A dedicated server as the name suggests is solely dedicated for use by a single organization. It is a single computer in a network whose function is to only serve the needs of that particular network. These types of servers are expensive and usually preferred by large organizations that have the resources and the requirement to have a system that is dedicated to a single cause, for example, managing only printing or communication with other computers.

In a web hosting business, these types of server are usually a rented service where the server, accompanying software and applications along with an Internet connection are provided by the vendor at a certain price.

In the following section we shall look at what a server is, various features of dedicated server hosting and the various advantages associated with it.

What is a server?

A server is a special computer that is specifically configured to provide hosting and email services. Hosting refers to the space you rent from a web host to make your resources available via Internet. Email services refer to the collection and delivery of emails.

Features of dedicated servers

A dedicated server in most simple of terms is a server is that is used by a single organization to manage its websites, email accounts and other resources residing on that server.

Organizations that lack the resources or technical know how generally opt for shared hosting or VPS hosting. What it means is that they will be sharing the physical server with lots of other account holders. A VPS hosting despite residing in a shared environment remains isolated from the activities of other users.

This, however, is not a full proof method as in extreme circumstances and scenarios, VPS can trouble each other. A website residing on a VPS server may be hacked and the attacker and an attempt may be made to infect other user’s website and email services. The onus as such lies on the hosting services provider to ensure maximum security by monitoring everything closely

Advantages of dedicated servers

A single network dedicated to your organization means no one else is competing against your website for resources such as CPU, memory, storage space, etc. This ensures higher performance and more responsiveness for your website.

Dedicated hosting provides higher level of security. Since no other website is running on the same physical server, your website is safe from unwanted intrusion from other users.

Dedicated servers also offer higher levels of flexibility. You are given the freedom and choice of installing and running any software and application that you want. Moreover the server is managed by the service provider allowing you to put your mind to other strategic business matters