OK, so the analogy is a little stretched. But there is an important point in its midst: Dedicated servers are not just for mission critical websites. Far from it, in fact.

Retail giants, banks and the like are not the only ones that should consider rock-solid, safe and highly configurable servers. In other words, just because you’re not running a Fortune 500 conglomerate doesn’t necessarily mean a dedicated server is overkill.Even if your website doesn’t generate millions of dollars in revenue, why would you cut your nose off to spite your face with a shared server that could lead to significant downtime that hinders your traffic growth? Did I hear you say “cost�?

Technology: The Great Equalizer

It’s true that, in the past, the sheer cost of a dedicated server was a steep barrier to entry for anything other than mission critical sites. One of the best things about technology, however, is that it tends to become ever more capable and far less expensive as time goes on.

That’s where we stand in the dedicated server world – prices have fallen to the point that it makes sense for even one-man – or one-woman – operations to use them, and the power of a modern server, even one with the lowliest specs, allows nearly anyone to compete with global mega-corporations.
How’s that for equalization?

Counting the Costs

But is that power worth the extra cost over a shared server? It is if you want the superior performance that a dedicated server gives you and your visitors. The Internet generation is an impatient lot – how much business do you lose when your shared server’s clogged and sluggish? You can crank out spreadsheets until the sun burns out, but you’ll never really know.

Chances are good, however, that the business you forfeit would cover the cost of your own dedicated server if you are at all serious about the Internet as a medium for doing business. Not only that, but a dedicated server provides your visitor a responsive website that encourages them to hang around and explore. And visit again and again.

If that’s not critical to your mission, what is? Shared servers may not be ideal for every business – if you are just playing with a blog or posting information online you may do well with a shared server - but the point is that dedicated servers can play a role in the success of even non-mission critical sites. It’s up to you to decide if that extra few dollars a month is worth the reliability.