Virtual Private Servers, or VPS hosting, is one of the most modern types of server management in 2020, and is likely to only continue growing in popularity.Many consumers value convenience over all-else; it is for this reason that companies endeavour to ensure that their websites and overall virtual presence is faultless. Unfortunately, there are countless individuals in this world that have little-to-no knowledge regarding hosting, and its importance in the modern world. Thankfully, the team here at catalyst2 are here to offer you some insight and guidance on the matter – all you need to do is continue reading.

An Introduction To VPS Hosting

Each website that crops up when you conduct a search via a search engine, such as Google, is being supported by a web host. Without this, it would not be able to be viewed by the general public. The way in which this occurs is via the websites themselves being saved and stored onto a tailor-made computer that is known as a server.

As part of your hosting service, you will first be required to obtain a suitable domain name; this is the part of the web address which helps people to find your company’s website when searching the Internet. It is for this reason that it is vital to choose a domain which is essentially synonymous with your firm or, at the very least, the industry which you operate in. Typically, if this is your first time operating in a virtual capacity, your chosen hosting provider will assist with the creation of the name itself.

Should you be on the market for a hosting company, it is important that you establish whether or not they will be able to provide consistent uptime, as well as state-of-the-art security systems. These will ensure not only that your website remains live on a regular basis, but also that it will not be at risk of being hacked by those with nefarious intentions. Other considerations that you must keep in mind is in relation to the type of hardware that they have access to. If they are only able to offer servers which severely limited disk space, it may be wise to cast your search elsewhere.

What are the different types of Hosting?

There is no single type of hosting; in actual fact, there are six hosting types which have become popular in recent years. All of these have their own defined characteristics, making them more suitable for different industries and services. As you may have already deduced, one of these is VPS hosting. For those of you that are intrigued, the rest are as follows: shared hosting; cloud hosting; dedicated hosting; colocation; and managed hosting. We are pleased to be able to give you some insight into what each is, as well as elaborate on why each could be perfect for you.

Although it may seem relatively obvious, we believe it is important to expand on shared hosting; perfect for start-up companies and those that are small in size, this type of hosting will see your website stored on a single server, alongside various other firms’ sites. Were you to opt for shared web hosting, you can expect your outgoing costs to be minimal, as you will be sharing resources with a variety of different companies. If you are operating on a larger scale, rather than share a server you may wish to invest in dedicated server hosting. This is a hosting option that is most suited to larger corporations, due to the fact that it is significantly more expensive than other types available. However, if you are expecting consistently high web traffic, this could be a worthwhile purchase.

On the other hand, cloud hosting, similar to other types of cloud-operating system, is a server which operates solely via a network connection. Should you be a company that is predicting to experience a fair amount of growth over time, this could be a fantastic long-term solution.

Whilst some businesses prefer to keep their servers on-site at their own premises, others deem it worthy to instead rent a dedicated space to house them – this is also known as co-locating. Thanks to having access to their own broadband connection, the bandwidth is typically higher, meaning that running speeds are significantly improved. However, the onus is on you to ensure that the software is regularly updated, and that the hardware is up to the expected standard. Conversely, if you are searching for a way in which to have the responsibility taken off of you, in regards to looking after the hosting in general, managed hosting is a more suitable option.

What is VPS hosting?

If you are searching for a type of hosting which has seen a spike in popularity during the past few years, it is hard to look past VPS hosting as the prime candidate. It is able to operate on a shared server whilst still being able to remain independent – this is primarily thanks to the virtualisation software that is used. Most of the companies that decide to use VPS hosting are those that are rapidly expanding, and have grown beyond the point where they can tolerate sharing either processing power or disk-drive space.

Many firms which decide to adopt VPS hosting in the UK have likened the experience to that of being on a dedicated server, albeit the costs involved are somewhat reduced. You will also not be able to enjoy the support team which typically comes attached to soliciting the services of a company that is offering dedicated hosting. However, this is not to take away from the superiority that is epitomised by VPS hosting plans. You will be hard-pressed to source an option which involves software and technology on the same level as that in VPS hosting. The fact that you will be artificially separated from other businesses in the server via specialist software installed into the operating system gives you, in essence, free reign to use the server as you see fit.

There are countless reasons as to why it may be appropriate to seek out VPS hosting instead of any of the options mentioned above. For example, were you to begin to notice that your website has seen a rise in traffic on a consistent basis, it could be that you have outgrown being able to share a server. This is also linked to a poor loading time, which indicates that you need a better bandwidth, something which is not possible when you are on a shared-hosting plan.

The benefits associated with VPS hosting

As is to be expected, the higher cost of VPS hosting does come with an array of benefits for you as a company. The most notable of these is a drastic upturn in the overall performance of your website; without the need for sharing an allotted amount of bandwidth. No longer will you be forced to concern yourself about the functionality of your website being impaired by another firm. A website which gains a reputation for its consistent high-performance is the benchmark that all aspiring companies strive to achieve; for a hassle-free process, simply adopt a managed VPS system.

Should you be a business which has their own in-house IT department, investing in VPS hosting could be wise, due to the fact that you have greater control over your operations. A prime example of this is related to software – gone will be the days where you are limited to using that which is provided by the host. If you are operating in a particularly niche field, you may have software which is specific to your company, and this could cause problems to arise should the facilitator of your shared hosting be unable to support this. However, this issue will be a thing of the past were you to switch to VPS hosting.

If you were to ask a company which utilises VPS hosting in the UK as to what the positive aspects are, undoubtedly some of them will cite the room for growth as one of the main reasons as to why they switched. As your business gets bigger, you can expect your website to begin to attract more visitors. Whilst there are certainly some shared servers which have the capacity for increased traffic, the chances are that you will be competing with various others for the bandwidth. If you want to enjoy the peace of mind that you will have the connection speed required to cope with swathes of visitors on a daily basis, it makes sense to invest in VPS hosting.

Whilst the way in which VPS hosting operates is comparable to that of a dedicated server, the fact of the matter is that your website will still be housed on a shared server. As such, the funds that you will be required to invest are, to say the least, affordable. Thankfully, there is no need for you to worry about the cost of first-class hosting; as the technology involved has evolved, so too has the expenditure decreased.

Have you been looking for more information?

We hope that, having read the above information, you will not only be sufficiently aware of the benefits associated with VPS hosting, but will be actively searching for the best-managed VPS hosting available to you. Not only is it significantly cheaper than the alternatives on the market, but it can also give you the foundations necessary to push on as a company. There is no reason as to why you cannot enjoy the processing power associated with a dedicated server, whilst paying a comparable amount to that of a shared server.

Here at catalyst2, we have sought to become facilitators of the best VPS hosting in the UK; our experience in this industry is second-to-none, meaning that our services are complimented by first-class customer support. We have amassed more than three hundred reviews on Trustpilot, which we believe to be testimony to the smooth-and-seamless way in which we achieve top-tier results for our clients.

Due to the nature of our operations, we recognise that before proceeding, you may have some queries that you would like to bring up with one of our representatives. If you are someone that appreciates a more informal approach to proceedings, feel free to engage in a live chat with one of support operatives on our website’s homepage. Alternatively, if you are more of a traditionalist, you simply need to follow the instructions published on our contact page – subsequently, a member of our team will respond to you as soon as possible.