VPS hosting is one of the best options in today’s hosting market. It enables users to manage their own servers entirely – from conducting manual back-ups to scaling usage based on transfer requirements; VPS lets you do it all. For many users, though, managing a VPS is a bit overwhelming. For new or inexperienced users, the required maintenance sometimes proves to be more than they can handle. For these individuals, managed VPS is a great option.
What Are Your Options?
Many users move away from VPS to much more expensive dedicated servers because they simply fail to realize that managed VPS services are available. Dedicated servers are powerful and capable, providing the same great hosting experience as VPS. They are, however, significantly more expensive. Users looking for the reliability and bandwidth afforded by VPS should consider utilizing a managed VPS service before making the leap to dedicated hosting. To really understand the difference, though, we must first understand the differences between both options.
Managed VPS vs. Dedicated Hosting
We recently discussed the differences between server types on our blog. As you know, VPS are special virtual servers created by breaking single machines into separate “containers.” Each of these containers runs software that enables it to function as an individual server, hence the name “virtual private server.” Dedicated hosting describes the utilization of an entire machine as a single server. Most VPS plans require the user to manage his or her own server, but this is difficult for many users. At SemoWeb, we do provide managed VPS services.
Choosing a Plan
Once you have decided that VPS is the best option to meet your needs, the next step is to choose between a managed or independent server. What the decision boils down to is whether you’re capable of managing your own VPS and if you have the time to do so. Consider your comfort level working within these 10 items to determine whether you should consider a managed plan:
- Installing and configuring applications
- DNS delegation & management
- Troubleshooting user account issues
- Implementing security patches
- Conducting periodic backups
- Provisioning IP addresses
- Staying up-to-date with software
- Custom partitioning
- Necessary server reboots
- Initial VPS and operating system provisions
As with any hosting decision, you should also consider additional server and provider attributes, such as downtime, server location options and quality of support. If you feel uncertain about your ability to stay on top of any of these facets of server management, we strongly recommend that you consider a managed VPS solution. For more information, call our support team at (877) 512-4678 and we’ll be glad to speak with you about our managed VPS solutions.