What Kind of VPS Hosting Do I Need?

Shortly after starting your business or nonprofit, you signed up for a shared web hosting plan that helped you establish an online presence. With the shared hosting package about to end, do you want to remain a customer of the shared web host or take your online presence to the next level by enrolling in a Virtual Private Server (VPS) plan? The answer to the question “What kind of VPS hosting do I need” requires plenty of research of VPS web hosts and analysis of where you want to take your enterprise.

Overview of VPS Web Hosting

VPS web hosting offers businesses a seamless transition between shared and dedicated web hosting plans. Many web hosting experts refer to VPS web hosting as a blend of shared and dedicated web hosting features. Several websites operate from the same server, but each website has a section of the server solely dedicated to providing resources. Each website on a virtual server operates independently, which gives the client complete control over setting RAM, disk space, and data transmission specifications. VPS web hosting packages typically cost more per month than the cost of shared hosting plans.

The Most Important VPS Web Hosting Features:

The challenge with VPS hosting packages is that providers will make VPS plans for small upstart businesses, as well as massive enterprise-level plans with much, much more horsepower. Before we figure out which features are most important, we need to figure out what your website’s size and needs will be.

If you’re a small website but you will be streaming media or hosting images, then RAM (random access memory) will become much more important, for example. But a large company website that is largely text based may not require that many features to work optimally.

In general, we’ve found that these features are most important to most VPS customers:

Uptime Rate

Uptime represents the amount of time your website is up and running. Shared web hosting plans are notorious for producing below average uptime rates, which is why many businesses move to VPS web hosting. Select a VPS host that has established a verifiable record on exceeding the minimum accepted uptime rate of 99.9%. Service reliability often appears as one of the prominent sections of third-party web hosting review websites. The third-party web hosting review sites analysis uptime performance for several months.

Website Performance

Businesses and nonprofits that create websites to generate revenue must select a VPS web host that offers superior website performance features. The amount of disk storage space, as well as the speed of the central processing unit (CPU) goes a long way toward determining the performance of your website. Operate under the mantra, “The more, the merrier,” for the RAM. CPU, and disk storage provided by your provider.

Customization

Any hosting package that you consider for your website should include customized features that match your preferences. You might want to increase disk space storage or add user-friendly features that attract more customer prospects. Customized VPS web hosting plans also give you more control over the cost of operating a website.

Above all, search for a company that offers services and features that fall within your budget. Compare prices and features among several VPS web hosts and choose the one that provide more bang for your website dollar. Read the fine print in the Terms of Condition to ensure you never have to pay for features you never requested.

What Kind of VPS Hosting Do You Need?

Selecting the best VPS web host for your website is a complex process due to the growing number of high quality VPS providers. Before you perform research into VPS web hosts, you should establish the performance standards you want from a website that attracts customer prospects and nonprofit donors.

Three Types of VPS Plans:

The first thing to consider for determining the kind of VPS hosting you need involves deciding between the three primary types of plans. Basic VPS hosting packages requires you to perform all of the server management functions. Unless you have acquired advanced technical skills, this plan is most likely not for you. Partially managed web hosting plans allow you to assume some control of server management, with the primary server management responsibilities tasked to the web host. Fully managed VPS hosting packages place all of the server management responsibility on the web host service provider.  Hosting companies that offer fully managed plans perform maintenance and offer technical support to keep your website up and running flawlessly.

Match a Hosting Plan with Your Goals

Before you shop around for a host, you need to determine what your business or nonprofit wants out of a VPS web hosting package. If you want to operate an online store, you need to consider hosting providers that offer enough bandwidth and disk storage space to accommodate customer transactions. Businesses and nonprofits also need to consider upgrade options. Unexpected growth creates the sense of urgency to add hosting features and services.

If You Decide to Manage Your Website Server

Webmasters that assume full server management responsibilities should consider VPS hosts that offer numerous management controls and applications. The operating system of a managed server should be the best operating system for running the virtual section of the server you use. Most providers offer free security and hardware installation. However, you should choose a VPS web host that allows you to enhance security and hardware features, at reasonable prices.

Finding a VPS service for your business or nonprofit website often comes down to where your organization is in the growth process. Businesses and nonprofits that expect rapid growth should shun shared web hosting plans and move directly into VPS web hosting packages that offer numerous performance improvement features. Smaller businesses and nonprofits at the initial stages of growth can save money by enrolling in shared web hosting plans.

Remember that the last thing you want to do as a webmaster is to cut corners on VPS web hosting features and services. In the era of online commerce, the performance of your website dictates the performance of your business or nonprofit.