Organizations that rely heavily on their websites cannot afford downtime, inconsistent performance, or unexpected resource shortages. Being hit with any of these problems can cost a business a lot of money or make it impossible for users to access mission-critical information. Customers will leave for better-performing sites, and internal users will miss opportunities thwarted by slow access to enterprise data resources.

 

We will look at how businesses can improve the performance and use of their websites with dedicated hosting. Three methods of dedicated hosting will be discussed. The first is the more traditional approach which employs dedicated physical hardware managed by the customer. Second, we will talk about dedicated cloud hosting. Lastly, we will look at the modern incarnation of bare metal hosting, combining the best features of dedicated physical and cloud hosting.

 

Shared Hosting Solutions

Many organizations host their websites using the services of public cloud providers. A business often starts with a shared hosting solution where its website shares resources with other tenants. The cloud service provider (CSP) employs physical hardware and a hypervisor to create multiple virtual servers which can each host a customer’s website.

 

A shared hosting approach is the least expensive method of hosting a website. Businesses can get started quickly using the shared hosting model by choosing from among a provider’s options. Sometimes, an organization can flourish and never outgrow its shared hosting solution.

 

Potential Problems with Shared Hosting

Unfortunately, problems can arise when sharing limited physical resources between multiple customers who may have conflicting business objectives. Providers necessarily want to maximize their hardware investment and try to squeeze as many tenants as possible onto a single physical server. But even the most powerful machine has its limitations.

 

• Resources such as network bandwidth and computing power can become scarce due to the changing demands of the tenant community. A provider should have anticipated demand fluctuation but cannot have foreseen every eventuality. If several tenants need additional resources simultaneously, there may not be enough.

 

• Clashes over resources can result in severe performance issues. Customers can be driven away due to slow-loading pages and excessive wait times. Slow performance can negatively affect productivity, impacting systems used internally by an organization. In extreme cases, website availability may become a problem.

 

• A shared hosting environment is usually offered as part of a plan that includes an operating system with a suite of applications and additional software. There may be limited choices that don’t suit all organizations. It may be impossible to tailor the infrastructure of a shared host fully.

 

• Security can be an issue, as unauthorized access to shared resources initiated by a single tenant can affect everyone on the server. Malware infecting shared storage pools may become a significant issue if there is lax security in the shared environment. Sharing security responsibility with numerous unnamed tenants is inappropriate when sensitive data resources are in play.

 

• Another issue with a shared hosting solution is that it may not address regulatory standards. Businesses may need to isolate sensitive information to comply with HIPAA or other regulatory guidelines, which is impossible in a shared hosting environment.

 

Dedicated Hosting Solutions Solve These Issues

Employing dedicated hosting options eliminate many of the problems that can afflict customers in a shared hosting environment. Businesses that cannot tolerate the inconsistencies and potential issues of shared hosting should look to upgrade to a dedicated hosting solution. Generally, a dedicated hosting solution will be more expensive than a shared environment.

 

Following are some benefits associated with dedicated hosting that can improve your business and its ability to serve your audience.

 

• Customers have complete control over the operating system and application software installed on the server. They have root access to the operating system and can make changes without involving the cloud provider.

 

• Consistent I/O performance and network bandwidth provide a more engaging and attractive customer experience.

 

• Organizations can size the dedicated server environment to provide processing power and supplemental resources to meet business objectives.

 

• Security is enhanced by eliminating other, potentially less security-minded tenants sharing the same physical resources.

 

• The physical isolation provided by a dedicated hosting environment complies with data security and privacy standards like HIPAA. Demonstrating that sensitive data is isolated from other customers is necessary to pass regulatory audits.

 

 

Dedicated Hosting Options

Let’s look at three types of dedicated hosting solutions that should be available from a reliable CSP.

 

Dedicated physical servers

Customers who opt for a dedicated physical server get exactly what they ask for. Their CSP furnishes a physical server reserved for the customer’s exclusive use. It is usually rented or leased by the month and provides complete control over the environment. The machine is not shared with other customers and can be configured to fit an organization’s specifications.

 

While a dedicated physical server addresses the performance and security issues that can affect a shared hosting approach, it can pose different problems and limitations.

 

• The customer is responsible for providing the technical resources necessary to configure and maintain the server.
• A lengthy provisioning process may need to be followed, especially if the provider purchases new hardware.
• In some cases, inferior hardware may be made available as providers attempt to get the maximum value from their equipment.

 

Dedicated cloud hosts

A dedicated cloud is an infrastructure service (IaaS) offering that provides customers a step up from shared hosting by furnishing enhanced flexibility and performance. A dedicated cloud host can be configured to present a customer with multiple cloud servers.

 

Clients get a dedicated cloud node with Internet connectivity, implementing an isolated public cloud. Customers have more control over a dedicated cloud host versus shared hosting but are still sharing physical resources with other customers. This can limit the extensibility and scalability of the system.

 

Following are some aspects of dedicated cloud hosts that should be considered when selecting a hosting option.

 

• Dedicated cloud hosts are the least expensive dedicated hosting option.
• CSPs can quickly provision a dedicated cloud host.
• The CSP provides security and development tools.
• Customization enables organizations to configure the host to meet business objectives.
• Resource limitations can affect system scalability.
• A dedicated cloud host will generally not offer the same level of performance as a dedicated physical or bare metal server.

 

The bare metal option

Bare metal servers offer some of the best features of a dedicated physical server and a dedicated cloud host. In a bare metal environment, high-quality physical components are provided to a single tenant and are managed by the cloud provider. Servers can be optimized for different usage scenarios or business objectives.

 

Customers can rent bare metal servers on a short-term basis to accomplish specific tasks without the lengthy commitment required when using a dedicated physical server. A bare metal server delivers optimal performance and flexibility, offering customers the following advantages.

 

• Provisioning is streamlined with bare metal servers.
• The CSP manages systems.
• Customers have complete control over the operating system and applications.
• Flexible billing options are available when compared to dedicated physical servers.
• Data isolation is implemented for regulatory compliance.

 

Conclusion

As a business grows, it will often require more robust hosting options that those offered in a shared environment. The dedicated hosting options discussed provide substantial improvements in performance and customization. Companies should look to upgrade from a shared hosting approach to increase website performance, enhance the customer experience, and improve their business results.