Virtual servers offer an economical solution for websites with demanding resource needs and provide more control than dedicated servers over hardware components.
Simply stated, a server is an extremely powerful computer which stores and processes your files for display on your website. Virtualization technology uses one powerful server as multiple virtual machines.
Cost-effectiveness
Virtual servers allow businesses to reduce upfront capital investment costs and operational expenses over time, as well as hardware and software licensing expenses. Plus, virtual servers offer superior ROI by consolidating workloads.
Virtual servers can help businesses save costs in more ways than one. Aside from hardware and software savings, virtual servers offer significant cost savings by reducing data center floor space and power usage as well as providing business continuity in case physical hardware fails – these benefits make virtual servers an economical solution for small to mid-sized websites and applications.
However, it’s essential to factor in all of the additional expenses associated with managing a virtual server environment, such as hardware administration, maintenance and support costs. Therefore, your IT staff should possess all of the skills and knowledge needed for virtualization management; otherwise a managed service provider may be cheaper in taking care of these tasks on your behalf; additionally it could take up to three months before physical servers recoup their initial investment cost.
Scalability
Hosting your website on a virtual server allows you to quickly adjust computing resources according to how much traffic your business generates, providing cost-efficient performance while accommodating future expansion without overspending for hardware that you may never need.
Scalability refers to a software system’s capacity to adapt sustainably to changes in its demand, whether that means accommodating increased user capacity, data storage requirements or transaction volume increases. Scalability also covers adding new functionality without disturbing existing activities.
Scaling up a virtual server should be straightforward if you use the appropriate tools. A VPS provides an ideal starting point, then memory and additional servers can be added later as more users access your website or app. DigitalOcean also offers dedicated CPU Droplets equipped with Intel processors from both generations as well as NVMe SSD storage to give your website or application maximum speed while offering maximum protection and security.
Flexibility
Hosting a virtual server allows businesses to scale their server needs as their business expands without incurring hardware costs. Furthermore, virtual hosting offers high availability and security at more reasonable costs than dedicated server hosting while being flexible enough to host multiple websites and applications simultaneously.
Name-based virtual hosting provides each website with a distinct IP address and webserver; making this option ideal for smaller websites that receive limited visitors.
Name-based virtual hosting does have some drawbacks, however. Notably, it may not be suitable for websites requiring SSL/TLS due to TCP connections matching expected hostnames during an SSL/TLS handshake; this could pose issues when not served from one physical interface. Furthermore, supporting SSL/TLS wildcards may prove more challenging due to TCP connections having to be established with an expected webserver for certificates to be presented properly.
Security
As well as monitoring server logs, it is also wise to employ a firewall and establish strong password policies. Your password should contain uppercase letters and lowercase letters as well as numbers and special characters for maximum protection from hackers. You could even enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Hardware upgrades are an integral component of VPS security, helping reduce physical hardware risks. Proper configuration of hard disk RAID will lower the risk of losing data should unexpected hardware malfunction occur.
Utilizing a VPN can be an excellent way to protect your server against cyber attacks, as it prevents hackers from intercepting website traffic and accessing your site illegally, protecting data against DDoS attacks that can cripple sites and weaken customer trust. In addition, you should consider using secure file transfers like SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) when transferring files on and off your server.