The hype around cloud technology has cast doubt over the value of dedicated servers, with many debating whether they are still relevant. However, not only are dedicated servers relevant, but they remain a viable option when businesses require real power and control.
Dedicated servers are physical servers, which are owned or rented out to businesses as an entire unit. We call them ‘dedicated’ as they are employed by a single user to serve a specific networking purpose.
Are Dedicated Servers Really Out of Date?
The big players in public cloud hosting have tried to highlight dedicated servers’ drawbacks, such as a lack of scalability, in order to validate the need for cloud hosting. However, modern-day dedicated servers can form a part of a hybrid cloud or bare metal cloud environment, which can be scaled up or down with cloud-like efficiency. Automated provisioning means you can buy bare metal servers online and have them up and running in minutes, as you would with a public cloud provider like AWS.
Benefits of Dedicated Servers Over the Cloud?
Ideal for Horizontal Scaling
The myth that dedicated servers lack scalability has already been busted. But in some cases, dedicated servers can be more scalable than the cloud. Despite public clouds providing rapid vertical scaling, at some point there is a limit. However, dedicated servers are ideal for horizontal scaling, which can be expanded almost infinitely as a part of your bare metal cloud environment.
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No “Noisy Neighbours”
If you are hosting on a cloud platform, you will likely be sharing virtual machines. This could have a considerable impact on performance if you’re dealing with heavy workloads. What’s more, you may have to share your IP address. If one of your neighbours is running spam or adult material, it could affect your site’s ranking. With dedicated servers being single-tenant, these drawbacks are eliminated, providing optimal performance with unlimited bandwidth and disk space – all within a private workspace.
Optimal Data Security
Despite public cloud providers constantly improving their security, your data is far safer with dedicated servers, as only you (and data centre staff) can access it. On top of having a unique IP address, dedicated servers deliver the highest level of protection from malware, as well as access to expert technical support. So, if you’re working on highly sensitive work, don’t run the risk of hacking in public clouds – instead secure data within dedicated servers.
Full Control and Customisation
With dedicated servers you have full control of software, upgrades, scripts, applications and the server’s OS. With this administrative power, you are free to customise every element from the infrastructure up. What’s left is a server perfectly suited to your needs.
Conclusion
What really matters is that you get the right hosting solution that fits your needs. Don’t be misled by public cloud providers – if it works for you, consider opting for dedicated servers as a part of a bare metal cloud environment.
Whether you’re using a bare metal cloud, PaaS or IaaS to develop your SaaS product, be sure to read our guide to SaaS profitability for hints and tips on how to optimise your profits.
