Free or even cheap web hosting is the ideal choice for anyone who wants to set up a personal or small e-business website. The facilities are usually sufficient to deal with the requirements and likely traffic on such a site. These services are usually relatively inexpensive, because resources, such as servers and bandwidth, are shared with other users. Sharing resources, however, can lead to queues and subsequent delays.
A large company website can rarely afford this kind of delay. For this reason, many hosting providers offer dedicated server unlimited bandwidth services.
So what is the difference? Instead of the usual sharing of space and bandwidth on a virtual server, dedicated web server hosting allows the user to lease a complete server for their own, exclusive use. This includes leasing pre-configured equipment and connectivity, both of which will be fully managed by the host. As a result, the site owner is able to take total control of their web presence. Being able to choose the operating system and any software they wish to use, as well as being able to customise multimedia and e-commerce settings to individual requirements are just some of the advantages of this approach.
Dedicated servers are undoubtedly the best choice for users requiring specific custom software and/ or enhanced server control. By leasing these necessary facilities through a hosting company, a business not only avoids the significant outlay involved in purchasing their own server, but also secures continual back-up and maintenance of the server.