Shared Or Managed Server Hosting – Which is a Better Option For You?

In this web hosting business, there are 2 main categories of web hosting where we can choose from;

1)Shared server hosting
2)Dedicated server hosting

Shared server hosting is competitively cheaper compared to other plans as the expenses are shared among the web users on the same server. Every user gets to share the server space and the rest of the resources with other users.

While managed server hosting is the distinct opposite of shared server hosting. Instead of sharing, you get to own the whole server space and resources by yourself. Managed server hosting offer the greatest level of flexibility and control to the web user who own the exclusive right to have his preferred choice of operating system, software and application. Because of this, the managed server hosting is one of the most expensive types of web hosting in the industry.

If you are new in this business, getting yourself equipped with useful information on the multiple different types of web hosting will add value in your selection. Below are some of the key criteria which will impact your web host choice;

i. Types of business:
For entrepreneurs who owned large businesses across the regions, or those with e-commerce websites with extensive flow of online traffic, there is no better choice than the managed server hosting with high bandwidth, ample disk space and effective server response time. On the other hand shared server hosting is more suitable for small family business and personnel used.

ii. Server response time and effectiveness:
For shared server hosting which have to host multiple websites on one single server, should any of these websites experienced heavy traffic at ny particular time, the server response time will be affected. In the case of dedicated server hosting, the server response time is fast and timely at all times as no one else is sharing this server with you. This will drastically increase the uploading speed of the web pages with excellent functioning of its features.

iii.Scalability:
An upgrade plan of a shared server hosting normally covers the following: disk space, bandwidth and probably for email accounts as well. The features which get to be upgraded are limited for these few areas only. For dedicated hosting, the upgrade plan gets to include an increase in RAM, operating system, software, hard disk space, and of course bandwidth, disk space and email accounts.

iv.Security:
With a dedicated plan, the security features and controls offered are very comprehensive. This is to ensure that its server and web users are well protected against any hackers’ attack or frauds spam activities. As there is no one who is sharing the server with you, the risk of illegal exploitation is very low with a dedicated web hosting plan. However the risk of security is definitely higher in the case of shared server hosting as there are multiple users who are sharing the same server with you. If any of these users are spammed, you might be affected as well.

When you are searching for web hosting, reverse researching is important where you should find out the complaints about the host. Which field they are weak in? What mistake they always do? This can give you a clear picture on their performance. For more information, check out webhosting reviews.

Darren is a full time web developer attached with a web hosting company.

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