The 411 on PLESK Dedicated Servers

Although the trends in web hosting these days have begun to veer in favor of virtual private servers there are still many that prefer to continue to operate on a PLESK Dedicated Server. The question is, what is it that makes dedicated servers so special? And why is it so important to have a PLESK dedicated server? What is PLESK, anyway? These questions are all important and should be addressed prior to signing on the dotted line to lease any type of dedicated server.

What are PLESK Dedicated Servers?

If you are just dipping your toes into the arena of web hosting you may not have had the opportunity to become familiar with the various types of servers at your disposal, and therefore you have no idea what the difference between a PLESK dedicated server and other servers may be. When you first decide to align yourself with a server you are going to have the option of choosing between shared servers, virtual private servers and dedicated servers. Each of these has their pros and cons; shared servers are the least expensive (usually), and these are servers with wherein many different users share the space a resources available. With a shared server all of the users are able to share the cost of its operation, keeping costs low, but there is little control over the server and no one user is guaranteed enough resources to perform their necessary functions when there is a “traffic jam”. (Shared servers also frequently have less security features than a private server.)

A virtual private server (VPS) is the latest trend in web hosting, and utilizes the power of Virtuozzo to give each user the benefits of complete isolation and complete control over their server, just as they would have if they were operating their own hardware. These systems also have very strict security systems, ensuring that each of their users are able to enjoy the same benefits they would have with a dedicated server when it comes to keeping other users’ fingers out of their data files.

Since there are many users utilizing the server’s resources the costs are still extremely low (occasionally lower than shared hosting, depending on which hosting agency you are working with); however, the fact that competition remains for the server’s resources means that users may occasionally run into conflict over the amount of RAM at their disposal. VPS also requires that users possess a certain level of technical expertise, as they will be solely responsible for its administration and management.

Finally, we come to dedicated servers. If you are looking at this wondering why we didn’t just do so in the first place, understand that you cannot truly appreciate the benefits involved in using a PLESK dedicated server unless you are aware of what the alternatives are. A dedicated server is one that you have all to yourself; in other words, there are no other users on it. You are the sole lessee. You will be able to select your own hardware, software and operating system, thereby giving you complete and total control; however, most companies will continue to offer you technological support as you are learning the ropes of your server.

What are the benefits of a PLESK dedicated server?

• The number one benefit, as was mentioned above, is the fact that the lessee will have complete and total control over their system. This is especially important for large companies, as they will have the opportunity to quickly make changes and upgrades as they see fit without having to wait for the okay of hosting administration.
• Secondly, the user will have the ability to take advantage of the full resources of the hardware. This means no competition for memory or RAM and no interruption of operations due to traffic jams, a factor that is a major consideration for companies that frequently run large applications or operate websites with a number of pages or media components. This is also a major consideration for those individuals seeking to open their own hosting business, as they will be able to offer their clients the full operability of their server rather than a small portion.

There are really only two major disadvantages to employing a PLESK dedicated server; first, the administrator absolutely has to have at least a little bit of technical knowledge. Even though the hosting service may be able to provide support, this is often not going to be enough to guarantee that everything will run smoothly (and perhaps more importantly, continue to run smoothly). Secondly, they are much more costly than VPS and shared hosting services, as they are responsible for all of the costs associated with the server’s operation.

What is PLESK?

Now that you know what a dedicated server is, let’s touch on the reasons that having a PLESK dedicated server is so beneficial. The best place to start would be with a simple explanation of exactly what PLESK is. PLESK is a control panel produced by SWSoft that serves to simplify and/or automate many of the processes involved in the administration of a website, and it allows its users to reduce costs and expended resources while at the same time increasing productivity and efficiency.

When you work with a system that uses PLESK you will have the opportunity to have at your fingers a number of administrative tools, allowing you to manage all system items and to maintain control over multiple servers from one convenient, remote access location. A PLESK dedicated server also possesses a number of other login levels for those individuals who need access to the system but who do not have need of administrative capabilities.

PLESK was designed by its creators to be the easiest control panel on the market to use, giving amateurs and IT experts alike the opportunity to manage their website with ease, and users can design custom skins and manage them at will. It is also extremely stable, allowing you to operate thousands of domains and user accounts without having to worry about the technology causing you any difficulties. It operates flawlessly hand in hand with Virtuozzo, a software which is becoming standard in most servers, and contains security features not present in many other control panels which allow each user total security as well as facilitating secure uploads for third party users (a fact which is generally irrelevant when discussing the PLESK dedicated server, but extremely important if you happen to be looking for VPS service).

A large portion of the inconvenience involved with managing a site is associated with the continuous updates of software, security patches and information. With PLESK many of these updates are fully automated; you will have access to their key auto-update mechanism, auto-component updater, migration manager and a Web-based installation for quick deployment and dedicated need for support. Finally, any PLESK dedicated server can be used on a global scale. What does that mean? It means that regardless of your native language PLESK is going to have the tools that you need to manage your server effectively.

Now that you are aware of what a PLESK dedicated server is, how is it going to help you? Quite simply put, a PLESK dedicated server serves to help make running your business’s online components easier than ever, even if you do not have a great deal of technical expertise, and with the increased efficiency that working with PLESK is going to generate you will be able to watch your profits and your productivity grow exponentially.