Dedicated server hosting* provides exclusive use and configuration of a server, and offers security for your mission critical site that other forms of hosting cannot match. Controlling access to data is vitally important, as is continuity of operation and stability of the server.

Hosting a website, whether it's an e-commerce site, corporate website, high traffic private website, or extranet on shared servers, or using a server within your own business or home, is not an ideal environment for mission critical jobs. You need to know that your site is protected 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Hosting your dedicated server in a secure, well managed data center is pivotal to its continued success. Modern data centers are typically built to withstand earthquakes, and contain alternate power supply in the event of a break in service. These data centers also include both battery and generator backup power, often allowing the center to continue operating for at least 24 hours following the interruption.

Other services offered in the major data centers include, sprinkler systems, air conditioning to prevent overheating of components, access control for all personnel and visitors, technicians on hand 24x7 to reboot servers and other equipment when needed. Hosting your server in a data center also allows physical access to the server in the event the technician requires it.

Apart from these, probably the most persuasive arguments for hosting your site on a dedicated server are that you won't be sharing server resources with other sites. A typical shared server might have from 12 to many hundreds of websites sharing the same processor and bandwidth allocation. If just one of these users runs a script that consumes too much of the server's processing power, you can guarantee your site will suffer.

Your professional reputation is at stake. A dedicated server will be allocated a single dedicated IP address, not shared by other users. Your site won't inadvertently be blacklisted due to the actions of a script kiddie who happens to be hosted on the same server as you.

Maintenance of your server is under your complete control. Monitor the health of your server and setup preventative measures to guard against server crashes or denial of service attacks.

Security of your data is probably one of your pressing concerns, and it is only with dedicated server hosting that you are able to guarantee unauthorized users won't be able to access your files. Shared servers and VPSs by their nature cannot guarantee this protection since the entire server is not under your direct control.

Scheduled backups and other jobs can be more easily managed according to your needs. On a dedicated server you can schedule these activities at a time when your site experiences the least amount of traffic without fear of affecting another user.

Finally, you determine what software or configuration is needed on your dedicated server. Mission critical sites often have special needs that are a high priority. A dedicated server is able to be configured to your exact needs, as per your server needs analysis audits.