A Comparison between Dedicated Servers and Cloud Servers

Is a dedicated server hosting solution the best one for you or do you believe that a cloud hosting service will help you manage your tasks better? Entrepreneurs often find it tough to make a choice to choose between dedicated servers and cloud servers. This apples-to-apples comparison between dedicated servers and cloud servers will help you decide which option you should go with for running your business operations smoothly.

Experts caution against making an impulsive decision as it can have long term effects on the future prospects of your business. It is advisable to make a decision based on your practical current and future needs. The best way to make the right choice is to understand the differences between dedicated server hosting and cloud hosting—two of the major hosting options that most organizational prefer using.

The areas that you have to focus on are budget and operational implications. If you get a clear idea on these aspects, you will be able to make the right choice pretty easily. Let us look at cloud servers first.

Cloud Servers: Scalable Flexibility—At A Premium

When you choose cloud hosting, you can enjoy the key benefit of scalable flexibility but at a price, of course. You can also save money as you are spared the cost and hassle of investing in hardware. Cloud servers are ideal for those businesses that operate best in a highly flexible environment and have high seasonal demands.

Cloud servers can be deployed quickly and easily with just a click. You can use the cloud server features to scale up key areas of operations when there is a higher demand for resources. Cloud servers can satisfy the need for enhanced computing powers even if they are needed in rapid spurts and at a short notice. This makes cloud hosting a highly portable solution that can help businesses meet their varying demands and requirements.

Cloud servers are virtualized which again works to the benefit of an organization. Your business need not be chained to any single server and its features which might not allow you to draw the computing resources you might need from time to time. With cloud servers, you can scale up as and when needed and absolutely on demand as well. The load balancing feature of cloud servers allows quick and easy distribution of workload during the most demanding times. This is achieved by tapping into the resources offered by multiple servers of the cloud.

Resilience is another key feature of cloud hosting. You can also enjoy:

– Redundant hosting
– Secure backup strategy
– High degree of restorability
– Superior operational stability

Potential cloud server users, please note that all of the above comes with a caveat. The hosting company will have a major say in choosing the servers for hosting the cloud. This can affect the list of features available to you. So make your choice after careful consideration of what the cloud hosting service providers promises to offer in the package that you plan to buy.

It must be noted that the high flexibility and comparatively lower initial investment is not as straightforward a deal as it may seem. You are billed for the resources used which means that if you do not plan your usage, you will be dealing with a hosting service that can burst your budget.

Dedicated Servers: Enjoy High Reliability And Solid Performance

Hosting experts are unanimous in their opinion that deploying a cloud server is easier than deploying a dedicated server. As dedicated servers are physical in nature, they must be procured, installed and configured within a data center. The whole process can be time-consuming and may take a few days to be completed properly.

Dedicated servers are ideal for organizations in which the IT requirements are constant and are unlikely to change in a major way over time. These servers are known for assisting high performance in critical areas of business operations.

A key benefit of using dedicated servers is that you are in control of its use. With no chance of any other unknown users occupying your server space, you can expect exceptional reliability and stability. You also have sole access to all the resources lodged in the server which can ensure uninterrupted operation of services.

Unlike cloud servers, managing dedicated servers require some extra efforts:

– You will have to hire a team of IT experts for managing operations and maintenance.
– Server experts are needed for strategizing and controlling software and security updates.
– You need a fairly decent budget for hosting, running and maintaining a good quality dedicated server.

However, the consistency, stability and predictable billing are features that make dedicated servers more attractive.

Before you go shopping for dedicated servers, it is important to identify your organization’s IT goals and future plans. Choose a hosting service that can provide you dedicated server hosting plans that are features-rich, affordable and flexible.

Most importantly, consult a server hosting consultant or expert.

Read More At: How Dedicated Servers Fit into a Cloud World