Generally, most web owners choose a shared hosting solution to host their websites, and upgrade later when it’s necessary. Regardless of the web hosting provider, every shared hosting server will have multiple tenants. These tenants will be sharing the server resources. But if even one website consumes too much resources at some point, it’ll affect the performance of other tenants in the server.
When should I think about an upgrade?
When a shared server is no longer capable of providing the desired website performance or resources the website needs, it’s a cue to upgrade the hosting solution. An upgrade could be anything from dedicated hosting to cloud hosting. A growing website with a consistently increasing amount of traffic would need robust hardware to sustain its performance and not slow down when there are visitors.
When the need calls for powerful hardware and great availability of resources for impressive website performance, the most apt solution is a dedicated server hosting.
If you are unsure of whether or not it’s time to move to a dedicated server, the points below may help you make a choice.
When should I think about an upgrade to a dedicated server?
Performance drops
Comprehending the website traffic is considered to be an initial estimation to decide whether to move to a dedicated server. If the website contains a large amount of dynamic webpages, with growing traffic its performance may go down in a standard shared server. Slow-loading websites deter most visitors which is a big no-no for businesses.
Need for enhanced security and privacy
The fact that you have your website hosted on a shared server along with many other websites obviously raises security concerns. The other website owners could be capable of hacking into your website which is in the same server. Those websites might also have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cyber-criminals. This subsequently compromises the server itself and its tenants.
If you are concerned about the security of the server, you can switch to a dedicated server where only your websites will be hosted. The server will be constantly monitored for security risks and vulnerabilities by the web hosting provider’s tech team thus ensuring great security and privacy.
Lack of control
In the event that your shared host does not permit you to utilize scripts and software developed specifically for your website, it’s another sign for you to upgrade to a dedicated server. A dedicated web hosting plan gives you absolute control over the server allowing you to use whatever plugins, scripts, and software necessary to augment your website.
Failure to keep up with growing demands
If your business is growing at a fast pace, you may need your website to reflect that growth and improve progressively with the growth. To facilitate this, you may need to update scripts and software in the server. This may not always be possible in a shared server.
In addition, you may not get necessary technical support when you need it. A dedicated server gives you adaptability, and because you are the only tenant, it’d be faster and easier to have your website keep up with your business’ growth.
Conclusion
There is still an alternative of building an infrastructure, purchasing a server, and hiring a team to manage it. However, this could cost you considerably. When you purchase a dedicated server hosting package, you will have a team monitoring the server and ready to help when necessary.
The scenarios mentioned above should make it easier for you to choose a migration to a dedicated server. Considering its many benefits, it’s a worthy investment to consider.
