How to Choose Dedicated Server Provider?

As opposed to other hosting options such as VPS hosting or shared hosting, dedicated servers are able to offer a greater degree of features and power. However, businesses should keep in mind that a number of factors should be considered before they decide to jump. It is essential to consider that no two hosting providers are same. This means that if the price of dedicated hosting seems too good to be true, then it most likely is. They need to ensure that low cost doesn’t mean that compromises have been made in terms of quality because they want their website accessible and available at all times for maximizing return on investment.

There are lots of factors that should be taken into account. Read on to find out:

-· Hardware Quality

Since the entire physical server will be rented by the business, it is imperative to check that you are paying for hardware that’s of good quality. You don’t want to find out that you paid your hard-earned money for a bunch of old parts that had been thrown together. It is best to rent out dedicated servers who actually have enterprise-grade SSDs and HDDs.

-· Support Options

Every type of hosting provider offers support, but the level of support offered can vary. When comparing support between different hosting options and even hosting providers, a business can ask some questions such as:

1- Is 24/7 support offered by the dedicated server provider?

2- What will happen if there is a problem? Can the support team be contacted via phone, live chat or support ticket?

3- What is the response time of the provider for every support channel?

4- Is the support team capable of resolving issues or will just give you links to F.A.Qs or Wikipedia articles?

Getting answers to these questions can help a business in evaluating the type of support offered.

-· Hardware Replacement Guarantees

Hosting providers are offered these guarantees by datacenters and they pass it onto the end client. The purpose of the guarantee is that the hardware will be replaced or fixed if it starts failing. When comparing providers of dedicated servers, ensure that their Sales Level Agreements for hardware replacement are short or else there may not be any urgent replacement offered, meaning lots of downtime for the website.

-· Software Options

1- Operating system: The hosting provider should offer services for both Linux and Windows operating systems.

2- Control Panel: While some providers have their own control panel, it is best for businesses to opt for dedicated servers that have one of the well-known panels such as Plesk or cPanel because migrating websites in the future becomes easier.

3- Additional Software: Even though it is possible for the business to purchase software licenses and install the software, but hosting providers should usually offer this option to their clients.