Cloud hosting or a dedicated server? How to choose which is right for your business
Both a cloud shared hosting system and a dedicated server can be beneficial to the technological running of your business or ecommerce site. Both have merits and differences to consider when deciding which one would best suit your business’s needs. It is important to consider the performance aspect you require, the level of responsibility you want to undertake and the control you want to have over you the system you choose.
Performance required for your business
A dedicated server has a different raw performance to a cloud hosting system as there is no virtualisation layer consuming resources. This ensures that your business is guaranteed the full use of the physical resources which can help support the overall quality of your business.
Level of responsibility
With a dedicated server, you are responsible for managing everything – from organising and supporting its configuration to the management of the data hosted on it. You are also responsible for the security of the data held on the dedicated servers. If you would prefer something a bit less hands-on, a cloud hosting system relies on an external provider managing and supporting it. A cloud hosted system allows you to concentrate solely on your web project rather than using your time to manage and support your dedicated server. It is a good way to outsource an aspect of your business, especially if you lack the technical know-how in order to run it successfully.
Full control
As you have the full responsibility of managing the dedicated server, you also have full control and don’t have to rely on other external organisations or third parties. You can dedicate all your server’s resources to a single purpose which might be essential as part of the day-to-day running of your business.
Unique IP address
A dedicated server also benefits from a dedicated server. If you are running an e-commerce site that requires SSL for purchasing processing, it gives you more site security and credibility as you are not sharing an IP address with any of your neighbours.