A perfect way to answer the question would be to discuss first the concept of shared hosting as it relates with dedicated hosting in order to establish the distinction between the two levels of web hosting.
Websites that have more intense traffic generally require more than what average shared hosting account can offer. Shared hosting is a perfect entry point to the Internet for you and your website. There will come a time that the business and even personal websites will experience the limitations of a shared hosting in terms of bandwidth and disk space. Shared hosting does not offer the same level of flexibility or security that managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting offers.
The next concern that the individual must face is which of the two types of dedicated web hosting is the right choice for your needs?
The Two types of Dedicated Web Hosting
Managed and unmanaged are types of dedicated server hosting plan. Both offer webmasters and businesses the opportunity to be the only website that is hosted on a single server. This type of web hosting is translated to less risk of being hosted on a server that is overloaded with websites. It also provides increased security as you are the only website that is hosted on a server.
Related benefits of the two types of dedicated web hosting also include lightning fast websites, reduced download times, and reduced website downtime.
Unmanaged Dedicated Web Hosting
Unmanaged dedicated web hosting is the cheaper of the two types and is considered as the entry point to owning the server that will host your website. Under this setup, the company leases the server from the host company. While the host may provide for the start up requirements like the installation and setup process, but once this are done, you are virtually on your own.
The host will be responsible in ensuring that the server is kept in clean and climatically controlled surroundings. It will also provide routine and general maintenance to ensure that the server remains in perfect condition. Beyond these functions, it will be the sole responsibility of the company. Your company will be the one responsible for the administering of software and maintenance of the server. This requires the company to have technical capability for these responsibilities.
Managed Web Hosting
There are several similarities between managed and dedicated hosting. Both require the lease of the server and the host provides the company with the data center room, the server, and the operating system software.
The hosting company will also provide regular maintenance of the server. This is done by the hosting company because they still own the server.
However, the difference between the two is in the provision of server management services. Under a managed hosting setup, the host will assist you in all aspects of maintaining the server. You expect your web host to discuss your options in terms of the server that you can use. Under the managed hosting, you take advantage of the technical expertise of your web host and your company will not be required to provide the technical staff to handle this task.
Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting
Once your company decides on dedicated server, it becomes an essential aspect for the running of your website. When the company runs a mission critical business website, then it is even more likely to be highly important. The only downside is that under the unmanaged dedicated hosting, your company will require technical expertise in order to manage the server. On the other hand, a managed plan will provide this expertise on top of the benefits when using a dedicated server with no management facilities.
