A little bit of academic writing from the good old university days. But as I said, I've moved to new projects.
What does dedicated hosting mean?
Some of the alternative names for this service are dedicated server and managed hosting server. Dedicated hosting is usually required for websites with considerable traffic and millions of hits per day, and it gives website owners full control over the servers which host their websites. With flexible dedicated hosting, clients can select the hardware, security system and operating system of their choice. What's more, as the hosts provide the router, security system, Internet connection and network administration services, dedicated servers are cost-effective solutions, according to these web hosting companies. Companies consider these hosting services to offer superior reliability, security, flexibility and performance.
How does dedicated hosting work?
The clients lease servers which are maintained exclusively for their use and the web servers, software and Internet connection are housed in a data centre on the premises of the providers and guaranteed to be fully-functional at all times.
When dedicated servers are rented, the client companies may be asked to use specific computer systems. Occasionally, clients may be able to install the servers of their choice directly on the hosting company’s premises. The process is called collocation. However, random dedicated servers are usually rented based on their capabilities. Such a server comes with certain amounts of hard disk space, memory and bandwidth (the maximum number of gigabytes delivered per month).
Depending on the hosting company, some clients may be allowed to engage in virtual hosting, where they themselves rent their servers to third parties. This is the way most popular website hosting companies operate. Their hosting packages include a user-friendly interface, a domain name, free e-mail accounts and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) capabilities. The latter are very important for real-time stock management, instant payments and general e-commerce activities.
Server administration is usually an add-on service offered with the hosting package. The providers usually prepare a service level agreement to outline the guaranteed the guaranteed services included for the price of the package. In certain cases, providers go beyond guaranteeing technical support for their own packages and even go as far as to offer their clients support for security systems, software application and operating systems.
Having a dedicated server has its advantages. As compared to shared hosting, dedicated hosting offers additional reliability. Also, not having to share their resources with other companies means the clients benefit from having higher performance levels from their websites. They also have more flexibility when it comes to changing the configuration of their servers and choosing software to add on to their package. Some clients find the option of having their own IP address extremely helpful as it gives extra credibility to their companies’ identity. Finally, dedicated servers are less prone to security threats and their security systems can be customized at leisure.
However, clients need to find the right balance between having all of these advantages and making potentially large investments in their internet hosting services. Some may even find it especially hard to depend on other parties for their internal business needs, regardless of how reliable their services are.
What extra services do hosting companies offer?
Knowing what extra services a web hosting company has to offer can make your decision very easy when choosing the correct one. All you have to do, is find the one which meets your needs in most, if not all areas. If you select the right web hosting company, with the right extra services that will be beneficial to your website, then it's these extra services which help you promote your website, ensure it is safe and secure, make it generally an overall better website, ultimately helping your website to grow. Almost every web designer has been sucked in by the offer of either free, or very cheap web hosting, but the problem with either of those options is that as soon as a problem arises, the company doesn't want to know.
What extra services do hosting companies offer?
1. Anonymous Registration.
This is where you can register for a domain without using your personal information. By using this service, you will still be the owner of the domain, but in the WHOIS database which is accessible by the public, none of your personal information will be displayed.
2. Transfer Service.
Do you currently have a website and are you considering moving it to a different web hosting company. Transferring all your database(s) and files, and configuring the settings for the new web hosting company can be quite stressful and a fair amount of work. By offering a transfer service, the web hosting company will transfer you whole website including database(s) and configure the new settings to save you the stress and hassle. The transfer will be done at the most suitable time, in order to create minimal or no downtime for your website.
3. Authenticated SMTP
This will enable you to email from different locations, without using the SMTP from your own provider. You will be able to email large attachments via email and you will not need to change your email settings.
4. SSL Certificates
On website where personal information will be exchanged, or where purchases are likely to be made, there is a certain level of authenticity you will want to guarantee. Therefore with official certified SSL certificate installed on your website, then this is likely to offer the necessary assurances to any visitors to your website.
