What is a Dedicated Server?

Written by Brad Traversy | 09 May 2010

Using a dedicated server helps businesses by offering them a variety of options for the management of their IT infrastructure. Customized to meet the unique needs of a business, dedicated hosting includes the management of company servers, operating systems, databases and software. As a business grows, a dedicated server offers far more flexibility than shared hosting, and complete control of server maintenance and management.

One of the main reasons many businesses choose dedicated hosting is the reduction in overhead costs. Improved security and system reliability are other benefits. However, since no set of “best practices” yet exist (which would standardize the level of management provided); it is important to do some comparison shopping to determine whether the level of service will meet your needs.

While many dedicated servers define their “fully managed hosting” as a web-based control panel for customers, others offer a dedicated team of well trained system engineers for complete management of all server functions.

Where are dedicated servers located?

Dedicated servers are usually housed in a data center, which provides clients with monitored HVAC systems, around-the-clock security, and reliable power sources. In this way, they are similar to colocation facilities. The only difference is with a dedicated server, the provider owns the servers’ hardware and in a colocation facility, the hardware is owned by the client.

What kind of technical support can I expect from a dedicated server?

Depending on the company you choose, they will probably provide on-site server administration and a technical support team for all of your operating systems and applications. However, since the server hardware is theirs, they may not give you much say over the storage area and level of security.

Below is an overview of what you can expect from the four primary levels of dedicated server management.

Fully Managed Hosting: Here you will receive all software updates; system reboots, security updates and upgrades, with little or no need to interact with the server yourself. * Managed Hosting: This second-tier level of dedicated hosting is a popular choice, since it includes a limited amount of monitoring, support, and updates, while allowing you to perform certain server-related functions.
Self Managed Hosting: For the more hands-on IT team, self-managed hosting relies on the customer to provide most server management functions, but the hosting company still performs a certain level of maintenance and monitoring.
Unmanaged Hosting: This option is best for very tech-savvy clients who wish to provide all of the upgrades, system maintenance, security updates and software upgrades, with little to no involvement from the hosting company.

Regardless of which level of support you choose, with dedicated hosting you can be certain that highly vigilant security measures will be used to ensure your data is securely stored on their server. In addition to security on the physical premises, this also includes regular scanning of your network and server to block out potential viruses, hackers and invaders.