Dedicated hosting is the most flexible option?

Webmasters are more technically aware these days, and as such, flexibility in web hosting has become increasingly important.  Website owners are no longer content to stick to the limits that their hosting companies set for them - they want to customize their accounts to suit their individual requirements.  Dedicated hosting, where one account is hosted per server, has a reputation for being the most flexible type of hosting package.  But is that really the case?  In this article, we'll look at just how flexible dedicated hosting really is.

Dedicated servers flexibility

1. Unlike shared hosting, dedicated hosting allows you to install any operating system that you wish.  This can be an important consideration, as the operating system you're given at the beginning may not be the best one for your requirements.
2. Dedicated hosting also allows you to exercise some control over the server settings, something that shared hosting simply doesn't allow you to do.  Again, this can be important for the more efficient running of your individual websites.
3. Dedicated hosting is a customizer's dream.  With your own server to play with, you can customize more or less everything to suit your needs - programming language, file structures, scripts, job schedules and so on.  You're also in control of your own upgrades.  You can add anything like, within the physical limits of the server, without having to ask anybody else's permission.
4. Dedicated hosting allows you to set the server to run at the optimum pace for your website.  This means you can get the best out of your applications, which might otherwise be restricted on a shared hosting account.
5. Dedicated hosting also provides greater flexibility in terms of data back up and restoration.  You can allocate as much data storage for back up as you choose, and install unmetered managed back ups so you can get your website up and running again as quickly as possible, should the worst happen.
6. Finally, dedicated hosting provides a greater degree of security.  Although security isn't the first thing that springs to mind when you think about flexibility, it's important to understand that your data must be secure before you start tinkering around with server settings or customizing programs.

In short, dedicated hosting provides you with an environment over which you have total control, and the security to do more or less anything you please.  If you feel confident to take advantage of that flexibility, and if the success of your online business depends on it, then dedicated hosting is the option for you.