Tips for Picking and Securing a Dedicated Server

What Is a Dedicated Server?

A dedicated server is a remote server that is specifically assigned to a single person, organization or even a single application. A service provider, cloud provider, or a hosting provider typically manages dedicated servers. Dedicated servers are sought after because of their many benefits.

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What Are the Benefits of a Dedicated Server?

There are many benefits of using a dedicated server, one of them being reliability. The reason a dedicated server is more reliable is that the server isn’t shared with any other entity. An increase in availability also means an increase in reliability.  A single person, business, or organization that uses a shared server also share the same resources, which impacts the speed and overall performance of the server. Not having to share the same resources will help boost speed and performance. In the same regard, one has complete control of how resources are used.

Using a dedicated server can also mean having your own unique IP address. Many times when you are on a shared server—you share the same IP address. A couple different problems can occur because of this. If one of the websites that share your IP address gets blacklisted, your site can be negatively impacted as well, as far as web rankings are concerned. Having your own IP address can prevent this from happening.

Another benefit of using a dedicated server is security. When you are assigned a dedicated server—no one else has access to your personal server. You have control of your own firewall settings. This can increase your site’s security, safety, and at the same time not negatively impacting your website performance. Also, there is added physical security when it comes to having your dedicated server inside of a colocation data center as well.

Another advantage is customization and flexibility. Having a server that is dedicated to you means you have complete control over the server environment, to customize the CPU, RAM, disk space to your specific needs. You also have the opportunity to change the platform and operating system in a way that helps manage your projects in the best way possible.

The above advantages are just some of the reasons many businesses around the world choose a dedicated server.

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How to Choose the Right Dedicated Server?

When it comes to choosing the right dedicated server—one first needs to know and understand what you will be using it for. Some reasons to use a dedicated server include securing hosting emails, hosting eCommerce, hosting applications, hosting a website, backing up data, and storing documents. Understanding the requirements you need will also help make your decision easier.

How powerful do you need your processing power to be? If your business website is looking to do any virtualizations, video-transcoding, using structured query language (SQL), or applications like chat servers—you will need a powerful processor.

There are many different types of servers available to you. You can get a single processor server with up to 6 cores. This type of setup would be good for a business looking to cut costs but still have speed and power. If you are a multi-tasker, you can get a dual processor dedicated server with up to 48 cores. There are also single performance servers that are faster and can be retrofitted with up to 40 cores, and a storage server that can have as many as 48 cores, which can both be great options for business needs. A GPU dedicated server can also be a good option for you. It not only handles 3D processing quickly, but it also has eco-conscious power consumption and is great for handling artificial intelligence and other deep-learning applications.

Next, you will need to decide how much bandwidth you will need. If you are expecting a tremendous amount of traffic on your website, you need more bandwidth. And if you are planning to have HD pictures, stream multimedia files, or run complicated scripts—you should look into getting a server with even higher bandwidth.

You will also need to decide how much memory you will need. This could be the easier of the decisions you will need to make. Having a more RAM helps with the efficiency of your server, which in turn helps your website, applications, emails, and data stored load faster. You should get as much RAM as you possibly can.

Depending on your needs—you will also need to decide what type of Operating System or OS your dedicated server you will need. Do you want to go with a Windows dedicated server or Linux dedicated server? For more information on different operating systems, visit our recently published article on the best-operating systems for business.

You will also need to decide on the storage needs of your website. Redundant Array of Independent Disks or RAID is preferred because it is the most secure. Combining multiple hard drives to form a single storage volume with no gaps automatically form redundancies of your data.

Knowing your specific needs is important. You will need a Windows Dedicated Server if you will be hosting Microsoft IIS, MS SQL, or ASP.NET because of Microsoft licensing. If you won’t be using a Microsoft Licensed app, you can use a Linux Server.

Lastly, depending on your activity—there are specific server options to choose from including a file server, domain server, communication server, database server, application server, and print server. You don’t necessarily need a server for each particular task, but that option is available to you.

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How to Secure a Private Dedicated Server?

If you have decided to go with a private dedicated server you will have to go through some steps to secure your dedicated server. The first thing you should do is make sure your system is up to date. Update the package list and update the actual packages. You will have to update your system on a regular basis as well.

Next, you have to change the default SSH listening port. The SSH listening port will be set up on port 22 (which is standard for the industry). You will need to change it to something other than 22 because most server hacks will target port 22 because it is standard. Changing this will make it harder for hackers to steal information.

In this same regard, it will come with password automatically created for root access. Change this password to something unique. This can be done through the SSH connection.

Securing a dedicated server can be difficult. If these steps above seem hard to understand, I recommend using a dedicated server provider to make your life a lot easier.

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How Do You Choose a Dedicated Server Provider?

Searching for the right dedicated server provider that fits your needs may seem like a difficult task. Many providers and colocation data centers may claim to be the one you need. Before deciding on a dedicated server provider—do your own research to get an understanding of what your business needs.

There are many benefits to having a dedicated server, but you have to know what kind of dedicated server and what specifications you are looking for. This will ensure the ability for your business to grow and be profitable. If you have any questions about choosing a dedicated server for your business, contact us today.