Web Hosting: Are Dedicated Servers Really Worth the Penny?

Most website owners have faced a dilemma when they are required to choose between a dedicated and a shared server. It goes without saying that in case of a dedicated server, the cost is high and in case of shared servers, the cost is lower.

But while deciding between a dedicated server and a shared server, money is not the only consideration. There are many more factors to think about before taking the final call.

Performance is always the most important consideration. It is a well known fact that if a website is not loaded in ten seconds, then the visitor goes on to another website. The delay in loading can be caused by any of the elements involved in the chain between the server and the visitor. But in most cases, the problem lies with the server. This problem can be handled by the owner of the site, as he can exercise some control on this point of the chain.

Security is another major concern in the present online world. No one will like to compromise on the security front where his website is concerned. The more websites share the same server, the chances of getting infected from any of them grows. If one site is hosted in one server, then the chances of being hacked or affected by a virus minimizes considerably. Thus, a dedicated server is a good option from the security point of view.

In many cases, the viruses and spam are targeted at a particular IP address. If your website is hosted in that particular IP address along with other websites, then all of them will be infected.

Another problem of sharing the same server with other sites is that if one of the other sites does not show proper behavior, the whole IP address may get banned. In that case your website will also be banned although you may not be at fault.

Knowing about the things installed in your server is always beneficial, which can be achieved only with a dedicated server.

Therefore, before you finally decide on a shared server or a dedicated server, you have many things to think about.