As a small business, it is all but required for you to have a website today. It is a valuable tool for customers to find you, learn more about your product or service, and reach out with their questions. Also, with many customers starting their buying journey online, it is important that you have an online presence.
However, few small businesses require all of the power and support of a fully dedicated server. As a result, they end up spending money on a solution they don’t need. Unfortunately, business may outgrow the shared hosting offered by most providers. Thankfully, there is a good option between the two that might meet your needs.
The option we’re talking about is VPS hosting (which stands for virtual private server), and it is becoming an incredibly popular way for small businesses to host their websites or blogs. But what just what is it and how does it work? Well that is exactly what this article is going to take a closer look at.
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS hosting is a good choice for website owners who have greater needs than shared hosting can meet, but don’t need all the power of a dedicated server. It offers you a lot of flexibility and enough power, without an incredibly high cost.
It is stable, and great for those with medium levels of traffic. Also, there are many different kinds of VPS hosting plans offered, to further tailor or customize the experience for your needs. They can vary in terms of memory, storage, bandwidth and more.
How Does a VPS Work?
Now that you know a little about what VPS hosting is, how does it work? What allows it to be a good middle ground? Well the answer is that the solution mimics a dedicated server, while actually being shared. Let us explain this in a little more detail.
There is one larger physical server, that hosts several smaller virtual servers. While several users are sharing the larger physical server, each VPS gets its own dedicated power and can run it’s own operating system, thus seeming like it’s own server with great security and reliability, as well.
The way this is achieved is through the use of a hypervisor. This software splits up the power of the larger physical server amongst the smaller virtual servers, and keeps them separate from each other, and thus, private. Think of it like a townhouse or apartment. Many units share the same structure, but are broken down and split up into many different units for different families.
The Benefits of Using a VPS
If you are going to use a VPS for your website, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the benefits. Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a VPS is the cost. While it mimics the performance of a dedicated server well, it is much more affordable. You also don’t need a ton of technical knowledge to achieve success with a VPS, like you might with a dedicated server.
Another benefit of your company deciding to go with a VPS is that it provides you a lot of flexibility. You can run your own apps, and choose and tailor your own hardware and software, which often isn’t possible with shared hosting. You also get more control when it comes to security than with shared hosting, to ensure your information and data is protected.
In conclusion, we hope that this article has been able to help you learn more about VPS hosting, how it works and the benefits it can provide. If you feel you don’t need a dedicated server, but shared hosting isn’t cutting it, be sure to give a VPS a try.
