Website Hosting - Dedicated vs Shared

There are 2 different types of website hosting accounts that webmasters can purchase, shared and dedicated. He main difference between the two is that the dedicated web hosting enables a webmaster to lease an entire web server for exclusive use, while with the shared, the webmaster shares server space with others. The dedicated provides the exclusive use of a server and state-of-the-art connection options. One of the most important features of dedicated hosting is that the webmaster has a lot more control over their website real estate than with shared hosting. A good hosting company manages all the related hardware, such as the all important server and server end software and provides quality data centers. The software can be configured by the webmaster as needed to facilitate online business expansion and data space. This type of hosting, while more expensive than the shared is perfect for those building a large and intensive online presence and want complete control.

This kind of hosting is more suited to businesses and users with complex website server needs, since it deploys and runs very complex applications, such as databases, multimedia streams and bigger email solutions. The global call connections and monitoring is ideal for multiple websites.

The average investment for dedicated hosting can be in the range of $24 plus a month and the company that provides it should be professional, have excellent support and service and an uptime of at least 99%. It is also important to have a company that will deal with redundant connections and hardware failures in a matter of minutes.

Another distinction between shared and dedicated web hosting is that the dedicated connection can often be a lot faster than the shared because the customer gets an exclusive server as opposed to sharing one with several customers. Overall this is not usually an issue for those with smaller needs, such as only a few websites. But when it comes to the customer who needs to host hundreds of sites this can be a significant benefit that is well worth the financial investment.

Overall, it is not fair to say that dedicated is superior to shared, it is accurate to say that dedicated is more reliable for website content distribution and total control over the hosting environment for those with big website needs. And the financial investment in a dedicated web hosting server will go along way in creating and maintaining the web environment that is entirely customized for the individual.

Finding the right hosting company is crucial whether you choose shared or dedicated hosting. Some of the most important aspects is the customer service the host provides, which should be 24/7 with phone and live chat options, at least a 99% uptime money back guarantee and software support for all operating systems, like Linux and Windows.