When a business plans to migrate their services to the cloud, it becomes tough to decide between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. There are some differences between the two and it is wise to do a thorough research before settling on one plan. Service hosting providers usually provide both the services and offer “unlimited plans” and with lucrative plans, it becomes more difficult to choose shared cloud hosting and dedicated cloud hosting.
Let us first understand the two terms, shared hosting and dedicated hosting, and then ponder over the key differences.
Shared Hosting
In this type of model, one server is shared by many users, who are utilizing the same type of resources. The cost of resources is shared, thus making shared hosting a cost-effective solution. Even after sharing the system, users on the same server cannot access someone else’s data. This makes the environment safe and secure.
Shared hosting can be used by following types of clients:
- A small to mid-size business
- Website with limited traffic
- Clients with no technical knowledge to configure and install a server
- Clients who update the content regularly
Dedicated Hosting
In this model, a user is the sole owner of the server. Dedicated hosting is great for large business setups. The user with a dedicated server has more flexibility and control over the configuration and operation. Plus, users can choose from a wide variety of services.
Not every business can afford a dedicated hosted server, but a large business with lots of extensive features must go for a dedicated host. Do not for dedicated hosting, if you are not very good with the technical skills. If you are any one of the following types then dedicated hosting for you.
- A business with a constantly changing environment. These type of customers have a lot of updates and need more control over the server. With better control, the user can customize the server.
- Heavy content is present on the website like high-resolution pictures and videos
- Do not want to share your unique IP address with other users on the host
- Nature of business requires a transaction of very sensitive information.
In this article, we have compared the two types of hosting server on the basis of a few important features.
- The secret of Bandwidth
Shared hosting cannot provide you with unlimited bandwidth and disk space. A web hosting provider decides how much bandwidth you can use at a time. You can ask your hosting provider to provide the soft limit.
We have already discussed the type of flexibility we have with dedicated hosting. It definitely provides better control and flexibility. Some of the hosting providers might offer you with unlimited bandwidth and disk space.
- Comparing Performance
The performance of the website is very important to keep the customers happy. You should choose the hosting plan keeping this in mind. If you are going for Shared hosting then your business should have low user traffic at all the times. In case you get unprecedented traffic on your website then it might lead to the crash of site, affecting your business and thousands of online customers. In this type of plan, the sudden traffic increase on co-users’ websites can also affect you as the same resources get utilized by all.
On dedicated servers, you have a full control of the server. You do not have to worry about the downtime of the server as you have full control of the server. Dedicated hosting is the perfect choice for the users, who expect high traffic on their site.
- Security Features
Cloud hosting is a secure environment and both Shared and Dedicated Hosting provide security features.
Having said that, Shared hosting may not be that effective when it comes to security features. A single erroneous script can cause your system to crash too.
In a dedicated environment, the server is more reliable with better security features. A dedicated server can run most types of scripts and software. You do not have to worry about the security being compromised if your resources are hosted on a dedicated server.
- Costing
Shared hosting definitely costs less as the users share the cost of the resources hosted on the server. But, there is a lack of control and flexibility with Shared hosting. If you utilize more services or resources then you might need to pay more to enjoy the additional services.
A user with dedicated hosting might end up paying more but it is all worth at the end. You get more flexibility and control over the server. With Dedicated web hosting, you can run different types of scripting languages.
Summary of the Comparison:
You can always change the hosting plan at a later stage, but it is advisable to choose the best plan right from the initial stage.
Shared hosting is the best solution for those who do not want to incorporate extensive features on their website. All they need a server for is create and manage the database, email account, and some other business tools. It is a great learning platform. Expenses are shared between all the users using the same server.
Dedicated hosting is the perfect for the businesses that grow continually. These type of businesses need more control and flexibility, which is provided by the dedicated server. On a dedicated server, users can share extremely sensitive information.
It all depends on the current status of your business and also your future plans. Though shared hosting offers less of control, it definitely costs much lower than dedicated hosting. You should consult with your hosting provider and go for the best suitable plan that can suffice the needs of your business.
About Verito Technologies:
Verito Technologies offers a complete range of Managed IT Services. It provides efficient data center services like colocation, data migration, data center setup, storage, managed backups, and data recovery. The dedicated team at Verito is always dedicated to offering the best of solutions to its customers. Verito Technologies analyzes the business requirements of the customer, which include hardware and software needs, to help the clients implement the best solutions in their organization. Some of the services offered by Verito are Hosted Quickbooks Enterprise, Application hosting, cloud hosting, and managed IT services.
