Virtual private servers (VPS)
Virtual private servers are becoming very popular for web site owners who want to enjoy the benefits of owning a dedicated server but aren’t ready to pay the extra money that accompanies a dedicated solution. If you are not familiar with how virtual private servers work, let’s take a look at what they do and why they might be the right solution for your needs.
A virtual private server is a space on a shared server that is locked away from the other accounts. You will be able to operate your site in its own environment, much like a dedicated server. Typically, you can host more than one account on a virtual private server, much like you can on a dedicated server. You’ll get a control panel that will make administering your site very easy. Whether you want to add or remove email addresses, or you need to have access to extra applications that can be easily installed, the control panel will make the job a lot easier.
There are many benefits that come with a virtual private server. First and foremost, you’re getting the capability of a dedicated server without having to pay the hefty fee. Set-up fees are usually much less and overall, this is a much more cost effective solution. Secondly, you’ll be getting the added benefit of extra security for your site.
Shared hosting has many inherent flaws. First, there may be hundreds of different accounts that are all crammed on to one server. This is a common practice that is employed by nearly all hosting companies. The more people they can cram onto one server, the more money they’ll be able to make. This causes a problem however that is not easily remedied.
When you have hundreds of accounts on one server, there is definitely a security risk present. Whether a hacker is able to break into one account and then gain access to the others, or someone installs a worm on one site that takes out all of the others on the site, there are many security risks. If you currently store personal information or do business with the public, a shared hosting package can be quite dangerous.
A virtual private server will allow you to lock away this data so that hackers will have to work much harder to get at it. In addition to hackers, there is also the concern of system resources. A server can only handle a set amount of requests per hour. Requests may be image files, documents, web pages or programs. You can see how it can be very easy to overload a server when there are hundreds of accounts serving up images and pages.
When one account suddenly gets more traffic, all the other accounts on the shared server suffer. The resources are directed to the site getting all the traffic and the other sites may go down in response. This will not happen with a virtual private server since you will have your own dedicated resources that cannot be taken by another site.
