An organization focused upon acting as host and providing servers will normally provide a variety of solutions to meet the needs of businesses both large and small. A host may offer server hosting solutions such as VPS servers also known as virtual dedicated hosting, Managed Hosting, Dedicated Servers, as well as SaaS hosting. What follows will be an overview of these key choices for a website or software provided for the commercial and personal user.
A host provides a home for a website, business or even software that can be reached via the internet. The type of host used depends upon the needs of the website and the business. SaaS servers are available for developers of software who choose to deploy their software as a service. The host machine holds the software and the software owner controls user access so that access of to the software may be granted on a per user basis.
A dedicated server is one where the lease holder controls all aspects of the server. The service provided by a hosting company includes providing housing for the machine in a temperature and humidity controlled environment as well as an internet connection suitable to the needs of commerce. Extra charges are usually levied for bandwidth usage. The dedicated server may be user managed or managed by the host.
Managed hosting is where the hosting company provides technical support for the user’s machine. They not only manage hardware and bandwidth but also take care of assigning new IPs adding new domains or installing user supplied scripts. Managed hosting can be arranged for dedicated, virtual or even shared servers. This is a good option for the individual who is not technically inclined or too busy to manage their servers themselves.
Virtual dedicated servers are also called VPS and although the business has its own copy of the operating system and the interface and controls are much like a dedicated machine, they usually share the server with two or more other businesses. The costs are shared among several users and generally lower than that of a private or dedicated machine.
SaaS server solutions are usually dedicated machines that can be owned by the host and rented or leased by the business. Alternatively the dedicated machine can be owned by the business and housed by the company with bandwidth and a controlled environment provided for a fee. Some hosts specialize in offering machines for SaaS providers.
Shared servers provide an economical solution for the business that requires only small to moderate amounts of storage. Shared hosts will have many users and company will limit the resource use by any single user. The shared host solution is extremely economical and can serve as a starting point for a website with only moderate traffic.
Each of these server types was developed for a different type of business. Medium sized enterprises can often manage comfortably with a shared server or a virtual private solution. SaaS hosts need to be more powerful and the machines must be available at all times. Almost every business need online, has a solution and host.