Let’s assume that you’re on the hunt for a web host. While doing your research, you realized that there are multiple types of hosting providers such as shared, managed, dedicated, and VPS. What struck you as the most interesting is managed hosting, but you’re still unsure whether this is the right choice for your website, which is why you’re here.
We’ll make things very easy for you by briefly going over shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and VPS, before putting our focus on managed hosting so that you can compare it with the previous types and make the right decision. Let’s begin.
This type of hosting includes sharing web hosting space and features with other websites that rent the same space on the server as you do. This means that you won’t use its full capacity and features, and won’t be able to use it above the average limit. If you surpass what is considered a “normal” usage of these features, you’ll get a warning because you might be affecting the other websites.
So, if your neighbor doesn’t use the resources in their full capacity and you do, it might create some balance so you can use the resources up to the maximum. But if you and your neighbor both use your “unlimited” resources, you’ll very likely have a problem, and this is where shared hosting can be problematic.
Dedicated Hosting
By choosing a dedicated hosting option, you’re getting the whole server for yourself.
This means that there are no limitations whatsoever when it comes to using the server’s space and features. It’s a more expensive alternative compared to shared hosting, but it comes with a variety of extra benefits and features. If you’re a big company, choosing a dedicated web hosting service will be the right decision.
Just beware: having full control over the server, including the hardware and operating system, means that you are responsible for managing it. If this is something you don’t know how to do or you just don’t have the time for, managed hosting should be your first choice.
VPS
Virtual Private Server (VPS) is something between a dedicated server and a shared server.
A VPS virtually acts as a dedicated server that is using the environment of a shared server. Many website owners swear by using a VPS precisely because it’s a great alternative to a shared server that mimics the features of a dedicated hosting service.
It’s usually available for a decent price and it’s more reliable and secure than shared hosting, so if your dilemma is between the two, choosing a VPS should be a no brainer. You’ll be able to get access to the root of the server, which gives you the opportunity to install apps as you like, and if your website gets attacked by a hacker or malware, it won’t affect the neighboring websites.
Managed Hosting
Now that you know all the essential information about the other types of hosting providers, it’s time to clear things up about what managed hosting is.
When you choose dedicated hosting, you pay a large sum of money despite the fact that you are in charge of the tech support and maintenance, meaning your company has to handle all of this.
For some, this can be a burden and that’s when managed hosting comes into the picture. It’s an IT hosting service that offers website owners the opportunity to rent managed hardware. This way, you get all the perks of dedicated hosting service and, in addition, you have it all maintained and managed by the hosting provider.
While the provider manages the support and administration of the server, you can focus on other things and have more time and freedom to develop and scale your business without having to worry about maintenance. But if you want, you can always overtake the management or access the information at any time. Security is also guaranteed, so you don’t have to worry about things like data loss or hacker attacks.
There are many web hosting providers that offer managed hosting services, such as Bulk Buy Hosting for example. The good thing about these providers is that they can host and manage a whole network of sites, so they can come in handy if you own multiple websites.
For those who want to rank high in the search engine results pages (SERPs), providers such as Bulk Buy Hosting can offer them a range of services that include the creation, hosting, and management of a Private Blog Network (PBN) for a very low cost. This means that even though creating a PBN is a grey-hat tactic not really supported by search engines, with the right hosting option it won’t be discovered, which makes it a highly effective link-building strategy.
What Are the Benefits of Choosing a Managed Hosting Provider?
Choosing a managed hosting provider is a great option if you want to cut costs and raise the efficiency of the hosting you get. Your hosting provider is partly responsible for how your website performs, especially in terms of downtime. This survey done by CA Technologies reveals how much downtime has an impact on the revenue. Apparently, IT companies are losing $26 billion annually due to downtime, so it’s a big thing to consider.
Let’s go over some benefits you’ll receive if you decide to go for a managed hosting provider:
- Ability to Scale – The ability to scale with a managed hosting service compared to a shared host is way higher and you get experts working on the maintenance and management of your site.
- Increased Security, Backup and Disaster Recovery – All your data will be regularly backed up and you will get an increase in security against cyber attacks.
- Lower Operating Costs – When you choose to maintain your hardware in-house, you immediately lower the costs. This way, you can use your budget for something else.
Now that you know the basics about all hosting options out there, which one would you pick?