If you are involved in information technology for a business, you are often asked by business owners, what does dedicated server mean? In this article, dedicated servers will be explained in full as well as provide a few use cases that can help better describe the value of dedicated servers to business owners or colleagues outside of the IT department.
What Is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is a physical server that is used by computers that are networked to it. It can be used for many purposes, including file sharing application sharing, website hosting, and more. Unlike cloud servers, these servers require a dedicated connection in order to be accessed and cannot be used remotely unless there is a specific remote connection.
Hosting Gameservers
One of the more common uses of dedicated servers is for them to be used for the purposes of internet gameplay. Indeed, dedicated game servers have become very popular as internet-based gameplay continues to expand and professionalize. ARK gamers, for instance, use servers like ArkServers.io to ensure smooth and seamless gameplay.
Most gamers will typically use cloud-based servers in order to play games, logging in to a system and playing from there. For these people, dedicated servers are not needed.
However, for professional eSports, dedicated servers may be options. These servers can be configured in a way to enhance gameplay by making it faster and easier to access. If the server is properly configured, it can enhance the gaming experience for everyone involved by ensuring that all players have access to high-quality graphics and top-notch speed.
Websites & Blogs
Generally speaking, you don’t need an entire dedicated server to use a website or blog. More often than not, you can simply create a website with another server and have that website be hosted by a third party. However, there are times where that is absolutely necessary. If you have a larger website, significant eCommerce component to your website, or an extensive blog, a separate dedicated server may be necessary.
If this is the case for you, make sure to speak with an expert in order to purchase a server that will meet your needs. It should be small enough so that you don’t overspend, but capable of expansion should your website need additional space. Additionally, make sure your security is up to date. Failure to do so can result in a security breach that may cause a serious problem for you and your business, including major financial loss and legal liability.
Medical Industry
Dedicated servers are still relatively common to hold medical information, such as patient conditions, files, records, and more. These servers can be used by anyone within a medical facility and can also come with remote access options so the files can be viewed at any point.
However, dedicated servers must still comply with HIPPA protections As noted by Joe Oesterling, Chief Technology Officer at Liquid Web, “some of the legal requirements around servers ‘can be confusing’ if you are using them for business-specific purposes.” However, thankfully, more casual uses of dedicated servers come with no such qualms.
Dedicated servers are still a very popular type of server, although cloud servers are becoming more popular. However, as you can see from the above, there are still many uses for dedicated servers.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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