With the cost of just about everything on the rise these days, many business owners find themselves looking for ways to save money. For many, this means revisiting their web hosting plans and exploring cheaper alternatives.
Of course, when exploring hosting options, it’s important not to look just at the price of the plan, but at the potential return on investment (ROI). From there, business owners can get the best “bang” for their buck without sacrificing server speed or reliability.
There are two main types of hosting that businesses often rely on – dedicated and cloud. By having a better understanding of each, business owners can make more confident and informed decisions.
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Cloud vs. Dedicated Server Hosting
First, business owners need to understand the key differences between dedicated hosting and cloud-based hosting. In general, the main difference between the two is that with a cloud-based hosting plan, users agree to share their servers with others who are also on the plan. Essentially, a cloud-based server is subdivided so that a dozen other users may have access to its resources (including bandwidth) at any given time.
With a dedicated server, however, a single user has access to an entire third-party server, its hardware, and its resources. The hardware is still housed at a third-party data center owner and operated by the hosting company, but the server itself is not shared with other users. As a result, the person paying for the dedicated server does not have to share any of its resources with others.
Understanding Price Differences
It’s not surprising that dedicated hosting plans generally tend to cost more than shared or cloud-based hosting plans. Cloud hosting plans are designed to save users money by essentially splitting the cost of a server with several other people.
With a dedicated server, you’re paying to have an entire server to yourself. Meanwhile, many dedicated hosting plans come with additional benefits that may include service level agreements (SLAs), uptime guarantees, DDoS protection, and 24/7 data center security. With all this in mind, it makes sense that a dedicated hosting plan should cost more than a cloud hosting plan.
Which Hosting Option Offers the Best ROI?
Of course, any business owner understands that the cheapest option is not always the best option. Instead, business owners will be better off choosing the hosting plan that will deliver the best ROI both in the short- and long-term — even if it means potentially spending a little more money upfront.
Even though dedicated hosting may cost more than a cloud-based hosting plan, many business owners who do their own math will quickly figure out that a dedicated server provides a much better ROI. For starters, most dedicated hosting plans will come with some kind of service level agreement that guarantees power to the company’s servers. This significantly reduces the likelihood of a server outage or other issue causing downtime on a business website.
And when you consider the amount of revenue a business can lose while its website is down, it’s easy to see why avoiding any kind of downtime with a dedicated server can be worth the additional cost. Even a few minutes of unplanned downtime can have a serious impact on a growing business, after all. Not only do businesses lose out on potential revenue during website downtime, but downtime can also tarnish a company’s reputation and prevent site visitors from returning due to perceived security issues.
Another thing business owners should keep in mind when choosing a hosting plan is security. Unfortunately, when you’re sharing a server with many other users, the potential for a security breach is significantly higher. All it takes is one user being careless with their password or even logging in through an unsafe connection to compromise a cloud-based server. This, in turn, can have serious consequences for your own business and its ability to grow.
And of course, even if you do have an issue with your dedicated server, you will likely have quick and easy access to an experienced technical support team that can resolve the problem as soon as possible. The same often cannot be said with a cloud server, where customer support and tech support may only be available during specific business hours.
With a dedicated server, businesses can enjoy increased security and peace of mind. While exact security features can vary from one hosting company to the next, many will offer security features such as remote backup servers, standard protection against DDoS attacks, and more. All of this reduces your risk of a security breach that could tarnish your company’s reputation and cost you money.
Finally, when you choose a dedicated server for your business, you (and your customers) get to enjoy the fastest browsing speeds available. You won’t have to worry about your site being slow to load because it’s being bogged down or its resources are being depleted by another website. Instead, you can consistently offer your site visitors a seamless and enjoyable browsing experience. This, of course, reflects positively on your brand and encourages visitors to come back for repeat business.
Choosing the Hosting Plan That’s Right For You
If you’re a business owner looking to save a little money in this challenging economy, you’re not alone. However, it’s important to avoid equating a cheaper price with a better value. When you choose to spend a little more money on a dedicated server rather than a cloud web host, you reap several benefits that include a better ROI.
Ultimately, it boils down to finding a dedicated hosting plan that best suits your needs and budget. When shopping for a dedicated server, business owners should look for plans that can easily scale and grow as their company’s needs change. Likewise, finding a hosting company with round-the-clock support 365 days per year is a must. Choosing a host with plenty of standard security features can also give business owners greater peace of mind while protecting the company and consumer data.
Find Your Dedicated Hosting Plan Today
Despite the initially higher price tag, dedicated servers almost always deliver a better ROI over cloud-based hosting plans. This simple math remains true regardless of the size of the business. So, whether you’re just starting or have an established client base, don’t overlook dedicated hosting as an option for your company. These plans are often more affordable than business owners realize. Meanwhile, they deliver many benefits that can directly impact a company’s bottom line.
