If you own a business and want a server to host your company website, virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a good idea. You have two distinct options available to you if you choose to go with a VPS server: managed and unmanaged hosting. It’s important to understand the differences and business benefits and drawbacks that both of these options have to offer.
In general, unmanaged hosting gives your business more control over the server. Meanwhile, managed hosting delivers a higher level of support and easier overall experience, especially if your business does not have a dedicated IT team. You can make a better, educated decision as to which one gives you the better bang for your buck when you know about their pros and cons.
What is a Managed VPS?
A managed VPS is a web hosting service that is managed so that you don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to managing the server. When you use managed VPS hosting, the service provider is responsible for maintaining the server and performing all the essential tasks such as backups, updating the hardware and software, making sure it’s secure, and more.
According to Liquid Web, a “managed VPS allows you to focus on growing your business without having to manage the core of the server.” When you choose managed VPS, you have more freedom to go about your everyday business and don’t have to worry as much about maintaining the server yourself or dealing with fixing major issues that inevitably come up.
Obviously, if you choose managed hosting, you don’t have to worry about having technical expertise regarding the server. Always secure and reliable, bare metal cloud servers deliver complete hardware transparency.
What is an Unmanaged VPS?
An unmanaged VPS is the opposite of managed VPS hosting. It allows you to get full control over the server, which means you must have all the technical knowledge necessary in order to manage the server by yourself.
The web hosting provider doesn’t manage any of the essential tasks on the server and only recommends unmanaged VPS hosting to individuals who have full knowledge and time in the area of maintaining a web server.
How Do Businesses Use Both?
While your business was still very new, you probably used a shared hosting service to get your company website up and running. However, as the business begins to bloom, it’s wise to switch over to a virtual private server or VPS hosting.
Of course, it’s important to know how businesses use both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting so you can make the best decision for your needs.
Businesses use both VPS services to host their company websites. In some cases, a business might have multiple sites, which makes these hosting services better than their counterparts on shared servers.
However, at the end of the day, managed VPS hosting is often the better option for business owners so that they can focus on what’s most important: their company and taking care of everyday duties related to it.
Pros and Cons of Unmanaged and Managed VPS Hosting
Managed hosting has a variety of benefits. They include the following:
- Maintenance is handled by the web hosting provider, so you don’t have to worry about handling it yourself
- Security and updates are taken care of regularly, freeing you from having to handle those things on your own
- Backups and other features are normally automatically configured ahead of time
There are also a few disadvantages to managed hosting. They include the following:
- Higher costs
- Limited access to configuration options
- Less flexibility for software and plugins
It’s important to understand the pros of unmanaged VPS hosting. They include the following:
- Cheaper costs
- Full freedom and control over the server
Of course, there are also some cons to unmanaged hosting. They include the following:
- No help with server maintenance, which means you must have the expertise and the time to handle it yourself
- You are solely responsible for core updates, CMS, security, backups and everything else
VPS hosting is the best bet for businesses to get their websites up and running. Choosing managed or unmanaged hosting depends on your level of knowledge and whether you have the time to maintain the server yourself.
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