For most beginners taking their first entrepreneurial step in the digital world, Shared Hosting remains one of the best options to start their online business, owing to its affordable services.
Shared Hosting is a service where you share one web server with multiple websites. You also share the resources such as CPU (processors), bandwidth, disk and memory space with the other users. However, over time and with increasing traffic, any Shared Hosting plan tends to pose various issues related to performance, scalability and security, etc.
If you notice a steady increase in web traffic, and feel your Shared Hosting plan is unable to manage your website properly, it may be time to upgrade your web hosting plan. If you are still not sure about this decision, read on and find the answers to your queries.
Why Should You Move Away from Shared Hosting?
Before turning to other web hosting services such as Dedicated Hosting and Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, you should first analyze why you should opt out of Shared Hosting.
Most small business websites prefer Shared Hosting plans in their first phase. Over time, as they begin gaining more visitors, they outgrow the resources provided under their Shared Hosting plans, and this poses a hurdle in their functioning. Apart from limited resources, Shared Hosting is also vulnerable to hacking and malware as the same server is shared by many users. With increased traffic on the site, a Shared Hosting plan finds it difficult to cope up with the growth and this results in decreased performance of the website.
Though there is no doubt Shared Hosting offers good services at low costs, however, as your business expands you need more space and flexibility. So, if you are planning to adopt this change, make sure you first understand the other options available and then choose the right one as per your needs.
Here’s what you need to know about the two most popular hosting services – Dedicated Hosting and VPS hosting.
Introduction to Dedicated and VPS Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
It is one of the most powerful web hosting services that gives you the privilege of owning your server without sharing it with any other website. As the name suggests, in Dedicated Hosting, the server is literally dedicated to your website giving you exclusive benefits.
However, this type of web hosting is quite expensive and is best suited for large companies who are looking for more power and control over their websites and have a huge number of daily visitors.
Benefits of Dedicated Hosting
1. Flexibility: A Dedicated Hosting plan offers the flexibility of customizing the server according to your needs. You can manage resources like CPU, disk space, RAM, and software as growing demands of your website.
2. Scalability: An expanding website needs more space and resources, and Dedicated servers cater to this need in the best way possible by allowing you additional space much more easily.
3. Unique IP address: You get (usually multiple) Dedicated IP addresses, which means you do not have to share your IP address with other users. This helps avoid being blacklisted because of issues caused by other users in Shared Hosting.
4. Enhanced Security: Dedicated Hosting is known for its ability to offer highest levels of security against malware and hackers, provided it is setup to do the same. This advantage proves to be quite beneficial for websites handling sensitive information.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
Bridging the gap between Shared Hosting and Dedicated Hosting, VPS hosting gives the user the best of the both worlds. VPS Server provides a dynamic division of a single server into multiple servers which act as Dedicated servers.
A little costlier than Shared Hosting, it can be a suitable option for people looking for an efficient yet affordable web hosting service to manage their growing websites.
Benefits of VPS Hosting
1. Control: VPS Hosting gives you more control over the functions of your server as compared to Shared Hosting. With complete root access, you can run various operating systems, install applications, and manage reselling services without any restriction from other servers as you have your own virtual environment.
2. Performance & Stability: With your own set of resources, the website performs better and is not affected by the traffic of other VPS users.
3. Security: As no other VPS server shares your virtual environment, you get enhanced security for your data. You also get the option of installing your antivirus and malware detection software to counter hackers.
4. Cost Effective: With time, VPS Hosting has become quite cost-effective. Its convenient cost gives you the benefits equal to that of a Dedicated Hosting and hence, proves to be an appropriate option for many growing companies.
Conclusion
Although Dedicated and VPS Hosting are more expensive than Shared Hosting, it is important to understand that the increased costs come with outstanding features and advantages. Both options have their own benefits, justifying their cost. You should try to make a choice before completely outgrowing your Shared Hosting plan. Calculate your website needs and then go ahead with your decision.
