Questions You Should Ask A Dedicated Server Provider

Dedicated servers ensure reliable, secure, and fast web hosting that can cater to numerous requests at a given time. This is why dedicated servers are used to host  large and high-traffic websites. However, it might not be an easy task to select a dedicated server provider for your site. That’s because there are so many providers claiming to be the best in the field.

Selecting the best-dedicated server partner for your website is very important. It can have a significant impact on various aspects. For eg,  the performance, security, and reliability of your website.

A good level of research will be required to find the best-dedicated server partner for your site. With your research, try to find out as much as you can about the web hosting company.  Their history, track record, features offered, and so on. There are two ways to do this. One is to ask the dedicated server provider. The other is to ask the customers. We focus on the first method.

You need to make a detailed conversation with the web hosting company to know more about it. As dedicated hosting is not a very cheap form of web hosting, you need to ask questions to ensure that you are choosing the best provider. Shared below are some of the questions that you should ask a dedicated server provider.

Does The Dedicated Server Provider Own Its Servers?

Many hosting service providers are actually resellers. These businesses do not own the servers offered by them. They just rent the servers and then rent them again to you. Do not think that there is something wrong with this business model. There is nothing wrong with this. But it might not be the best option for people looking for dedicated servers. If you are looking for a dedicated server, there are chances that your website has a lot of traffic. Then, reliability should be very important. Therefore, it will be a good idea to choose a dedicated server provider that owns servers of its own.

What Is The Default Server Management Level Offered?

Some of the routine tasks associated with servers are as follows. Server monitoring, scanning for malware, updating applications, closing backdoors, etc. The web hosting company will perform all these tasks for you. But, only when you opt for a managed dedicated server plan.  After that, you need not worry about all those tasks. However, in the case of unmanaged dedicated hosting, the server maintenance responsibility will be on you.

The type of dedicated server hosting suitable for your business can vary. It depends on the IT services and resources of your business. You might opt for managed dedicated hosting if your business does not have an in-house IT team.  This type of management is called “Proactive Management.” But, it is important to ask about the level of management that comes as standard, as the needs can vary.

What Is The Redundancy Infrastructure Offered By The Dedicated Server Provider?

All servers fail, and that is the truth. Hardware failures are inevitable. Even the best hosting companies have to deal with such issues. But, the reliability of the business can be judged by the level of redundancy offered by it. Redundancy is the process of creating backups to avoid data loss in case of failure. The redundancy strategy of businesses will vary. Therefore, it is important for you to understand the redundancy strategy of the dedicated hosting provider of your choice.

As per the experts in data storage, a hosting provider should at least fulfill this criterion: There should be a minimum of three unique copies of data. But, stored in two physical locations. Out of the three, one should be an offline storage location. A slight relaxation to the criterion is that it is okay if the hosting provider does not provide offline storage. You can periodically make a backup of the data and store it in a hard drive. It’s best to make sure that the backup conditions are met to a minimum level. Even though, the leaders in the industry go above and beyond this rule.

When enquiring about redundancy, make sure to ask about the disaster recovery strategy of the dedicated server provider as well. Understand that having a data backup plan is not just enough. Websites cannot be offline for too long. It can negatively affect online reputation, sales, SEO, etc. Therefore, it is important for your hosting provider to have a data recovery strategy. One that lets you quickly get your website up and running with the latest backup of the website data.

How Long Has The Dedicated Server Provider Been In The Hosting Business?

This is a very important question to ask a dedicated server provider. There can be many new hosting providers. But old companies are a testament to the great service provided by them. Hosting businesses close down all the time and the competition is very hard in this line of business. If a hosting provider has been in business for a long time, it means that they have been able to keep their clients happy. That is a very good sign definitely.

What Kind Of Support Is Offered For Your Hosting Plan?

Support is an important area when it comes to hosting. It is where businesses distinguish themselves from their competition. All the leading web hosting providers offer great after-sales support. Therefore, make sure to ask about the level of after-sales support offered by them. Do they offer round-the-clock phone support? What is the level of email support provided? Is the business present on social media platforms? If yes, do they take queries via these platforms? What is their usual response time? Is it on par with the standards of the industry?

These are some of the important questions that you need to ask a dedicated server provider before hiring their services. Try to get clear-cut answers to these questions from the provider. You will then be able to find the hosting service provider that is the most suitable for your business.

EndNote

Good hosting providers will not shy away from your queries. They know that these details are important for you to select a good hosting plan. Moreover, they will help you in whatever way to clear your queries and in choosing a hosting. So, make sure you ASK QUESTIONS to your hosting provider the next time.

Have some questions regarding any of our services? Need Help with choosing one? Feel free to contact our team at HostSailor. Our team will get all your queries cleared. Happy Hosting!