Dedicated Web Hosting
A dedicated hosting plan includes the hardware resources of an entire server.
Benefits
No neighbors
You have the entire server to yourself and don’t have to share resources with other people.
Flexibility
Just about any software you want to use can be installed.
Resources
A dedicated server has some beefy resources and can run some fairly complex web sites.
Security
Since you control access to the entire server, it can be a more secure environment.
Downsides
Cost
With more resources and flexibility comes a higher cost of operation. Dedicated servers are some of the most expensive hosting plans out there.
Required Technical Knowledge
Dedicated servers take quite a lot of technical knowledge to setup, configure, and maintain them. For the right person, this can be a huge benefit.
Is Dedicated Hosting right for me?
There are many situations where it could be right for you, and many more where it probably isn’t. The cost is a huge barrier for many people who would like the flexibility, security, and resources it offers.
A dedicated server can handle a good amount of traffic and complexity, so may be a good option for a popular online store or other resource hungry site.
It’s a good option for running your own web hosting business. Software could be installed to manage shared and VPS hosting plans.
If you are running many smaller web sites, dedicated hosting may be a good option for you. Many hosting companies offer software to help manage a separated area for each site.
Dedicated Hosting Options
Almost every web hosting company offers some kind of dedicated hosting plan option. The following are some I recommend:
A Small Orange
They rank at the top of my recommendations due to their excellent customer service reputation and fast responses from servers.
Mediatemple
A little pricier than other options, but they have some really beefy specifications running their dedicated servers, as well as some good support to help you along.
Softlayer
An IBM owned company with some good pricing on servers and other items related to hosting needs. Many web hosting companies will use a company like Softlayer to keep the hardware running on the servers in a top of the line data center.