Do you need a dedicated server?

Is it time to move your website to a dedicated server? Operating a dedicated server requires more money, time, and expertise than simply using a shared hosting plan, so you don't really want to rent one until you have to.

Here area few questions to ask yourself in order to help determine if you need a dedicated server:

1. Does your website receive so much traffic that it is extremely sluggish in performance?
    
2. Do you make extensive use of Server Side Includes (SSI), large CGI scripts, and/or databases that consume tons of CPU cycles?
    
3. Does your server crash on a regular basis?
    
4. Do you receive complaints from your hosting company about your site using up too many resources?

• Complete control over the server. You can set up the server in virtually any way you desire without having to worry about complaints from the hosting provider or other webmasters. You can install any software and scripts you want.
   
• Full use of the server hardware and software. If you rent a dedicated server, your website will be the only site hosted on that server. You won't have to share precious resources which allows your site to respond very quickly to user requests.
   
• The ability to host multiple websites for one monthly fee. If you operate several sites, you'll enjoy better performance at a lower overall cost than you would with separate virtual hosting accounts.

• A dedicated server will cost considerably more per month than a shared account, and possibly with a high set-up fee.
   
• You are responsible for monitoring and maintaining your dedicated server, not the hosting company (although managed hosting plans are readily available at a higher cost). Even simple reboots of the server can cost $75 or more each time!
   
• You'll need to have the skills required to set up, configure, maintain, secure, and operate your dedicated server, or you'll need to hire someone with those skills to perform these tasks for you.