What’s the difference between shared servers and dedicated servers?

For greater stability, security, and speed for key financial management software, there’s one clear choice. A dedicated server is likely the best option for a business that’s willing to pay slightly more for it.

Summit Hosting offers dedicated QuickBooks hosting and Sage hosting on cloud servers to improve security and speed, but you’ll experience other benefits as well. What are the advantages and disadvantages of shared and dedicated servers, and – most importantly – is the upgrade to a dedicated server worth the additional cost?

Shared vs Dedicated Servers

What is a Shared Server?

A shared server is a computer that hosts your applications and data — along with applications and data belonging to other people or businesses. With shared hosting, you receive a specific allotment of bandwidth and disk space, based on the amount that you pay. If you exceed your permitted usage, you generally will pay more for the additional bandwidth or server space.

Shared servers sometimes are referred to as shared hosting, which means that your digital assets — data and applications — use some of the space on a shared computer server. A shared server package often includes some management services from the hosting provider, such as firewalls and other security, along with technical updates and maintenance.

What is a Dedicated Server?

A Sage or QuickBooks hosting dedicated server is a remote computer server that houses only the data and applications of your company — with no space on the computer server shared by another individual or organization. Professional cloud hosting providers generally own, deploy, and maintain dedicated servers, allowing you the benefits of having your own server without the hassle of maintenance or physical security for the equipment.

Dedicated servers provide the same functionality of in-house servers, but they are owned and managed by an independent hosting provider like Summit Hosting. As a user, you log in to your Sage or QuickBooks hosting private server via the internet to access your applications and data.

Pros and Cons of a Shared Server

You’ll notice several advantages and disadvantages of shared and dedicated servers, depending on the specific needs of your business. What are the pros and cons of a shared server?

The pros of a shared server may include:

• Lower cost. When you share a computer server with other businesses or individuals, your cost may be lower than when you lease a dedicated server. Everyone who shares space and bandwidth on the machine splits the cost of operating and maintaining it.
• Low requirement for technical expertise. When you use a shared server, the hosting company generally provides maintenance, security, and technical updates for the machine.

The cons of a shared server include:

• Limited resources. On a shared server, you do not have exclusive access to the bandwidth, disk space, and other assets of the machine. Instead, other individuals or companies host their own applications and data on the same computer server.
• Slower speed and response time. You may find that because you share the machine with others, the response time and speed of your applications and data access may suffer.
• Potential for additional charges. Because your disk space, bandwidth, and other assets are limited on a shared server, you may find that you owe more money when your organization exceeds its allotted usage.

Pros and Cons of a Dedicated Server

According to research, the pros of a dedicated server may include:

• Few limitations on resources. Because your organization does not share a server with other individuals or companies, your usage of disk space and bandwidth typically comes with fewer limitations or no limitations.
• Better speed and response time. With no other organizations sharing server capacity, you may find your applications and data more responsive and faster to access.
• Low requirement for technical expertise. As with a shared server, dedicated servers typically are maintained and operated by professional cloud hosting providers, so you and your staff will not need to worry about handling technical maintenance.
• Secure data backups. Some professional cloud hosting providers, such as Summit Hosting, create secure backups of your mission-critical data. If a disaster happens, you don’t lose data; Summit Hosting performs server backups every night and keeps the data available for 15 days.
• Enhanced security available. Some cloud hosting providers, such as Summit Hosting, offer two-factor authentication for a small additional fee.

The cons of a dedicated server may include:

• Higher cost. Because your business has a dedicated server all to itself, you may pay more than if you shared a server with others. The higher cost brings greater value, however: faster speed, flexibility, and access to resources.

Is it Worth the Price to Pay for Dedicated Server Hosting?

Dedicated cloud hosting offers a range of advantages over shared hosting, but it comes with one potential disadvantage: higher cost. If your business can benefit from the many pros of dedicated hosting, you’ll find that the additional value you gain is well worth the cost.

With shared hosting, resources are split among multiple users. So instead of having all the computing power of a remote server dedicated to your own company and employees, you fragment that power. As a result, you forfeit the full potential of maximum performance and fast access to your critical data.

Shared hosting can provide a viable option, however, for smaller businesses or those with limited capital. But if your main priority is gaining optimum performance from your QuickBooks or Sage hosting private server, a dedicated server will give you the most return on your investment.

Upgrading to a Dedicated Server

If your business can benefit from the enhanced security, speed, and accessibility of dedicated QuickBooks hosting or Sage hosting, Summit Hosting is ready to assist you. When you choose to host with us, you’ll experience a variety of advantages, including affordability, 24-hour technical support, and security for your critical applications and data.

As one of the largest Sage and QuickBooks cloud-based hosting providers in the United States and Canada, Summit Hosting provides businesses with secure, fast access to their data and applications on dedicated servers. As part of our managed hosting for dedicated servers, we provide the technical expertise required to keep your business running smoothly. To learn more about how you can benefit from dedicated QuickBooks hosting and Sage hosting, please contact us.