Getting your business online is a big step forward and you don’t want to make a wrong decision right at the start. Starting off on the wrong foot with your internet presence can take a really long time for you to rectify, which will be costly and frustrating. But there’s no need to panic about making a mistake just yet because our team at catalyst2 are here to help. We’re specialists in web hosting and servers, offering a high-quality service to get you up and running online as quickly as possible. With our help, you’ll not only find yourself on the internet, but your business will be thriving

There are lots of different elements of your web presence that we can help with, like finding and securing your domain name and your disaster recovery plans. But one of our most popular services is providing you with the ideal server for you. Choosing the right server is the ideal place to start because your server is where you host your website. Your server is responsible for the display of your website content by storing and processing your pages and delivering them to your users when they click on your URL. As a result, it is important that you choose the right web server for your business, making sure that your customers are able to easily access your website and interact with them. We know that every one of our clients has different needs and requirements and we want to meet them in the best way we can. 

How to Choose the Right Server

There are so many different servers available to you, which you can invest in depending on your needs. But if you’re new to the world of web hosting, then you might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of servers that you can have access to. Here at catalyst2, there are several different servers for you to choose from and we’d like to walk you through how to identify the right server for you and your business needs.

  • Determine what you Need out of your Server

This is such an important step in choosing which web hosting server you need. The right server for you will depend very much on what you’re going to use it for before you make your choice. Take some time to consider where your business is right now and the sort of corner of the internet that you’ll need. Remember, your server is the foundation of your web hosting, the concept of the ‘right’ server is very dependent on a specific business. 

If you’re not entirely sure about the sort of things to think about, then here are a few things that we would recommend thinking about. For example, how many people do you expect to visit your website every day, week and year and how many pages you’ll want to host? This will really influence the type of server that you choose from. If you’re still not entirely sure about the sort of server that you need, then we can help by talking you through your needs and advising you on the best options available to you.

  • Identify your Budget

This is arguably the most important step when choosing your server. There is honestly no point in spending an extortionate amount on your server when you’re just going to find yourself in financial problems as a result. This is a trap that is really easy to fall into, as you can get swept away with the idea of your future success, not considering where you are right now. 

The reality is that you can afford an excellent server package for a more affordable price than you might imagine. This way you will be able to keep yourself within your budget while still making strides in the online world. This being said, of course having a bigger budget will come with its perks, so make sure that you choose a budget that you can justify.

  • Choose your Server Type

With your budget and expectations firmly set, you’ll be able to move on to the next step; choosing the type of server you want. Here at catalyst2, we offer all sorts of servers, but three of them are decidedly more popular than others: the dedicated, private and shared servers. 

Let’s have a brief look at what each of them can offer you and your business.

The Dedicated Server

In contrast to the shared server, this package offers you a whole service for your business. This offers you a lot of high-performance service with maximum security. If you’re looking for a lot more reliability and stability then this is the server for you, particularly as we have the best possible protection for all of our customers. 

Additionally, you don’t have to worry about sharing your server resources with other clients, so your servers won’t slow down at any point in the day. Despite all of the control that you have over your server, you don’t actually have to outlay the huge cost of purchasing a server. Servers are expensive to purchase and to maintain over the years, which you can avoid entirely by choosing to work with our team at catalyst2. 

The Private Server

While this might sound like the same thing as a dedicated server, a private server is actually designed to be a neat midpoint between a shared and a dedicated server. It allows you to have a private section of a shared server, allowing you to have a server that has been specifically tailored to the needs of your business without any concerns about bandwidth. You’re completely independent to run your server as you see it, freeing you from the strings of both the shared and the dedicated server. 

You’re also able to benefit from additional security, which allows you to keep your data safe from the risks of malicious attacks. You would be surprised by just how damaging a malicious attack can be to your business, with many businesses being unable to recover, so it’s better to be protected. The protection offered by our private servers will help you avoid becoming a target for criminal attacks and ensure that your data is safe in the event of an attack. Additionally, you have more scalability than a dedicated server, allowing you to grow your web presence as and when you need it. 

The Shared Server

As the name might suggest, this package exists when your website is hosted on the same server as other clients of ours. The shared server is also far more cost-effective as more than one person will be contributing to the high cost of the server. And having a shared server won’t even impact the size of your website or bandwidth. Instead, you’ll be able to benefit from the flexibility of a shared server for your business, particularly when it’s in its infancy when you need something that is easy to use.

Want to Explore Servers with our Team?

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this introduction to choosing the right server for your business. But we know that it can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you have very little background in the industry and we would love to help more. You can get in touch with us today to ask questions about any of our packages and servers. We’re committed to making sure that you have all the information that you need to make your decision and we would love to talk to you about it in more detail.