The most obvious question to ask is, what, exactly, is a "virtual private server"? In simpler and less technical terms, that it is a web hosting service offered by an individual or company who has the wares to multiplex or divide their single dedicated server into several "virtual machines", and lease those "compartments" out at a lesser expense to website owners.
The VPS service comes (or should come) with the guarantee of privacy and security amongst the website owners "sharing" the server. Due to the fact that the websites are sharing the dedicated server, they get to divide the expense of purchasing and maintaining the system amongst themselves. It is an ideal solution for small businesses to have online visibility that would not take too much from their capital.
There is nothing that a "shared VPS server" cannot accomplish with the same degree of success that a dedicated server can. A VPS web hosting company can simulate all the functions of a dedicated server with their shared physical wares. That means shared VPS servers can perform as well as dedicated servers, be just as secure, and just as flexible, and would cost the website builder a lot less.
Note also that VPS is not virtual hosting. Having a virtual host limits the clients access to site management and administration because they do not have root access, and they also cannot customize the software configurations. A VPS is like having one's own dedicated server (the only thing absent is the physical server), with it's own allotments of disc space, bandwidth, and memory. It also has the flexibility to allow for a lot of personalized tweaks and twists.
The only thing that can be daunting about getting a VPS is that it does require some technical savvy in server administration. With all the access that a VPS can give the client to the resources of the server, it would only be effective if the client has an idea on what to do with the access that was granted.
The compartmenting of the server is complete and should guarantee "performance isolation", that is, what one client sharing the environment does or the traffic they generate will have no impact whatsoever on another client's site, even if they are on the same physical server. Neither can anyone else on that same infrastructure access another's account or site without permission.
There is also the "functional isolation" capacity of the VPS, and that means a client can use whatever software they wish to build and use in their sites, regardless of what the other sharers are using. It also allows small business owners to procure security certificates and have the "shopping cart" software installed in their sites to make things convenient for their clientele.
The technical advances of VPS software programs now even make it possible to install Linux RPM packages, which take the source code from new software, and reconstruct into a source and binary form. It is also useful for verifying data packages and maintaining database files.
With all the features that come with a considerably smaller price tag, the VPS solution is the answer for SMEs to get online visibility that would not cost them an arm and a leg. |
