Every hosting provider claims that they provide unlimited scalability to your business. But, most of these claims are misleading. In today’s hosting world, it is very difficult to differentiate between dedicated and shared hosting. This decision is extremely important for businesses that have a limited IT budget. Every company wants dedicated resources for their website. But, most of the medium-sized companies don’t have IT expertise. Thus, both dedicated and shared hosting is a viable option for medium-sized companies. In this article, we are going to compare both shared and dedicated hosting.
What is shared hosting?
In shared hosting, a single server is shared by multiple companies. All the physical resources like CPU power, hard drive, bandwidth, and memory usage are shared between different companies. If you are paying more to the hosting provider, then you will get access to more computing power. This will ensure that you are only paying for the resources that you are using.
You can’t customize your shared hosting server. Your hosting provider will manage the environment. Thus, most big companies don’t opt for shared hosting. But, it is the most affordable hosting option available in the market. You will also get a cPanel with your hosting plan. It is a GUI application that is running on the top of your server. You can use it for managing your web applications.
Pros of shared hosting
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Cost-saving
This is the most important advantage of using shared hosting. Shared hosting is cheaper when compared to dedicated hosting. The cost difference between the dedicated and shared hosting is immense. Also, you don’t need an IT-staff for managing your environment. If you don’t have your own IT resources, then shared hosting is perfect for you.
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Less Responsibility
If you are using shared hosting, then you don’t need to worry about the environment. You will have less responsibility for maintaining your server. Your service provider will be responsible for uptime and maintenance. They will also provide you 24/7 assistance. Thus, shared hosting is perfect for small-sized companies.
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Quick Migration
Virtualization technology is perfect for quick deployments. You can set up a new virtual environment in a few minutes. Thus, shared hosting is perfect for testing your new applications. Most companies use it for testing their applications. You can also use it for developing your online applications.
Cons of shared hosting
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Limited resources
If you are using shared hosting, then your hosting provider will always provide you with limited resources. Thus, it is very difficult to scale up your operations. Every medium and small-sized business wants to grow with time. They often rely on technology for growing their business. If you are using shared hosting, then scalability will be a big issue for your business.
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Limited options to customize
Your provider will manage the shared environment. Thus, you can’t customize your server environment. You will only get a few options when you are setting up your server. IT requirements of any company change according to time. If you are using shared hosting, then it will be difficult to accommodate these changes.
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High Latency
Your server will contain multiple different virtualized environments. Thus, it has a high latency when compared to the dedicated hosting server. The virtualized server is not directly connected to the hardware. This will increase the latency of your server. Hence, performance bottlenecks are very common in shared hosting.
What is dedicated hosting?
Dedicated hosting will give you access to your own dedicated physical server. You can use this server for meeting your business meets. The best thing about a dedicated server is that you can customize it according to your needs. But, it is very expensive when compared to shared hosting.
Pros of dedicated hosting
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Performance
This is the most obvious advantage of using dedicated hosting. If you are using a dedicated server, then you will get access to all its resources. Also, the latency of dedicated servers is low when compared to shared hosting. You can opt for a dedicated server according to your budget.
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Security
Your hosting provider will provide your IP address blocking and DDoS protection for your server. You can also access RAID configurations for improving your server security. In shared hosting, other tenants can create security gaps in the server. Thus, shared hosting is less secured when compared to dedicated hosting.
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Customization options
You can customize your dedicated server according to your business needs. Your provider will also allow you to install a hypervisor on your server. Thus, you can create a cloud environment for your business. You can also select the hardware that you like. But, you need IT experts for customizing your environment. Hence, you must have an IT department for maintaining your server.
Cons of dedicated hosting
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Slower Deployment
It is difficult to deploy a dedicated server. First, your provider will ask for your configuration. After that, they will build the server according to your configuration. Also, they need to install it in their facility. If you are using common configurations, then this process will take less time. But, if your configuration is unique, then it will take several days.
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Costs
Dedicated hosting is very expensive when compared to shared hosting. Thus, most of the small-sized companies can’t afford it. Also, you need an in-house IT department for maintaining your dedicated server.
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Technical Expertise
If you are using dedicated hosting, then you need your own in-house IT team. Your IT department will customize your server according to your needs.
Conclusion
It is difficult to choose between dedicated and shared hosting. If you are low on budget, then shared hosting is perfect for you. You don’t need to worry about hiring an in-house IT department. Also, you don’t need to worry about managing your environment. But, if you want more control, then a dedicated server is perfect for you. You can customize it according to your business needs. Also, you can easily scale up your resources. If you want more tips regarding server migration, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
