Category Archives: Dedicated Servers

Data Centers, Dedicated Servers, Hosting Industry

Do You Need A Dedicated Server?

SuperbHosting Rackmount Server

You may already know what dedicated hosting is but may be trying to decide if you need it or if shared hosting is enough. While there is a 3rd alternative; virtual private servers (VPS), they are simply an upscale, more flexible version of shared hosting.

For those who are not clear about the difference. Shared hosting or virtual hosting is when you share resources with many others, much like living in an apartment building, whereas dedicated is like owing your own house. Sometimes depending on the hosting company, your web site may be one of hundreds, even thousands of other web sites on a single dedicated server. On the other hand, if you get your own dedicated server, you have the entire server dedicated to your needs alone.

Your web site will have complete usage of the server’s resources therefore your web pages and other online applications will be served faster. Unlike with shared hosting, having your own dedicated server mean you rent or lease to own (this is unique to Superb) from the web hosting company. Generally this includes the hardware, operating system, connectivity and the monitoring of the server which are then amortized over a period of time. Unique to Superb, this can be for as little as 1 year, after which you pay for collocation only (an incredible savings when compared to other hosting companies, often tens of thousands of dollars over 3 years).

For more on deciding on whether or not you need dedicated hosting, here are a few guidelines which may be helpful plus other things to considering when making the decision to get your own dedicated server. (click here for the full article)

Dedicated Servers, Hosting Industry, Network, Security, Technology

Network & Server Security

Network/Server SecuritySecurity relating to computers and networks has always been a concern for IT managers tending to Enterprise-class operations. Despite all their efforts to keep their networks free from intruders – be it a hacker, a worm, a trojan, or a virus – the biggest security risk to these systems is most often the users themselves. Over time, more and more businesses have started to depend on Technology and their hardware infrastructure, for their daily operations, and as these aspects of a business have become more critical, these hackers, worms, and trojans have become more targetted, again, typically focussing on the users. Instead of coming from the 13-year-old computer aficianado looking for some fun and fame, organized teams have been setup with a specific target, which, more often than not, is data.

In the last year, security flaws or breaches at large corporations have resulted in individuals being at-risk. Consumer information, from search results to personal credit card and debit card numbers, has been compromised; sometimes it’s a simple (albeit costly) mistake from an individual, but with multi-national corporations and millions of dollars potentially at stake, insider breaches are also a concern. But what does this mean for the average business?

All companies with sensitive data need to be aware that they are a target. Unless the proper steps are taken to ensure that your networks are secure, your data and your systems will be susceptible to attacks. The average webmaster or designated ‘IT guy’ in the company will not have the ability to maintain this level of security, and these types of services may require an outside resource to perform security audits on your systems. It’s also important to note the differences between network and server security.

For those that take advantage of co-location or a hosted server from companies like Superb, network security isn’t the issue; instead, keeping up-to-date with patches and updates for the server’s operating system and maintaining solid, secure coding practices is key to preventing unauthorized access. To help prevent unnecessary risk, we (the Superb Team) are putting together an unofficial checklist for self-managed servers, but it is definitely recommended that a professional review your server security regularly.