Hosting Your Website: Dedicated or Shared?
All companies have very unique needs. However, it is a given that all legitimate organizations need a website. Developing and marketing a website are separate endeavors with many books and experts available on the subject. However, what is the hosting solution that will best suit your organization’s website once it is built? Two common options available are a shared hosting account and a dedicated hosting environment.
A shared hosting account is exactly what it sounds like. You share a server with many other organizations to host your website. Hosting providers are diversified with the parameters of how many sites are contained on a single server, storage space, bandwidth restrictions and so forth. But, the common thread among all hosting providers is that shared hosting is the inexpensive, entry level option for any organization wanting to outsource their hosting needs. However, even though it is an inexpensive option, many websites are functionally simple and do not draw a large amount of visitors. For these sites, a shared hosting platform is an excellent choice.
A dedicated hosting solution provides an organization with their own server to host their website and their website only. This is definitely a more costly approach however, for certain organizations, it is the only viable solution. Situations that call for a dedicated hosting environment are highly functional sites with mission-critical applications. Online businesses with ecommerce capabilities are one example of this scenario. If their website is down, their entire method of generating revenue is stalled. One problem with a shared environment is that the server is more prone to crashes and various problems due to various configurations of special applications installed on the server. Unforeseen incompatibilities can bring a server to a screeching halt. Another scenario that calls for a dedicated solution is a site with large volumes of traffic. All the processing power of a dedicated server is available for the single website. Bandwidth allocations are typically much higher for dedicated solutions as well, accommodating high traffic volumes. another added benefit that comes with a dedicated platform is better security. The nature of a shared environment opens the server up for hacker attacks. Dedicated servers are typically behind their own firewall and you don’t have to worry about other organizations logging into the server and degrading the integrity of the system.
Shared hosting and dedicated hosting platforms are both viable solutions. It just depends on your organizational needs. In summary, shared hosting provides an inexpensive yet scalable entry level solution for most websites. However for larger organizations with higher demands, a dedicated solution will offer better performance and security. The main thing I recommend is to not be cheap. I’m amazed that businesses will pay tens of thousands of dollars on rent for their physical space, but cringe at the thought of paying even $100 for a high-end shared hosting account. Things you have to keep in mind are service and reliability. How bad will your business be affected if your site goes down? Will a day of downtime cost you thousands of dollars or more? You need to properly assess your own situation and make an informed decision. If you work with a reputable developer or agency, they will normally make recommendations that are appropriate for your needs.