Dedicated Server Web Hosting is the top level hosting service where you have an entire server for your sole use. Servers are located in data centers with good physical security, environmental controls and redundancy (e.g. standby generators). Colocation can be similar to dedicated server web hosting. In the former case you pay for space and services so you can put your own server in a data centre. In the latter case you rent the server from the hosting company who are responsible for the hardware and may or may not provide some software management services.  

Despite the many benefits of dedicated server web hosting when compared to shared hosting there are two negatives to bear in mind:  

1. Cost - The step from shared to dedicated server hosting is quite large in cost terms and you need to be sure this is worthwhile. VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is an intermediate step that is worth considering, as it provides many of the benefits of dedicated hosting at a significantly lower cost.

2. Many of the benefits of a dedicated server relate to the flexibility and control if gives you, against this is the fact that you have more responsibility and need to know what you are doing. You can have a managed service but this will increase the cost and limit your flexibility.

Some of the advantages of dedicated hosting are:

• Your site cannot be affected by the actions of third parties so its performance and security are improved.
• You can determine the configuration of the server to best meet your needs.
• The server can be upgraded (e.g. disk space & memory) as your needs change.
• You get root access (or full administrative access) to the server so have full control.
• You control the software (including the OS) running on the server and how it is configured.

In the case of shared hosting the hosting company looks after everything except your website. With dedicated server web hosting it is not so clear. Whilst you can have a managed or unmanaged service (and there may be degrees of management) there is no industry wide definition of "management". You therefore need to be clear what you want to be responsible for and what you want the hosting company to do in areas such as:

• operating system updates
• maintaining application software
• system monitoring
• firewall/antivirus systems
• backups
• technical support provided.

There are a range of prices for dedicated server hosting and the lead-in price advertised may well be an unmanaged service.

There is much choice in this market and it is not easy to find the ideal balance between price, the services offered and the reputation of the company. You want to get a good service at a good price from a supplier who is likely to be in the market long term.

About the Author:
Andy Nataghi is an enthusiast and writer about all things technical and has a particular interest in Dedicated Server Web Hosting. To see more information on the criteria for assessing hosting providers please visit http://website-hosting-plans.com

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