Why an Unlimited Bandwidth VPS?
Virtual Private Servers (VPS) a have begun to make their splash on the market, and for obvious reasons, but an unlimited bandwidth VPS? What does that have to do with anything? Why is bandwidth important, and more significantly, what is so important about it that it warrants its own VPS plan?
What is an Unlimited Bandwidth VPS?
Of course, before you can compare the various virtues of an unlimited bandwidth VPS with those of its competitionyou must first know exactly what an unlimited bandwidth VPS is. Let us break it down as a scientist would a molecule and study its parts; this is not a concept that is unfamiliar to you, and you should come to understand the implications and possible results quickly enough.
Part 1: Virtual Private Servers
Prior to getting into an in-depth description of unlimited bandwidth VPS let us discuss exactly what a VPS, or virtual private server, is. When browsing through the multitude of offerings out there for web hosting services site owners are going to be given the option to select from three choices:
A shared server is one upon which a number of users are in use, thereby forcing its resources to be spread thinly across the vast expanse of its population but allowing the users to share in the expense of its operation, thereby guaranteeing that the responsibility does not rest solely on the shoulders of one; the cost is spread throughout its population (its tenants, if you will) evenly, making it the most cost efficient solution for anyone looking for a
web hosting service without a great deal of money to spend (even if it was not particularly efficient in other matter). On the far end of
hosting service spectrum is the
dedicated server.
A
dedicated server is just that; a server that is
dedicated to the operations and functions of a single user. This user has complete control over the hardware, software and security of their servers (matters that were seen to by the hosting company with a shared server) thereby allowing them to develop it as they see fit and to enjoy the fruits of their labor without having to share the resources of their server with anyone else. This serves to prevent the virtually inevitable moment on a shared server when too many users will be using high media applications at the same time and there will not be enough RAM to go around. This is a great solution for a company whose applications are too media intensive to be able to reliably operate smoothly on a shared server; however, the fact that there are no other users on this server also means that there is no one with which to share the expense of its operation.
A
Virtual Private Server (and by extension, an
unlimited bandwidth VPS) was designed with the intention of bridging the gap between shared servers and
dedicated servers - the best of both worlds, if you will. Although it still allows a vast number of users to operate off of the same main server (a number that is growing steadily hand in hand with other changes and improvements in technology) it combines the skills of SWSoft Virtuozzo and
Plesk to ensure that web site designers would find it simpler than ever to manage a website and run herd on a server, as well as to enjoy many of the benefits previously only associated with
dedicated servers, such as autonomy, independence and an increase in security.
Part 2: Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a slightly more complicated subject. Let us for a moment assume that we are sitting on the lawn in front of your house talking to a little girl about life in general and why things act the way that they do. Suddenly she stops, looks up and says, “How fast are they flying?” Thinking for a moment that she is talking about the clouds (and filled with panic, b/c you’re not sure how long it will take her to realize you have no way of accurately measuring the velocity of the wind) you then realize that she is in fact discussing a family of geese which has just flown overhead.
Making some quick measurements in your head you tell the little girl the estimate you have come up with. How fast do you suppose those birds were flying? Of course you don’t know-you haven’t seen them fly. However, had you actually seen them fly and made an estimate you would likely have measured it in kilometers per hour, or miles per hour, as these are increments of measure that are familiar to you.
The same principle applies to the measure of
bandwidth. When discussing
bandwidth you are in fact discussing the speed at which particles can fly through the air and hit the converter that is going to do all the work of getting them back into their proper form.
Bandwidth is, for the sake of this discussion (
bandwidth has no universal meaning) the speed at which particles are able to move. These are measured in Bytes, or Mbps, and are a vitally important part of your website’s proper functionality.
Without the proper
bandwidth the media to your website will chug along like a rusty old Ford, starting and stopping until your viewers are ready to go out of their mind and walk away from your site, taking their money with them and effectively cutting you out not only of their own minds but out of their general demographic area as well. While this may seem to be a bit harsh, understand that there are very few web browsers that truly understand the concept of
bandwidth, and since it is easier to attribute the difficulties that a site has in the loading process to faulty website design than it is to point the finger at some source that they are not familiar with they are going to complain to their friends about your website until you can rest assured that you won’t have a visitor from that particular area for years to come-all because you were not using an
unlimited bandwidth VPS.
Part 3: Unlimited Bandwidth VPS
Web hosting services have begun to get smart; media applications are the wave of the future for site promotion, and since media applications require a great deal of bandwidth they have begun to place a cap on the amount of bandwidth that a site can use in a month. This cap states that the site is allowed to go this far (picture a giant stop sign) and then it has to stop or it will incur other fees (picture the ticket the cop is going to hand you for running said stop sign).
It is very important that if you are not using an
unlimited bandwidth VPS you take the time to speak with the web hosting service that is in charge of your original server in order to discover exactly how much bandwidth your site is permitted to have so that you can be sure you do not exceed it; the fees that you can rack up from excessive bandwidth use can make your credit card fees and interest look like child’s play.
How can an Unlimited Bandwidth VPS help me?
With an
unlimited bandwidth VPS you will not have to worry about this because you will not have a cap on the quantity of
bandwidth that your site can use; you can do whatever you need to do to make your site a success without having to worry about restricting your media content along the way. In addition, the fact that it is a
VPS means that you will be able to enjoy the benefits that stem from that as well, allowing you to allow your
web hosting service to worry about it and you to turn your mind to more important things, such as helping your business to grow and expand past where it is now.
It is not only your pocketbook that having an
unlimited bandwidth VPS at your disposal will affect. You will also find that when you have the proper amount of
bandwidth running to your site that your site media flows much more smoothly, a must when you are dealing with Internet surfers who have the attention span of a very small child. Sites that run smoothly generate more traffic, and sites that generate more traffic also generate greater profits-you can probably do the math from there.
Which is more cost efficient, a dedicated server with unlimited bandwidth or an unlimited bandwidth VPS?
An
unlimited bandwidth VPS, most definitely. The fact that it is a
VPS is what lies most heavily in its favor; since it is not a private server you will be able to share the expenses accordingly and enjoy the fact that you are not being forced to pay out the ear for this service. With an
unlimited bandwidth VPS you can allow your site to grow and change comfortable with the fact that your business and your budget are in its very capable hands.
