If you’re looking for a dedicated hosting plan with lots of space, high performance and support, then you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find a detailed analysis of the different plans from Liquid Web, a world-class hosting provider, along with my personal experience using the service.
Windows Servers
Starting at just $2.95 per month, you can get a fully featured Windows Server running on a high-performance AMD based virtual machine with 1GB of memory and 50GB of storage. You’ll have the option of either a dedicated IP address or a shared one, and you can install any Windows OS you like.
If you need additional storage, you can get a dedicated server with 2GB of memory and double the storage for just $5.45 a month. For a small business that relies heavily on Excel for processing, this is an ideal solution as you’ll have the ability to perform at peak efficiency.
The cheapest Windows dedicated server only costs $5.45 per month with limited storage options and a shared IP address. So if you want a truly dedicated solution, but don’t want to spend a fortune, this is the plan for you.
Linux Servers
If you’re a Linux user, you can get a dedicated server with all the perks mentioned above and more for just $5.45 per month. Above all else, I love the fact that Liquid Web offers an open-source based solution, meaning you’ll have the flexibility to install whatever software and applications you like, without needing special permission from Liquid Web or Microsoft.
While Linux has a large variety of different operating systems to choose from, the company offers only two servers to start. The first is a fully loaded Red Hat Enterprise Linux server with 32-bit hardware support running on a high-performance Intel based virtual machine with 1GB of memory and 30GB of storage. It costs just $15.45 per month.
If you need additional storage, you can get a Red Hat Enterprise Linux server with 2GB of memory and double the storage for just $25.45 per month. Like with the Windows Servers, this is a great option for a small business that relies heavily on its web applications and needs a dedicated solution to perform at its optimum capacity.
Nowadays, Linux has become extremely popular, and for good reason. It’s an open-source solution that can be downloaded for free, and once you have it installed on your hardware, you’ll wonder why you ever used to use Windows. If you’re interested, give it a try and see why so many people are choosing Linux as their operating system of choice.
There, now you know the different types of dedicated hosting plans that Liquid Web has available. As you might expect, the pricing gets a bit higher as you go along, with the cheapest Windows-only server costing only $2.95 per month, while the best Linux-only offering costs $25.45 per month. The only difference between the two is that Linux servers come with a special offer from Liquid Web: you get a free domain name when you register for the service. Plus, you’ll have the flexibility to install whatever software and applications you like without needing special permission from Liquid Web or Microsoft.
Choosing a dedicated hosting plan involves a lot of thinking and careful consideration of your needs. Below, I’ve gone over the different aspects that you need to consider.
Features
Just because your server is dedicated doesn’t mean it has to be plain vanilla. You can actually get all sorts of features, depending on how much you’re willing to spend. The cheaper the better, because you’ll have the ability to add more features as and when you need them. Let’s take a look at some of the most useful features that you can get:
- IP Whitelist: This allows you to restrict access to certain IP addresses or ranges that need to be whitelisted before being able to access your server. For example, if you have a shared hosting plan and a hacker attempts to access your server via SSH, you can temporarily block access to that IP address or range to prevent any downtime.
- Geo-DNS: This feature allows you to map a DNS query to a server in a specific location, so if you have a US-based server and customers in the UK are trying to access your services, they’ll be directed to the US-based server.
- Failover: In the event that your first-choice server becomes unavailable, your second-choice server automatically takes its place and starts serving your customers. This is exactly what you want from a dedicated hosting provider.
- Backup: Should your server go down for some reason, you can have it automatically backup all your files to an external storage device (typically, an USB drive) so you can quickly restore your site to its previous state. This is especially useful if you’re not the person that originally set up the dedicated server.
- Performance: Like with any computer component, the faster the better. When it comes to dedicated hosting, the more RAM and faster hard drives you have, the better. Keep in mind that the overall performance of your dedicated server will depend on the hardware config of your VPS.
- Reliability: Since your server will always be on, you want to be sure that it’s built with the utmost reliability. This means it will be deployed on a physical server with at least a 5-star rating from reputable service providers such as Linode, Dreamhost or Liquid Web.
- Scalability: While you don’t need a massively scalable solution, you do want to make sure that your service can handle increased workloads. This is why many companies, including Netflix, run their own data centers and opt for dedicated servers instead of shared ones. The more CPU cores and RAM you have, the more scalable your server will be.
As you can see, there are many different features that you can get with a dedicated server. The cheaper the better, because you’ll have the ability to add more features as and when you need them. If you have specific features that you need for your business, such as geo-DNS or IPSec VPN, then you should consider paying a bit more for a dedicated server that supports those features.
Costs
The overall costs of a dedicated server depend on a number of factors, the most important of which is the type of solution you choose. As we’ve discussed, there are two general types of dedicated servers: Windows-only and Linux-only. Let’s take a quick look at the costs associated with each one:
- Windows-Only (Recommended): As you might expect, the costs for a Windows-only solution are higher than those for a Linux-only solution. For the same price as the Linux server we looked at earlier (at $5.45 per month), you can get a fully featured Windows server with 1GB of memory and 50GB of storage. Plus, you’ll have the option of either a dedicated IP address or a shared one.
- Linux-Only (Recommended): Like with the Windows-only solution, the costs for a Linux-only solution are higher than those for a comparable Windows server. However, if you’re looking for a truly dedicated solution, the costs are much less than those for a Windows server (at only $25.45 per month).
As you might imagine, the upfront costs for a Windows-only solution are higher than those for a Linux-only solution. Depending on how long you want the solution to stay available, you’ll either have to pay for the Windows server each month or yearly. For a Linux-only solution, the costs are much more predictable since you’ll only pay for what you use.
Security
One of the most important aspects of any dedicated server is security. Just because your server is dedicated to your business doesn’t mean that everyone in the world can access it. As with any other piece of IT infrastructure, you want to make sure that only those who need access to it can get it and that no one else is capable of using it. This is why most companies run their own internal IT departments and use dedicated servers instead of shared ones. Let’s take a quick look at how to keep your data center safe: