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Choosing The Right Hosting – Unmanaged Or Managed VPS

Majority of the enterprises or businesses often go with the shared hosting service, as it is a cheaper option. Moreover, a newly launched website of a company or an e-commerce store will not receive a lot of visitors and won’t need a lot of applications either. But over time the businesses tend to grow and the services provided through the shared hosting server are not enough to provide the clients with all the necessary features. 

The site will have increased traffic and will need a better and more efficient solution. This is where VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting server comes to play. Continue reading to know more about the VPS hosting server and the features associated with it.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) – An Overview

A fully virtual server that is completely assigned to a single client in a private manner is called the Virtual Private Server or VPS. The Virtual Private Server is a hybrid version of dedicated and shared hosting. 

In this type of hosting the physical server will be shared by more than one virtual server, among which one of them is dedicated particularly to a single client. There are two types of Virtual Private Servers. Those are unmanaged Virtual Private Server and managed Virtual Private Server.

Managed Virtual Private Server hosting

When a managed VPS is implemented, the hosting service provider itself looks after the virtual server by taking care of the server maintenance, updates and installation of the latest software patches that are needed. They are also responsible for the proper functioning of the physical server which includes uptime and availability. 

For any business-related websites, complete maintenance of the server is mandatory. Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of managed VPS hosting.

Advantages of Managed Virtual Private Server

  • Takes major responsibilities off the client’s shoulders.
  • Saves time and enables the business to grow. Clients need to concentrate only on making the business grow faster and not worry about managing and maintaining the server. 
  • A separate team to manage the server is not required.
  • The service provider will take full responsibility for all the issues that the server faces. (uptime, downtime, availability, etc.)
  • Ensures all the server hardware and software are up to date. (Operating system, security updates, firmware, etc.)
  • Twenty-four-seven strong technical support.
  • The servers are completely monitored and data or assets are kept safe.

Disadvantages of Managed Virtual Private Server

  • The price of managed virtual private servers is comparatively higher than unmanaged VPS hosting services.
  • Clients might face quite a few restrictions with respect to the server.
  • Clients have no flexibility and the versions of the software can not be managed according to their desires.

Unmanaged Virtual Private Server hosting

When it comes to an unmanaged virtual hosting server, only the physical components of the server will be taken care of by the hosting service provider. On the other hand, the client or the user is responsible for managing the virtual server and the features associated with it. The user or the client must manage the server activities such as updating the operating system, installation of patches, routing the virtual network and other complicated tasks. 

Though the unmanaged VPS provides complete liberty over the virtual server, a team of highly skilled professionals are also needed to maintain and manage the virtual server. The service provider is not responsible for the traffic, uptime or availability.

Advantages of Unmanaged Virtual Private Server

  • The price of the unmanaged virtual private server is comparatively lower when compared to managed VPS hosting service.
  • Complete control over the virtual server.
  • Clients or users can make direct decisions regarding the virtual server such as installing software that will be needed for later use, complete network settings, partitioning of storage space, etc.

Disadvantages of Unmanaged Virtual Private Server

  • Requires highly skilled professionals to manage this type of VPS.
  • The money saved on the hosting service, will for sure be spent on hiring a highly skilled IT team to manage the virtual server. 
  • The user or the client is solely responsible for monitoring the entire server traffic and all the actions that are associated with it. (cyber attacks, patch issues, traffic spikes, etc.)
  • The user or the client must be well aware of all the security patches, and the latest version released and keep the virtual server up to date.
  • Not much technical support is obtained and the information that is received is very limited.

When To Choose What?

  • Managed virtual private server

For an enterprise or a large organisation, a managed virtual private server is the best option, as they do not have to spend a lot of time managing and maintaining the virtual server. Clients opting for a managed virtual private server will save the amount (money) through reduced manpower, in the long run. Managed virtual private server guarantees availability, uptime and stability. 

This ensures that the website is available all the time to all the intended users. E-commerce websites that prefer a hundred percent uptime obviously will go with this managed virtual private server.

  • Unmanaged virtual private server

Organisations and enterprises that prefer to have full control over their virtual server will go with unmanaged virtual private servers. If you want to save up money this is the go-to option. This is because the price of the unmanaged virtual private server is comparatively lower than managed VPS hosting service.

Few Final Words

Both the managed and unmanaged virtual private servers have their own pros and cons. It is up to the client or the user to choose the one that suits their needs the most. According to the preference and the usage needs of the client, the right type of virtual private server must be selected.

How To Choose Between Managed & Unmanaged VPS Services

Like almost everything in the world, a business also starts with the same preliminary levels. It requires time, accurate decisions and lots of efforts to be maintained and grow further. If you have the right marketing strategy for your business then it will prove to be nurturing the cause. Initially, when you had started your business it is possible that the traffic might not have been a lot and that you only had a few visitors. With the advancement in your company, and hence, your website, the traffic may have increased or the existing resources may be inadequate now, or both. In both cases, you might want to upgrade your website infrastructure to the next level else it will affect the conversions.

A network created by VPS is a functional segment in the virtual private network. It is continuously expanding the possibilities for medium or small sized businesses. If you are running a small company or a medium enterprise, which is gaining enough popularity and requires major technical assistance, then VPS is always suggested. It allows the website to get security, bandwidth, and other server resources. Through a virtual private server, you get the facilities of dedicated software at very affordable prices. With the continuous evolution in the field of a virtual private server in the past few years, there has been an enormous growth in web hosting. If your business is growing through shared web hosting then this is exactly what you have planned. The other step which you need to take is to upgrade your website and make other necessary changes as well.

There will be a number of questions in your mind like what are the actual benefits of using VPS? What are managed and unmanaged VPS, and what is the difference? By the end of this article, you will find all of the solutions. Take a follow-up clearly and it will ease your decision of choosing any. Varieties of web hosting platforms are available for businesses to choose from. The major ones are :

In this hosting multiple websites are shared over the same server. It requires no specific technical assistance and it is affordable though it might lead to some security issues.

In this web hosting a single server is allocated to a single website. It requires an extremely high budget and is perfect for large companies or enterprises. There is no possibility of any security breaches in this web hosting.

The cause of managed and unmanaged virtual private servers arises from the same hosting segment. In this fragmentation of the server is done depending upon the number of websites so that each website can get an independent platform. It offers the best of both worlds by assuring security, along with affordability.

Managed Virtual Private Server

Under the managed virtual private server hosting you don’t have to deal with the technical assistance. The company has allocated the job to the service providers that will take care of the server configuration or maintenance. In case you don’t have much interest, knowledge or personnel, to handle the technology, then you can consider a managed VPS hosting for your website. In fact, if your company lacks technical expertise, then it might be a deliberate choice for you.

Managed VPS Handles The Following Services

Using a VPS network for web hosting is like opting for the autopilot solution. Once the server is configured you don’t have to deal with the technical issues at all. The services that are generally taken care of are:

  • Quick server backup
  • Software updation
  • Continuous monitoring for the server
  • Regular upgrades
  • Complete security against the breaches
  • Technical guidance regarding the server application and other queries as well.

Benefits of Managed VPS Hosting

Discussing particularly the business segments, not every firm has a strong hold on the technical expertise, and this is a major reason for which managed hosting is the best. It also supports the following additional features:

  • Automatic server monitoring and maintenance.
  • Boosting your server’s capacity to deal with the heavy traffic
  • Allowing high scalability in your network
  • Monitoring the various configurations.

Unmanaged VPS Service

In case you have a large enterprise and there are specific departments for everyone to deal with then you can go for the unmanaged VPS service. Right from the server configuration to server maintenance and updating the service, your firm has to handle it all. In the case of, malfunctioning of any hardware or software applications, its troubleshooting is also under your administration.

That is the reason you require heavy technical infrastructure and personnel, in order to manage an unmanaged VPS network. It is strictly not recommended for small business enterprises or for the beginners because it might lead to serious errors in case the knowledge is insufficient.

Benefits of Unmanaged VPS Networks

As the entire network is set up by the administrator you can customize it according to your requirements. It is also cheaper to buy as compared to managed VPS hosting. If you already have an experienced in-house technical team, then it might be a deal of profit for you.

Comparative Note

All of the specifications required for web hosting differ from company to company. If you are choosing managed VPS services then you can entirely shift your focus to your business development rather than the technical setup. It will save you from the configuration, setup or updating procedures. It is a little bit costly but worth the investment. Small or medium-sized companies are always recommended to opt for a managed VPS service.

If you are running a large company and your requirements shuffle every time then an unmanaged VPS service could be profitable for you. It requires certain technical assistance but you can manage it with ease. As no technical assistance is available from the service provider, you have to carry the installation and updating procedures all by yourself. Building the backups and prevention of the attacks are primarily included under it.

In this article, all the major advantages and loops are elaborated considering the requirements in web hosting. It all boils down to two deciding factors. One requires major technical assistance in exchange for better security and freedom, and the other requires a bigger budget, in exchange for the convenience. Both of them are equally dominating over the major business sectors as they have their own perks.