Do you need to produce a report for your boss on dedicated server hosting news and trends? Your boss wants to know some of the features that dedicated server hosting providers offer. Your boss may also want to know if customers are satisfied with using dedicated server hosting.

The good news is that you can get plenty of information on dedicated server hosting news and trends. For example, you can access information on blogs. In fact, you can post your boss’ questions on the website and then receive feedback from other users. To get the latest on dedicated server hosting news and trends, do the following:

1. Rely on dedicated server reviews publications to discover information.

2. Stick with blogs to obtain information on web hosting services.

3. Take advantage of newsletters for information on dedicated server hosting.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find information from dedicated server reviews and publications

Reading online publications can be a great way to get information on dedicated server hosting, including reliability and cost. Another thing you'll like about reading online publications is that they can profile web hosting vendors. Learn about the services these companies offer, such as if they provide a secure dedicated server, what operating systems you can use, or the amount of memory the server has.

I recommend: Web Host Magazine & Buyer’s Guide focuses on dedicated server reviews of web hosting companies. Learn about the services companies offer, such as phone and technical support. Dedicated Server Hosting also provides dedicated server hosting solutions. This website strives to be the only source necessary to learn about dedicated web hosting service providers.

Get information on dedicated web hosting services from blogs

Take advantage of blogs as well. Read articles that authors post; however, also take advantage of the ability to post your comments. You'll also want to read about what other users are doing with their dedicated web hosting service. Blogs can tell you the benefits of using a dedicated server host.

I recommend: WordPress provides great information on dedicated web hosting services. You can also post your comments in response to the articles. NaviSite also offers information on dedicated server hosting. You can read about information that pertains to dedicated web server hosting, such as RAID.

Get information on dedicated server hosting from newsletters

Just like blogs, newsletters can provide excellent information on dedicated web hosting services. You can receive special deals or coupons you can apply to web hosting vendors if you sign up for their dedicated server hosting service. In addition, you can learn about other events that are happening in the server hosting industry. Take advantage of tips on running your online business.

I recommend: Hosting-Review produces a newsletter that covers the dedicated web server hosting industry. In addition, you can receive special deals or hosting offers on dedicated server hosting services. The BannerView is another newsletter you'll find interesting. It offers tips on running your online commerce business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider joining dedicated server hosting groups. You can gain a wealth of information on the trends in this field.

For most small businesses, the confines of shared server hosting become limiting fairly quickly. And that’s understandable, because shared hosting is meant to be used for small pages and not business applications. Most business owners turn to dedicated server hosting to suit their web hosting needs.

Dedicated web hosting services allow your business to have a server completely dedicated to your server hosting without having to maintain the hardware itself. This allows you to instead focus on the business needs of your company while leaving the IT work to someone imminently more qualified.

When choosing among the myriad web hosting vendors available, among the key points to consider are:

1. Specifications of the dedicated web server hosting hardware.
2. Software pre-loaded by the dedicated server host.
3. Services promised by the dedicated web hosting service.

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Purchase dedicated web server hosting with right-sized hardware

It's easy to purchase dedicated server hosting solutions with hardware that doesn't suit your needs. You can err on the side of caution and select a plan that is undersized, causing your site to either run too slowly or shut down altogether. Or you can purchase an oversized plan that allows your software to zoom through its day but also zooms right through your checkbook.

I recommend: Mosso offers a fully-scalable, secure dedicated server solution. You simply input your statistics and the site tells you what you need. Or if you don’t really know your statistics, it offers samples that can give you a strong starting point. Rackspace also offers a variety of dedicated server packages, allowing you to choose what fits your needs. And if you’re a company that likes to maintain a green, earth-friendly profile, you need to look at Rackspace’s Green Configurations that work with NativeEnergy to offset your server’s carbon emissions.

Buy only the software that you need for dedicated servers

When looking at dedicated server hosting plans, many offer a vast line-up of software pre-loaded onto your server. Make sure that you don't pay extra for software you'll never use--if you do, you're only paying the web hosting vendors to slow down your server. On the other hand, make sure that you have the software you need to run your business efficiently. If you know you'll be adding an e-commerce portal to your site soon, see if your dedicated server host offers e-commerce software, merchant services and/or the ability to have a secure dedicated server.

I recommend: 1&1 is a company well-known for its dedicated web hosting services, and it offers an extensive premium software package that is virtually unparalleled in the industry. If you prefer a company that leaves the software choices to you, HostMySite.com allows you to add what you need when you need it.

Make sure your dedicated server host is serving you to your taste

If you have a crack-shot IT guru on your staff, you're less likely to need a host who is focused on managing your server. But if you're working without a net when it comes to IT, it's important that the dedicated server hosting service you choose allows you to worry only about your business and not about your website.

I recommend: The Planet specializes in ready-to-go dedicated servers without all the fuss; they advertise that they can have you up in an hour or less. For those who want a more managed dedicated server hosting solution, Lunarpages offers both modest and comprehensive managed hosting services.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you take any uptime promises with a grain of salt. It's great for a company to promise 99.9% uptime, but if you constantly fall in that 0.1%, that promise isn't worth very much. Instead, focus on the secure dedicated server hardware and make sure it's of a quality that your company deserves.

Consider getting dedicated web server hosting services for your online business. This is especially true if you need to have full control over the server, but you don’t want to have to put the money and time into buying and maintaining your own server. This is a method of making the most of a dedicated server hosting plan that also makes good economic sense.

When looking at a dedicated server host, don't just go for the monthly. Look at the functions the company will provide you, such as the amount of bandwidth or security. When making the most of dedicated service hosting, learn how to:

1. Get higher bandwidth with dedicated servers.

2. Use a secure dedicated server host for your website.

3. Get service level agreements with dedicated server hosting providers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get higher bandwidth with dedicated servers

If you're doing business online, you will certainly need higher bandwidth. This is especially true if your website will be doing a lot of live streaming, such as running Flash video or audio. Using a dedicated web server hosting enables you to increase your bandwidth as your business needs grow. Although you will pay more, the prices for the dedicated server hosting are reasonable.

I recommend: Silicon Valley Web Hosting provides dedicated web hosting services. You have three dedicated web hosting service plans you can choose from. Its highest plan, which is Premium, offers the highest bandwidth. nHarmony also offers dedicated service hosting services. Its services are especially designed to handle live streaming applications.

Use a secure dedicated server host for your website

Security is another important function you must have for your website. You want to ensure that no one can hack into your system. Web hosting vendors will make sure you have top-notch security, such as intrusion prevention, enterprise firewall, and anti-virus.

I recommend: MaximumASP offers secure dedicated server hosting plans. You’ll get security functions, such as anti-virus, enterprise firewall, and intrusion prevention. The NewPush also offers secure dedicated server plans.

Get service level agreements with dedicated server hosting providers

Since you'll be using dedicated web server hosting, you should have a service level agreement. One of the reasons you need this service is to ensure the network is available most of the time. Most dedicated server hosting providers will guarantee that the network uptime is 99.9%. As a result, you won't have to worry about your website being down for extended periods, which can happen if 9 to 5 employees at your business take care of the details.

I recommend: WestHost offers service level agreements that guarantee that the network uptime is 99.9%. Cisco powers the company’s network system and offers 24/7 service. Verio also provides service level agreements. It has three different service level agreements, including managed security service level agreement, hosted exchange service level agreement, and data center backup and restore service level agreement.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When checking into dedicated server hosting, make sure you ask the company what operating systems it offers. You don't want to sign up with a dedicated server hosting company only to find that it only supports Unix, and you need Windows.

Dedicated server hosting offers you the ability to host your website on its own private, stand-alone server. With a dedicated server host, you control the hardware, the applications and the services specific to your business needs. Like most industries, the services offered will depend on the host company. For example, while most dedicated server hosting companies provide you with a stand-alone server, some offer you a virtual private server (VPS) on a shared network.

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Shared hosting

Shared hosting means that your website is not the only one on the server. The benefits to this include that you can sometimes get less expensive services with the same protection of VPS.

I recommend: Swarma provides information detailing what you can expect from its shared hosting. It compares this service to virtual private service.

Hosting plans

Most dedicated server hosts offer different hosting plans. Usually these plans are priced differently based on the level of service for each plan.

I recommend: TotalChoice Hosting compares the different types of web hosting plans that it offers. You can compare the price to the features for each plan with its side-by-side comparison.

Data center

Data center refers to the location where the dedicated server hosts physically keep the servers. A data center may host only one company's servers, or it may provide a location for multiple dedicated server hosts. It's important for data centers to provide the appropriate environment for the servers to prevent damage to the machines.

I recommend: Read about data center for the New York Internet Center, which offers colocation and dedicated services.

Scalability

When it comes to dedicated server hosting, scalability refers to how well the host can maintain your website. Scalability keeps your website available and at top performance regardless of the amount of simultaneous traffic.

I recommend: Look to Macromedia for more information on scalability, including the factors affecting it.

Pre-loaded software

Most people need some type of software in order to work with a dedicated server host. In some cases, the host preloads the software so all you need to do is log in to access it.

I recommend: FogHost.com provides preloaded software for its clients. Learn more about the term by reading the description of this service on its website.

Specifications

In order to operate, servers need hardware and an operating system that meet certain specifications. Many components make up the operating system, and in some cases, the type of system you have depends on the parts used. For example, a system that uses Windows has Microsoft components.

I recommend: Hostrocket.com offers a lock at its specifications for dedicated servers.