reap far outweigh the cost.

How exactly does managed hosting help a business? Well, to start with, a professional team ensures high availability of your website(s), reducing the number of downtimes to the minimum. It helps you get high-speed accessibility and ensures that the resources are optimized to the fullest. Also, you no longer need to hire and train people for the management of your server. You can release the resources for other important work.

Managed hosting offers added security to your server. Moreover, it offers back-up facilities, along with disaster recovery features. Managed hosting provides continuous monitoring and timely troubleshooting.

Above all, you get the peace of mind to focus on your core business.

What is a data center? Why do you need one? Well, let me explain it this way. You know there was a time when computers were stored in a secure, cold, dust-free place. Now, while there is no such need any longer, if you have many servers, you need a similar (not same) location for them. The place where your servers are kept, monitored, and managed is referred to as the server farm or the data center.

When do you need a data center? When you have too many servers to look after. Now, if looking after one server is tedious, it must be quite a task to manage a data center. What do you do if you are equipped to manage it? You go for the services of a hosting company who manages your data center for you. In fact, you can even choose to keep your data center in the hosting company’s premises.

How exactly does the data center help? Well, a data center helps a business in more ways than one. However, small business need not go for it. The data center suits large businesses and the mid-size ones that are growing rapidly. How? Read on.

Availability is the biggest advantage of having a data center. A well-managed datacenter ensures that business never suffers because of one failure somewhere. Unexpected problems and server failures don’t deter the functioning of your business in any way. Scalability is yet another feature of the data center. It offers support as the business needs change.

How do you make the world trust your website? OK, yours is an organization of repute, but that is not enough for people to trust your website. Why? Well, there are chances that information to and from the website might get intercepted during transmission. So, you have got to ensure that such interceptions never happen. That is the best way to make people trust your website.

So, how do you ensure secure transactions through your website? Well, this is where the SSL or TLS technology comes to your rescue. SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer and TLS stands for Transport Layer Security. Now, this technology is essentially a protocol that ensures that the transactions between a browser and your web server are secure.

Now, deploying the SSL or TLS protocol will ensure that your website is secure. But how would others know it is? Yeah, you’ll tell them. But if that had been enough, every website would claim to be secure. In order to establish that your website is secure, you have to acquire a SSL certificate. This certificate says that your identity on the web has been verified and your website is trustworthy. An institution called Certificate Authority (CA) issues these certificates.

Typically, an SSL certificate contains the following information:

• Your domain information
• Your organization’s details
• Your business address

The certificate expires after some time. So, you have to keep renewing it from time to time. If your certificate has expired, your website gets a bad name. So, make sure your certificate is always valid.

Several times in this blog I have mentioned that the virtual private server (VPS) is ideal for organizations looking to move away from shared hosting but cannot afford the dedicated server yet. Now, the VPS is known to be sturdy and is considered very secure. This is the reason it is also used as a sandbox and as a honeypot.

What exactly is a sandbox? Well, it is an environment where you can conduct experiments and tests that do not affect the real system. Here’s how Wikipedia defines it:

(Source) A “sandbox” is a testing (or virtual) environment that isolates untested code changes and outright experimentation from the production environment or repository, in the context of software development including Web development and revision control.

The virtue of the VPS to remain isolated from other servers makes it an ideal testing environment. A virtual server can have a copy of the real system and changes can be made to it without worrying about them impacting the real system.

Now, what exactly is a honeypot? It is defined in the following terms by Wikipedia:

(Source) …a honeypot is a trap set to detect, deflect, or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorized use of information systems.

The VPS can be the perfect honeypot because of its isolation from other servers. Supposedly-malicious programs can be run on the VPS and the vulnerability of the server can be checked.

Have you ever used the VPS as a sandbox or a honeypot? Do share your experience with us.

Well, Linux makes sense not only in the server world but even in the world outside it. However, the operating system seems to make a little more sense for businesses using servers. How? Read on.

For starters, Linux is open-source, therefore, a cost-effective option for businesses.

If you are thinking cost is the major reason for going for this operating system, you are mistaken. Linux is flexible and convenient in a lot of ways. You can customize it according to your preferences. This is a privilege you won’t get with other operating systems.

Linux has a remarkable presence in the world of web hosting. Linux is used for hosting web servers, network servers, and web-based applications. Linux also serves as a data hub. In fact, it is used as a recovery hub, too. Linux acts as a central portal as well.

Linux is considered stable in the server environment. In terms of security, too, Linux hosting is better than Windows hosting.

The operating system can be used to host e-mail and VoIP applications too.

You may choose Linux just because of its cost but the benefits you reap of the operating system will make you realize its value. However, Linux won’t work for you if your dependence on Microsoft platforms and applications is high. Make sure you understand your requirements well before you choose your operating system.

Have you experienced any problems with Linux as your server’s operating system? How do you find Linux as compared to other operating systems? Do share your views with us.

Once you get used to something, it becomes very difficult to break away from it and adopt something new. Organizations that have been using shared hosting for long are reluctant to even try a new kind of hosting, even if they face problems in the shared form of hosting.

I know many of you would say that there is nothing wrong with shared hosting. Well, yeah, there is nothing really wrong unless your organization is looking at business benefits. Yeah, shared hosting is not for businesses. Why do I say that? Let me explain.

You get limited bandwidth and disk space in shared hosting as you have to share resources with several other websites. Now, your bandwidth and space requirements will be more if your business depends on your websites in any way.

If your website is critical to your website, you will definitely want it to be available at all times. However, you have to deal with unexpected downtimes in shared hosting. Shared hosting suffers from a big security threat. A problem in one website has the capability of bringing down the entire server, affecting your websites.

Other hosting types provide additional services that shared hosting doesn’t. If I have to sum up where it doesn’t work for businesses I will say it doesn’t give organizations control over their businesses online.

What do I recommend then? You know it. Go for a dedicated server if you want to be in charge of your websites and web applications.

The main reason people complain about cloud computing is because of the security factor in it. As of now, the data in the cloud is not considered to be safe. However, looking at the way the cloud is being adopted by organizations, it is wise to say that the glitch in the technology will not last too long. What is it that makes it perfect for businesses? Read on.

Cloud computing reduces the operational expenses of businesses dramatically. You need to pay only for what you use. Because it is a cost-effective technology, it holds promise for all types of businesses.

Apart from saving money, the cloud saves time. Recoveries from problems are extremely fast with this technology. Also, the installation of the technology is easy as you don’t need to acquire any hardware or software. Now, not only this saves money, it also saves a lot of time.

Cloud computing brings in automation, one of the biggest attractions of the technology. Automation allows businesses to do away with teams dedicated to manage tasks like back-ups and system updates. Businesses can utilize the resources freed by cloud computing for other priority work.

Now, it will definitely be a little while when cloud computing becomes fool-proof (There is hardly anything that is fool-proof, is there?) or at least sturdy enough to be accepted by most organizations. One thing that we do know is that even the Federal government is adopting the cloud.

Have you experienced the cloud yet? Do share your experience with us.

The term ‘web’ ceased to mean the spider’s web a long time ago. And the emergence of the world wide web saw various types of hosting. You may have already heard about shared hosting and dedicated hosting. In today’s post, we’ll look at the most popular hosting types including these two.

Free Hosting: This is called so because, well, it is free! And yes, it will obviously have its limitations. First, you do not get a domain name of your choice. Second, you have limited space. Third, you have to live with limited bandwidth. The service works best for personal websites that are not looking for high performance.

Shared Hosting: This is something most of you are familiar with. In shared hosting, your website shares servers with several others. Large businesses do not find this service beneficial as it has limitations in bandwidth or space. However, this service works out best for small businesses as it is cost-effective.

Dedicated Hosting: This is what we recommend all the time. In this type of service, a website gets a server dedicated completely to its needs. This lets websites reap optimum benefits of the service.

Managed Hosting: An enhanced model of the dedicated server hosting, the managed server hosting provides support services, thereby relieving companies of the stress of managing their servers.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting: This hosting service works best for websites that are not satisfied with shared hosting but cannot go for dedicated server hosting. In this type of hosting, a website gets virtually partitioned servers.

Co-location Hosting: A type of managed hosting, co-location hosting lets you keep your server at the vendor’s location. This helps you manage the server better.

If you have experience more than one type of web hosting, do share your experience with us.

A dedicated server is good for your business, they tell you. But you are not sure if you should go for it. Well, if your business depends on your server and web applications in a big way, you definitely need it. Let’s look at a few signs that indicate you should go for it.

• Your website’s traffic is too much for the shared server to handle.
• You want to minimize downtimes as the website is critical to your business.
• You are looking at hosting several websites.
• You want to configure the server and take control of your website the way you like.
• You need a lot of disk space for your website and your growing needs.
• You need to install applications of your liking for your website.
• Your bandwidth requirements have increased.
• You want to make your websites more secure.

Many organizations, though they are aware they need the dedicated server, don’t go for it because they think they cannot afford it or take care of its management. And more often than not, they have no clue how to get the server.

A dedicated server need not be expensive. Our partners offer server packages starting $80/mo. As per as its management is concerned, you can always outsource it to a hosting company if you cannot handle it in-house. And how do you go about getting a server, ask our dedicated team. Just fill in your requirements in the dedicated server recommendation form.

When you choose your server, keep the SASS factors in mind. SASS is our very own acronym for Speed, Availability, Security, and Support.

When it comes to managed hosting, what is your biggest concern? I ask you this because recently, someone else asked me the same thing. If I were to point to one thing, I would say support. The kind of support the hosting company offers you determines how your server/websites perform.

Support is the biggest reason I like Rackspace. In fact, I find their concept of ‘fanatical support’ very appealing. Call me biased (after all, Rackspace is one of our partners) but I really like the fact that they have stressed the support part of managed hosting. Here’s a list of things Rackspace takes pride in.

• Fanatical Support® For All
• The World’s Leader in Hosting
• Global Presence
• The Safe Hosting Choice
• A Toolbox of Hosted IT Solutions
• Experts by Any Definition
• 100% Network Uptime Guarantee
• A Greener Way of Doing Business

Now, their promise of 100% uptime is good enough for me, and if they are backing it up with sincere and effective support, I am happy. But what exactly is ‘fanatical support’? Is it just a buzzword to generate interest, or is there any substance in it? Rackspace says their support is fanatical because of the people behind it. Called Rackers, these people are said to be highly skilled professionals who provide you all the support you need to run your servers and websites smoothly.

Rackspace takes pride in focusing on customer needs. People recognize its ‘fanatical support’ instantly. Have you experienced it yet? If yes, do share your feedback with us.

The shared server can fulfill your needs for as long as your web ambitions are not high. However, the dedicated server becomes absolutely necessary if your requirements have increased. Let’s look at the instances when the dedicated server becomes absolutely necessary.

• If shared hosting can no longer handle your website’s traffic, you need the dedicated server.
• If you own a web hosting business, you have to shun the shared server.
• If you want to take charge of the hosting of your website, you can do so only with the dedicated server.
• If you want to host several websites, the dedicated server is ideal.
• If you need a lot of disk space, beyond what shared hosting has to offer, you have to go for a server that is dedicated to you.
• If you want to install several custom applications for your website, you definitely cannot live with shared hosting.
• If your bandwidth requirements are high, you have to go for dedicated hosting.
• If your website is critical to your business, requiring it be available at all times, you need a dedicated server.
• If you are looking for high-level security for your website, you need dedicated hosting.

You not only need money to acquire a dedicated server but also the capability to manage it. If you cannot manage it in-house, you should be ready to hand over the management to a hosting company.

Wondering how to get a dedicated server? Check out an earlier post on how to buy a dedicated server.

The benefits of a cluster of servers arise from the fact that it is a group of servers. Now, this group does away with the problems you face with single servers. As they say, unity is strength. Let us now look at all the benefits you reap because of server clustering.

Your network performance improves manifold. Cluster servers offer a considerable improvement in the performance of the network in terms of speed and reliability. The performance improves because the work load is distributed across multiple servers. This helps businesses acquire a more professional, better image.

A cluster of servers offers high scalability. The cluster can expand to accommodate more load.

Cluster servers are easy to configure and manage, not taking up much time on many resources. Also, maintenance becomes very easy with cluster servers. You can switch one server off while others work. This ensures that your network applications are always available.

The basic principle of load distribution in server clustering gives it its most important benefit – business continuity. Now that your business’ network applications are not dependent on one server, when one server fails, you get the necessary support from the other servers. Availability is one of the biggest advantages of cluster servers.

In spite of the benefits it offers, server clustering is something not every organization can go for. This is because not all types of servers and applications are supported by clustering. Moreover, some cluster designs are too complicated to implement and expensive. It is important that you know if your applications fit into the cluster before you go for it.

No. And we never claimed it could. The virtual private server (VPS) can rescue you though when you no longer want to live with the limitations of the shared hosting. Now, a dedicated server will not only rescue you from the shared server, it will hand over a number of additional advantages. But the dedicated server is expensive. And it needs dedicated care. The VPS is perfect till the time you cannot go for the dedicated server.

Now, how does the VPS enhance the server experience for an organization? Well, VPS hosting allows you to be in control of the server. You can choose to configure your server(s) the way you like. If you take multiple virtual servers, you can install different operating systems on them and maintain a variety of applications on each.

There is no limitation on the number of websites you want to host if you go for many virtual servers. You no longer need to worry about the limitations of space and bandwidth.

VPS hosting secures you from the threats on other websites. This type of hosting employs measures to counter hackers and the like.

The most lucrative thing about VPS hosting is its cost. The VPS costs much less than the dedicated server and yet it does away with most of the problems you would face with the shared server. The VPS gives you a glimpse of performance you would experience if you go for a full-fledged dedicated server.

VPS hosting is accompanied by many additional services, which you can choose or drop at your convenience.

Have you experienced the VPS yet? Do share with us your experience.

The dedicated server needs dedicated management. If you can assure good, efficient management in-house, go ahead. But make sure it is really efficient. If you cannot guarantee that, outsource your server’s management to a hosting company.

You want to reap all the benefits of the dedicated server. For that, you need a professional team looking after it. Managed hosting is a great way to get optimum benefits of the dedicated server.

Not sure about the expenses that accompany managed hosting? Well, external server management does add to your expenses, but the cost is nothing when you weigh it against the advantages you reap of it.

Now, what exactly does managed hosting offer? For starters, you can be assured of high availability of your website(s). The number of downtimes is reduced to a minimum. Managed hosting offers a high-speed accessibility and ensures that the resources are optimized to the fullest.

With professional server management, you save a considerable amount of money that you would have otherwise spent on hiring and training people. In fact, you get to release resources that are currently occupied on managing your server for more priority work.

Imagine the peace of mind you’ll get when you outsource your server’s management. You can focus on your business without worrying about the peripheral management tasks. Managed hosting also confers on you a professional image, giving you an edge over your peers.

Managed hosting assures effective round-the-clock monitoring, timely troubleshooting, and optimization of the server. If you don’t want fully-managed hosting, you can always go for partially-managed hosting or colocation hosting.

Those who have lived with shared hosting for too long don’t come even close to experiencing dedicated hosting. They get used to the limitations of the shared server and start living with them. The dedicated server becomes important for those organizations whose businesses depend significantly on their servers.

Now, what exactly is a dedicated server? Well, it is a server that’s completely dedicated to your websites and applications. A dedicated server offers greater reliability and high availability. Unlike a shared server, the dedicated one gives you absolute control. It offers you improved performance. You can customize the server your way. This server offers much more security than the shared one.

Now, isn’t the dedicated server expensive? It is definitely costlier than the shared one. However, it need not be beyond your budget. The partners at Dedicated Server School offer server packages starting $80/mo. If you need a dedicated server, drop in your requirements in the dedicated server recommendation form and our team will get back with the right one for you.

Now, how will you find out if you need the dedicated server? Well, you should go for it if your website’s traffic is increasing constantly. If you want to minimize downtimes, you have to go for the dedicated server. You can host several websites only with such a server. A dedicated server lets you configure it the way you like. If you need a lot of disk space for your website, you definitely need the dedicated server.

Make sure you are capable of taking care of the server, either in-house or by professionals.

A dedicated server is dedicated to meeting your needs. This is what makes it good.

It lets you be in control. A dedicated server gives you the kind of control and space that a shared server cannot offer. You can customize your server the way you like. You can install as many applications as you want. The server allows you to secure it your way. You can ensure security at different levels now that you are in control.

You don’t have to deal with limitations of bandwidth and space when you have a server that’s dedicated to your needs. High bandwidth and adequate disk space improve the overall performance of your websites and applications.

You can be assured of improved performance with a dedicated server. A dedicated server offers high availability of applications and the websites hosted on the server.

A dedicated server can expand with your growing needs. You can upgrade its disk space and memory easily when your needs increase.

So, with a dedicated server, you not only get better resources, better performance, and improved security, you also get to be in control of how your server behaves.

Worried about its cost? Well, dedicated hosting is definitely more expensive than shared hosting. But its benefits far outweigh its cost. There is another concern about the dedicated server. Organizations are not sure if they can manage it. There’s a solution to that. Let a hosting company manage it for you. The professional team will not only help you save money but also give you optimized performance.

There is no denying the fact that shared hosting has problems. If you say you have been living with shared hosting for a long time without a problem, I will believe you. However, you may not have had a problem because the shared server was sufficient for your needs. If you own a business for which the server and web applications are critical, you couldn’t have lived with the shared server.

Let me tell you why shared hosting doesn’t always work.

Because you get limited bandwidth and disk space

In the shared world of hosting, your website has to share bandwidth and space with several other websites, thus limiting the scope to optimize your website’s performance.

Because you cannot customize it

You cannot configure the shared server the way you like. You have to depend on the service provider’s choice. As you don’t own the server, you cannot even install all the applications you want.

Because the service is not reliable

You have to deal with downtime a number of times. Then, most of the time, one failure may bring down the entire server, causing your website to be unavailable unexpectedly.

Because you are vulnerable to threats on neighboring websites

A threat on another website sharing the server with you can cause your website to become unavailable or crash the entire server.

The shared server may work for many websites but you cannot take a risk if your business depends on it. Get a dedicated server as soon as you can. If that is too expensive, get a virtual server.

The limitations of the single server triggered the need for server clustering. And clustering proved effective in offering a better experience to organizations. It ensured high availability of applications, minimized downtimes, and made recoveries faster. Server clustering offered business continuity like no other. In spite of all its benefits, cluster servers are not commonplace.

Are there any problems with server clustering that prevent organizations from deploying it? Yes, clustering has certain limitations.

Not all types of servers can be clustered. In fact, not all applications are supported by server clustering. Thus, it loses its purpose if your applications cannot be supported.

You are required to acquire and maintain many servers. Your infrastructure will increase, and so will your maintenance overheads.

Some cluster designs are extremely expensive and complicated. It is not easy to implement and maintain all types of cluster designs. And they can be just beyond the budget.

The security of data is not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to take measures to ensure data security.

If you are not limited by a budget, server clustering will work for you. However, it is important to make sure that all your applications are supported by the cluster design you are going for. You should also be willing to and capable of taking care of the cluster and the security of data.

The benefits of clustering will entice you. Make sure you have looked into its limitations before you commit to it.

Come back tomorrow for more discussions on servers and hosting.

By ‘us’, I mean our businesses. What is the first thing you look at when deploying a new technology into your business? Money. This can be in the form of cost-cuts, profits, or better image/performance leading to more money.

Business is about money and rightly so. The reason cloud computing is becoming popular with businesses is because it helps them cut down costs. Operational expenses are reduced significantly with cloud computing. You need to pay only for what you use. This keeps a tab on your expenses.

For businesses, time translates to money. As cloud computing becomes functional faster than other systems, businesses save time at the time of set-up. The cloud also ensures fast recoveries, making sure businesses don’t lose time unnecessarily.

Cloud computing is considered easy to install. In fact, the cost of setting up the system is not too much. You don’t need to get additional hardware or software for the installation. The implementation can be done remotely.

One of the most important features of cloud computing is that it has automation. You don’t need to set up a team to handle system updates and back-ups. Now, this also helps you release internal resources for other high-priority work.

The cloud allows businesses to go mobile. Your employees can access work-related information from anywhere.

If everything is so good with the cloud, why is the technology creating controversies? That’s because of the security concerns around the cloud. I think it is just a matter of time before the glitches will go and the cloud will offer us a smooth-sailing experience.

Want a dedicated server but concerned about its cost? Well, you are not alone. While the benefits of the dedicated server lure many organizations, the perceived high cost and complex management deter them from getting the dedicated server. In fact, the cost is one of the main reasons we recommend stopover solutions like the semi-dedicated server or the virtual server.

How expensive is the dedicated server really? It depends where you are buying it from. The Dedicated Server School partners offer server packages starting at $80/mo.

The dedicated server is really not cheap, and it cannot be. However, when you weigh its cost against the benefits it has to offer, the price doesn’t look unreasonable.

I started this post asking you if you want the dedicated server. Now, wanting is one thing and needing is another. Make sure you need the server before you go for it. Your need for a dedicated server arises from the fact that your server and web applications are critical to your business. If your bandwidth and space requirements are more than what shared hosting has to offer, you do need dedicated hosting. However, you need to see to it that you can take care of your server either in-house or by outsourcing.

Now, if your server needs are not being satisfied with the shared server, you don’t necessarily have to buy a dedicated server right away. You can use a stopover and see how it goes. You should make sure that you are equipped to manage the dedicated server before you go for it.

It is important that you don’t just look at the cost when choosing your server. Feel free to drop in your requirements in our dedicated server recommendation form and our team will revert with suggestions.

A business is forever growing. Living with limited resources is never ideal for a business. So, if your server and web applications are critical for your organization’s business, you have got to move from a shared server to a dedicated server.

A dedicated server is dedicated to your needs. It offers you greater reliability and high availability. With a dedicated server, you can be assured of minimum downtimes and server errors. You can expect to be always available.

In shared hosting, you share the server’s resources with hundreds of other websites. A dedicated server is completely yours. You can optimize the use of the bandwidth, the disk space, and other resources.

Your server lets you customize it the way you want. You can install all the software that you need and use them conveniently.

A dedicated server aids business growth. It is extremely scalable. Depending on what your website needs, dedicated servers make upgrades easy. You can increase the memory or disk space at any time without a glitch.

In a shared environment, the security measures are not specific to your website and its needs. With a dedicated server, you can ensure maximum security for your website. You can take your own steps to provide a secure environment to your website.

The dedicated server puts you in charge of things. You are in absolute control. If you don’t have the expertise in-house to handle server management, you can go for managed hosting, making sure you reap the maximum benefits of the server.

I have always maintained that the virtual server is the ideal stopover for organizations who want to move from shared hosting to dedicated hosting. What makes it good? Let’s find out.

The virtual server makes you the boss. You don’t have any control over things in shared hosting. Virtual hosting, on the other hand, lets you take charge of your server. You get to configure the server the way you like.

Space and bandwidth are not constraints when it comes to the virtual server. Thus, you get to host as many websites as you want. You can get multiple servers and use them the way you like. You can install different operating systems on them and maintain a variety of applications on each.

VPS hosting is cost-effective. It provides more features than shared hosting at a cost much less than that of dedicated hosting. There are several additional services that VPS hosting offers. What’s more is that you get to remove and change these services any time.

The virtual server also gives you peace of mind. Since virtual servers are isolated from one another, threats on other websites don’t trouble you. VPS hosting employs measures to counter threats.

Don’t these advantages make virtual server good? Yeah, you get more if you go for a dedicated server. But, while you are waiting to get one, you don’t have to live with the limitations of the shared server. Get a virtual server and feel free.

Come back tomorrow for some more information from the world of servers and web hosting.

It’s strange to find out how some organizations look at managed hosting. Outsourcing the management of a server is considered strange because you are asking someone else to take care of something that you own. Then there is the amount of money involved. Let me first tell you why the money part should not bother you. First, the benefits of managed hosting far outweigh the cost. Second, managed hosting need not be expensive.

There are many kinds of managed hosting: fully-managed hosting, partially-managed hosting, and colocation hosting. You can choose the type according to your needs and budget.

For some organizations, cost is not the factor. They wonder if they should trust ‘outsiders’ with their servers. Well, the truth is that these outsiders are professionals who can manage your server far better than you can. Let me take you through the benefits of managed hosting.

• It ensures high availability of your website(s).
• It offers high-speed accessibility.
• It takes steps to ensure the security of your server(s).
• It offers back-up facilities, along with disaster recovery features.
• It provides continuous monitoring of your server.
• It offers effective troubleshooting help in time.
• It rescues you from hiring and training people on the management of your dedicated servers.

Managed hosting helps in three more ways. One, it can give organizations the much-needed professional image, something they cannot garner with in-house server management. Two, it gives you an edge over your competitors. Three, it allows you to focus on your core business.

Tell us what you think of managed hosting.

I like cPanel. But I cannot deny that there are some other very good web control panels around. Take, for example, Parallels Plesk Panel. The arguments over which is better – cPanel or Plesk – are similar to the debate between Windows and Linux. However, the advocates of these control panels never have a face-off.  If you use one control panel, you can still appreciate the features in the other control panel.

So, today, I am going to talk about why Plesk is good. Well, to begin with, Plesk is cheaper than cPanel. Let’s now look at what else it has to offer.

Plesk has a very clean interface, making it extremely easy to use. It provides automation at various levels. Plesk offers support for multiple platforms including the Windows and the Linux platforms. It uses the HTTPS protocol and offers a high level of security.

Plesk is considered much more stable than other control panels. Yes, even more than cPanel.

Another noteworthy advantage of Plesk is that it lets you move accounts from other control panels conveniently.

Plesk supports several languages other than English such as German, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Russian.

Now, all these benefits and features make Plesk a great control panel. So, should you look at other control panels before making a decision, or is Plesk good enough? Well, your choice of the control panel depends on what you need from your server.

It is important you don’t go by what others say. Compare different control panels and choose the one that suits your requirements.

Computer education, for most people, begins with a hands-on of Windows and MS Office. More often than not, people don’t know about other operating systems for long; some never know. So when it comes to choosing the operating system for their dedicated servers, people tend to go with what they are already familiar with: Windows.

But Windows is expensive and an operating system like Linux, being an open-source software, makes more sense for organizations. Well, not always. Your decision on the server operating system depends on what your needs are.

Now, Linux cannot provide support for the .NET technologies. Since the .NET technology is a software framework developed by Microsoft, Windows works here.

Windows provides support for Microsoft web development tools. Well, that’s obvious. Microsoft provides some easy-to-use web development tools like FrontPage and Visual Interdev. Only a Windows server can support these tools. Windows supports MS VB, MS Access, and MS SQL. Again, this is because they are Microsoft applications.

For the purposes of information sharing, Microsoft has developed a service platform called SharePoint. The SharePoint services are accessible only through a server that runs the Windows operating system.

How can we forget MS Office? If you are looking at acquiring MS Office services on your server, you will have to go for the Windows dedicated server.

You get the point. If you use Microsoft applications, Windows is your best bet as the server operating system.

Keep watching this space for more views and news from the world of servers and web hosting.

So, you want a dedicated server? Are you sure you are ready for it? Read an earlier post – Do You Need the Dedicated Server? – to find out if you really need one.

A dedicated server is important for your organization when you have business-critical applications on the server. It gives you absolute control and puts you in charge for all aspects of server configuration and management. Now, how do you buy that perfect server, and who do you buy it from?

Let us first look at the factors you should consider while buying the server. And, no, I am not referring to only its cost. Shouldn’t cost be a factor? Yes, it is an important factor but not the most important one. So, what are these important factors? I refer to them as SASS.

SASS stands for Speed, Availability, Security, and Support. When choosing a company to buy your dedicated server from, you have to look for one that provides you high speed. Next, speed makes sense only if your server and the applications residing on them remain highly available. Security of the server is extremely important no matter what the purpose of buying the server is. And then comes support. You need a hosting company that offers continuous, sturdy, proactive, and effective support.

Make sure you compare different companies before you decide on a company to buy the server from. Still not sure how to go about it? Mention your requirements in the server recommendation form, and our team will get back.

cPanel server is that dedicated server that uses the cPanel control panel for website management. Among all the web control panels, cPanel is the most popular one.

As an owner of websites running on your web server, you are required to perform certain management tasks. A control panel makes life easier for you by letting you go about performing these tasks conveniently and effectively.

The biggest reason that makes cPanel the preferred choice is its intuitive interface. You don’t have to be a technical expert in order to use it. cPanel lets you upload and manage web pages with ease. E-mail management is also extremely easy. You can create and manage e-mail accounts without much fuss.

With this control panel, installing various applications become smooth. You can install applications such as blogs and forums fast. With respect to security, cPanel provides features such as virus protection, password protection, and usage restrictions.

cPanel offers support at three functional levels: administrators, resellers, and end users. Apart from using with dedicated servers, cPanel can be used with virtual private servers (VPS).

Apart from making it easy for website owners, cPanel is very useful to administrators too. The control panel provides various database tools, making database management uncomplicated. It also makes the task of backing up data easy. Administrators can get comprehensive statistical information on website’s traffic with cPanel.

I am a little biased in favor of this control panel but there are definitely some other good ones available. Parallel’s Plesk is also very popular. Your choice of the web control panel will depend on what you need. So, you don’t necessarily have to love cPanel but it is definitely good.

No actually. Why? Isn’t a dedicated server real good? Yes, it is. Then? Just because something is good does not mean you need it. Yeah, the dedicated server makes sense only if you really need it. How do you find out if you do? Answer the following questions, and you will know.

• Do you own a website whose traffic can no longer be handled by shared hosting?
• Do you own a web hosting business?
• Do you want to be in charge of the hosting of your website?
• Do you want to host multiple websites?
• Do you need a lot of disk space?
• Do you need to install several custom applications for your website?
• Are your bandwidth requirements high?
• Does unavailability of your website affect your business adversely?
• Are you looking for high-level security for your website?

Now, if your answer to most of these questions is ‘yes’, you definitely need the dedicated server. But are you ready for it? What does that mean? Well, you are ready for the dedicated web server if and only if:

• You can afford it. If you have the money, you should know that your investment is worth it. Your business benefits derived out of the server will outdo the cost of the server eventually.
• You can manage the server on your own. You must make sure that you have either the technical know-how to handle dedicated servers or you can afford managed hosting.

Small businesses may not need the dedicated server but medium businesses growing fast may do. Large businesses looking for high performance and customized service should definitely go for dedicated hosting.

You have got your dedicated server. Now, life is going to be simple. Not quite. In order to reap all the promised benefits of the server, you need to take care of it. And taking care of the server is not that easy. ‘Taking care’ essentially means maintaining it, monitoring it, providing troubleshooting in time, ensure fast recoveries, and optimizing it. Each of these tasks involves tens of smaller tasks. So, what’s the solution? Go for managed hosting. Yes, but that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the location of your server.

So, where do you keep your servers? If yours is a big organization with many servers, you need a data center. What is a data center? It is a physical location where multiple servers are maintained to provide back up facilities in case one server experiences problems. Apart from housing servers, a data center has routers and switches to help the servers communicate with one another.

Now, should every organization with servers go for a data center? Well, a data center benefits a bigger organization more than a small one. Now, how does a data center help? A datacenter essentially offers availability and scalability. A well-managed datacenter ensures that business never suffers because of one failure somewhere. Also, the datacenter offers support as the business needs change. It offers business continuity.

Now, managing a data center is difficult. Why not get professionals to manage it? In fact, your data center can be located in the premises of the hosting company, letting you manage it remotely.