Buying a dedicated server is very critical. There are some essential aspects to consider regarding the Dedicated Server and the hosting provider you choose. Choosing the best fit dedicated server depends on the hosting package and the service levels that can meet your needs. The 10 most important factors to consider before making a purchase are as below:
Operating system
There are several different Operating systems (OS) currently being used for the hosting purpose. Nevertheless, the two most common and widely used operating systems are Windows and Linux. Windows OS is suitable for hosting ASP. NET code, MS SQL Server or the use of Microsoft IIS whereas the Linux OS is appropriate for open source stacks such as Apache/PHP/MySQL (LAMP) or Ruby On Rails.
Hardware
Hardware is the core of any physical server and is characterized by its brand and the specifications. Make sure it is reliable and has high performance. Server programs like Apache or MySQL heavily depend on the processor’s speed and memory to deliver performance. The three most commonly preferred storage types are SAS, SATA, and SSD. SAS offers more Input/output capacity, SATA is more prominent, and cost-efficient storage and SSD are high speed and storage intensive drives.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data transfer speed, together with Uplink speed, that defines the connection between a server and its users. Choosing a Web Hosting provider that can provide you the premium bandwidth or the shared bandwidth as per your usage needs or the criticality of your business. Server host needs to make sure to provide you with global network connectivity to achieve higher levels or redundancy and a stable 99%-100% uptime.
Datacenters
The datacenters are defined by the methodology of organizing Datacenters in 4 Tiers. Tiers represent the uptime and performance of any Datacenters. Tier IV Datacenters offers the best infrastructure to make sure that your server is live 24/7. Tier IV datacenters provide the best redundancy levels and uptime.
Support
For helping you focus on your core business competencies your hosting provider should provide you with a fully managed services or 24/7/365 support services. The mode of communication with the technical support staff should be with the email, tickets, online, chat, call or email. A best in class support services should be agile, proactive and competent enough to solve your day to day technical queries and problems.
Monitoring
Server management relies heavily on resource monitoring and organization. Most Dedicated server providers provide a user-friendly and easy to use tools to allow timely tracking of data usage and server performance.
Upgrade Options
With your growing business needs there arises the necessity of increasing/upscaling/upgrading your resource to accommodate your every increasing resource demands. Upgrade of the resources to increase performance, storage and bandwidth needs is very critical and should be executed without any serious downtime. Migrating servers between providers usually are far more expensive than a simple upgrade and research of the allowed growth is recommended.
Additional services and add-ons
The additional services or the add-ons are very helpful. The various add-ons and services that you can get with the dedicated server are hardware and software firewalls, Load balancers, Backup, disaster recovery, security audit reports, bandwidth reports and many more. Be sure to check with your dedicated server provider before signing up for their services.
Security
Security is of utmost importance for the dedicated servers, as they are being controlled only by the customer. Dedicated server provider has to guarantee the extreme measure to ensure the data security on their servers. Your service provider has to safeguards your servers from targeting invaders, spammers, hackers, and other harmful problems such as Trojans and worms.
Pricing
The cost of Dedicated servers can vary from high to low depending on the quality and specifications of the servers and the services level you wish to signup. As the dedicated server are big financial and technical investments, ROI must be evaluated carefully for planning to go with the dedicated server.
Choosing a dedicated Server provider is not an easy task and considering the factors mentioned above can help you make a wise decision on moving forward with your business goals and plans.