WHAT IS A SHARED SERVER?

A shared server is a computer that hosts your applications and data — along with
applications and data belonging to other people or businesses. With shared hosting, you
receive a specific allotment of bandwidth and disk space, based on the amount that you
pay. If you exceed your permitted usage, you generally will pay more for the additional
bandwidth or server space.
Shared servers sometimes are referred to as shared hosting, which means that your digital
assets — data and applications — use some of the space on a shared computer server. A
shared server package often includes some management services from the hosting
provider, such as firewalls and other security, along with technical updates and
maintenance.

WHAT IS A DEDICATED SERVER?

A Sage or QuickBooks hosting dedicated server is a remote computer server that houses
only the data and applications of your company — with no space on the computer server
shared by another individual or organization. Professional cloud hosting providers generally
own, deploy, and maintain dedicated servers, allowing you the benefits of having your own
server without the hassle of maintenance or physical security for the equipment.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SHARED AND DEDICATED HOSTING

 SERVER RESOURCES, CONFIGURATION, AND MANAGEMENT
With dedicated hosting, you’re renting the physical machine and not sharing hardware or
bandwidth with any other websites. You can scale the server resources and adjust them
instantly to your website traffic or application needs. You can access the server resources,
review the performance, and optimize the settings as you see fit. Having a dedicated
server also allows you to adjust the amount of storage and bandwidth you need on the fly,
as well as access the server root. Having access to the server root and configuration is a
huge benefit if you’re running applications and need to modify the environment for your
application’s specific needs.
Dedicated servers give you maximum control over the server software and the services it
runs. In addition, you are in control of and responsible for the updates and patches to
your server software. Let’s say your website is running an application that is known to have
issues supporting the latest version of the web server software, but it’s compatible with the
previous version. With a dedicated server, you could install any version of the software and
micro-manage its individual resources.
With dedicated hosting, you also have the option of selecting managed, semi-managed, or
self-managed services with certain providers. These services determine how involved in
your server maintenance and security you want the hosting provider to be. Each
management level comes at a different price with varying services provided depending on
your chosen host.
Shared hosting means you’re sharing server space with other websites and
individuals, providing a reliable and cost-effective way to get where you’re going at a
fraction of the price. However, it doesn’t provide any of the above-mentioned custom
configuration options. A shared hosting account comes with access to a control panel for
your website folders, files, and applications such as WordPress or PrestaShop. From there,
you can manage the most common website needs, including databases, email accounts,
server logs, and (limited) server analytics. You can also create subdomains and enjoy
various benefits of a standard control panel, depending on which features your host makes
available.
 SCALABILITY
The scalability of a dedicated server is its most attractive feature for a lot of
businesses. Scalability means the opportunity and room for future growth in terms of
software packages, incoming and outgoing bandwidth usage, disk storage needs, database
growth, and processing power. The ability to handle more traffic, transaction processing, or
data storage while maintaining performance is a must-have feature for many businesses,
especially when dealing with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or large-scale eCommerce
endeavors.
Most dedicated hosting services can be scaled up or down very quickly, and some hosting
providers offer automated or dynamic scalability wherein your server monitors itself and
adjusts the required resources based on your immediate needs. That type of scalability
prevents site downtime that can be caused by a sudden influx of traffic or application
usage beyond your normal bandwidth or processor needs.
Typically, scalability of a shared hosting account is, at best, limited to assets such as disk
storage space and database size. Most shared hosting providers offer unlimited file storage,
databases, and email accounts, and some offer unlimited bandwidth for a slightly higher
monthly fee. But for the most part, the expansion of your website and resources it requires
to run will be limited by the shared hosting environment because you are sharing those
resources with hundreds or thousands of other customers.
 PERFORMANCE
With dedicated hosting, you determine the performance level from the server you chose to
the way in which you manage it. As the only user on the server, you dictate the system
resources distribution and hardware configuration. Typically, you can choose HDD or SSD
storage, the number of processors, and the operating system (CentOS, Debian, Windows,
etc.) you prefer. Server performance on a dedicated hosting plan is highly customizable
and desirable for those who need the extra horsepower.
With shared hosting, performance cannot be customized at the machine level. The
difference is dramatic when it comes to performance features and options. Granted, a large
number of websites do not need optimized performance to achieve their goals. Most site
owners will do well with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and up-to-date hardware and software,
which most prominent hosting companies offer. Still, it never hurts to ask about server
specs when signing up for a new hosting account.
 SECURITY
Dedicated servers are the most secure of the three main hosting varieties: shared, virtual,
and dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting often includes DDoS protection, as well as IP
address blocking, among other server-level features. In addition, you will never have the
threat of server issues caused by the security holes in another hosting customer’s website
code or site visitors that could affect the entire shared server hosting environment. Most
dedicated hosting services also include RAID storage, or a redundant array of independent
disks. Otherwise known as disk mirroring, RAID further ensures your data is safe and can
be recovered from more than one location.
Unfortunately, shared hosting security is far inferior compared with the security on
dedicated hosting, but most business and personal websites do fine with a shared host.
Most hosting providers will tell you your data is as safe as it can be in any shared hosting
environment. The truth is that you are only renting a small piece of a hard disk, so you are
responsible for your own website and hosting control panel security, but there is nothing
you can do to prevent issues possibly caused by other users on the same server. As for the
shared hosting account itself, your experience will typically be uneventful if you choose a
well-known, high-rated hosting provider.
Most hosting providers offer at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and issues caused by
other users are rare outside of bandwidth hogging. Most security issues will come from
within your own account — located within your own website code, a control panel setting,
or both. A number of web hosts now offer a 30-day rollback, or restore, for a small fee if
the unthinkable were to happen and you lose some or all of your data.
 COST
Dedicated hosting is 15 to 20 times more expensive than shared hosting. You can purchase
shared hosting for just a few naira per month and get better deals if you sign up for an
annual plan — or snag an online coupon for a recommended hosting plan. But the hefty
price tag on dedicated hosting is well worth it when you’re investing serious capital and
time into your business. When you need dedicated hosting, you’ll know it, and be ready to
pay for it
 Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Server: Bookends of the Hosting Spectrum
Shared hosting can provide a viable option, however, for smaller businesses or those with
limited capital. But if your main priority is gaining optimum performance from your server,
a dedicated server will give you the most return on your investment.