One of the frequently asked questions when choosing a hosting environment, is whether to opt for a shared, or dedicated server setup. Several factors have to be thought about when making these choices, dedicated servers may be complete overkill for many setups, but shared hosting could mean you don’t get the amount of resources you need to run your website.

The price for hosting

Perhaps the largest feature in choosing business class web hosting is going to be your pocket . The pricing for a hosting environment can be massively different for different solutions and also the level of the company. There is a big difference between business class web hosting and standard shared hosting. Business class webhosting will offer much great support and the reliability of the service will be second to none but does come at a premium. Shared hosting providers are often working on tight budgets. Is the hosting for business or personal use? Critical business website should be hosted with a business class host. If the website is a personal blog with no monetary blog, do you really want to be paying a premium? If not then it is safe to say that a shared web host would be fine.

Another consideration to ask yourself is do you require a dedicated server or would a shared hosting be ok. Will your website need to use a lot of resources? Busy websites are typically not suited for hosting on a shared platform. If your website only has a few visitors a day, a dedicated server will be completely overkill. But with that a dedicated servers command a much bigger price, where as a shared hosting is significantly cheaper.

Unmanaged or managed dedicated servers

With real business class hosting, getting a managed dedicated server is normally the best. A managed dedicated server will be taken care of by your hosting company. The level of management varies from just patching and security updates through to full website tweaking and taking care of it. Expect a price hike if you opt for a managed server. If you are an experienced server admin, you may wish to opt for an unmanaged dedicated server. This option is much more price effective, but you will have to take care of everything from security and updates, through to any issues with the operating system itself. Hardware and network issues are still the responsibility of the hosting company. On a shared hosting platform the server level security and hardware issues will be dealt with by the hosting company. But you still have maintain a secure website your self.

A different option – virtual dedicated server

To add another option, you could look at virtual dedicated servers. This option is considered a middle ground. While you may not have your dedicated hardware you do get a dedicated amount of resources. You will of course be separated from the other accounts on the server which might give issues in a normal shared environment. Because of them being middle of the road the price reflects this along with the resources you need and can easily upgrade if necessary.

Finding a shared or dedicated hosting provider

Now you’ve made your choice you will probably be on the look out for a provider to take care of your requirements. Don’t forget to research the host, ask them some questions and try them out if possible. . A host worth its weight in silver should give you a confident feeling with the hosting solution they are offering.