Table of contents of the article:
A web server is basically the engine that manages and provides the display of a website. The server is responsible for hosting the content, thus allowing the site to be viewed and its resources to be accessed.
A good server or server services are critical to the success of a business that depends on a website such as an e-commerce site. The dedicated server option is best for companies that rely heavily on a website or email.
Although many Italian companies tend to still want to have servers "at home" as in their own company, today things are changing significantly, choosing the outsourcing of the e-mail hosting service and related servers.
A dedicated server is a dedicated server only for running a specific client's website. All its resources are used by the site to provide an exceptional performance. so which is better, buying a server or renting a server?
To answer this, let's take a look at the factors to consider before making this decision.
Costs
The cost of running a home or office server can be quite high. Servers consume a lot of energy in the form of electricity. They have components that absorb a lot of energy to process information quickly. Due to a high power consumption, the servers produce a lot of noise and heat. They need a cooling mechanism that prevents them from blowing away. Server room cooling costs, combined with other expenses, can quickly add to the bill, while in the US the cost of home power is a bit higher than that of industrial power. Operating the server from home or the office can be more expensive because energy rates are higher in residential areas. The server also needs other resources, such as its own room for noise isolation and replacement of parts from time to time.
In terms of cost, running the server from home is more expensive than running a data center with economies of scale.
It is clear, peaceful and obvious that asking a Hoster if the server's price is good is like asking the host if the wine is good, however, in this article we wanted to indicate what can be called a method for estimating the costs of a dedicated server.
Power supply redundancy and reliability
A website must be available at any time of the day or night. Customers access servers at different times depending on their location and availability. The server must therefore have resources that guarantee full-time availability; in the event of a power outage, a data center has other options such as UPSs and backup generators. Several servers are available in a data center to ensure site availability even when you leave. The other servers take over the hosting task as redundant servers. In a home setting, such resources may not be readily available. Buying backup servers that could take on the job when it fails requires a major financial investment. The average cost of a good server with medium specifications and components is at least 2000 euros.
It can be difficult to guarantee uptime in a private setting, as mitigating some of the problems that cause downtime could require a substantial investment.
Bandwidth and redundant network
A web server requires a lot of bandwidth and good network resources to process requests quickly. Data centers are usually located in areas that have high-speed networks that are built for such companies. Obtaining high-speed networks that are required to run a server effectively can be difficult in residential areas because most residential internet connections are intended for home consumption. Running a server on such networks could be a security threat. It may also be difficult to guarantee uptime in case there is no internet and the problem is not resolved quickly.
Experience of technical support and systems engineers
The servers work with latest generation and rather complex software and technologies. To make servers work, you need to be competent and have the necessary knowledge to administer them effectively. A server must have a dedicated technician around the clock to take care of problems as they arise. Most companies that decide to rent a hosting server or buy their own depends on their specific needs. In practice, it is much better to rent a dedicated server because it helps to relieve the stress of server management, reduce the costs of specialized technical personnel.
Compliance with the law with the GDRP
The new European regulation on data protection continues to represent a difficult challenge for many, because in most work contexts it requires not only the revision of business processes but also a real change of cultural course. Rather than a mere fulfillment for an end in itself, the GDPR must be read as what in reality it is: an opportunity to develop a truly efficient and secure information management.
Adapting to the GDPR requires first of all an ISO 27001 certification or rather the ISO / IEC 27001 standard: 2013 is the international standard that describes the best practices for the implementation of an information security management system (ISMS, also known as ISMS in Italy ), i.e. a set of policies, procedures, processes, physical and technical measures that help manage, monitor and improve information security.
You can easily implement an ISO 27001 compliant ISMS without requiring its certification; however, the accredited ISO 27001 certification allows to demonstrate to the whole world (customers, suppliers, and shareholders included) that the company is following and putting into practice the international best practices of safety.
In conclusion
Unless you have the economic power to independently manage the aspects of power supply, security, systems and network, which could be around 20 thousand euros per month to guarantee a professional H24 service and compliant with the GDPR, the rental at a a specialized company like ours is certainly the best solution both in terms of quality and economics.
