Which Hosting Service Do You Need: Semi-Dedicated Hosting
This is part two of our series on hosting options. You can find part one, shared hosting, here. Part three (dedicated servers) is still to come. This post discusses the midpoint between dedicated servers and shared hosting: semi-dedicated hosting. This is a great, versatile option for sites that don’t require the resources of a full dedicated server, but are too large for the typical shared hosting plan.
Midsize or clustered sites
Semi-dedicated hosting is great for a business that runs a few different sites. There’s room for you to host your own site, a blog, some sites dedicated to one specific aspect of your business, and so on. Many businesses cluster their sites so they can focus on different aspects of their services.
This is also a great plan for one high-traffic site. If your site is getting a lot of traffic, you could find yourself running up against the limits of what your shared hosting service can do. Semi-dedicated is a step up in terms of space and computing power. You’ll have more room for your site or sites, and more physical hardware working for you at any given time.
More control over the programs
Semi-dedicated hosting gives you more control over the server you’ll be using. Shared hosting tends to be rigid in what you can and can’t do to your server. On the other hand, semi-dedicated has more room. You can request custom software or support packets that will allow your site to run more smoothly. If you’ve wanted to be able to play with the structure of your server, semi-dedicated gives you some of that power. You don’t have as much control as you would with your own server, but much more than you’d get from shared hosting packages.
Fewer other users to worry about
While your service provider does provide some security measures, you do have to rely on other people to stay sensible. If someone you share a server with is compromised, there’s a slim chance that hackers could exploit their weakness to access the shared server. While this possibility is remote, a semi-dedicated server is still a step up in safety. The fewer users you share your server with, the lower the odds any of them will have a lapse in security.
Shared expenses lower cost
Semi-dedicated hosting is a solid midpoint between shared and dedicated servers. Its benefits include more room and more control over the software on your server. Additionally, it costs less than a dedicated server. As you’re still splitting the cost with other users, you can buy a plan that fits a larger site or a group of sites; all for an affordable price. This economic advantage is great for a business in the process of growing.
Semi-dedicated hosting is a great mix of features and economy. You can pay less for your hosting than a traditional server, while still enjoying more control over what goes into it. Get the processing power and space you need without having to take on a whole server of your own. Look out for the next item in our series: dedicated hosting.
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