Most of us have seen so many online ads for hosting that we think we know exactly where to go when the time comes to buy services for ourselves. If you’re trying to support a blog or a very simple eCommerce site, you may not be disappointed. However, if you have a more ambitious dream in mind, then you’ll probably hit some issues with your budget. This is why it might make sense to simply run your own server.
What Does It take to Run a Server?
Obviously, the first step is buying the actual server. Fortunately, even the really good ones can be purchased for less than most personal computers these days. We’re talking about $800.
The first sticking point will be bandwidth. Running your own server is worthless if you don’t have enough, so don’t go any lower than A T1 line (fractional T1 may work for some). When you start looking at prices for this kind of bandwidth, you’ll most likely feel the wind leave your sails. It’ll probably land somewhere between $500 and $1,500 a month.
Now, if you have an office with Internet running on T1, you can just use that bandwidth, which will only mean getting more for what you’re already paying for. Those of you who don’t yet have an office will have to look into colocation through your Internet service provider. This means you build your server and then send it into a hosting company for space in their facility, including bandwidth. That could bring your price down to $400 or lower, which includes a healthy degree of extras.
Bandwidth
You could also take things a step further by figuring out how much bandwidth you’ll actually need a month. Then, pay for as much as your budget will allow. Whatever is left over you can then sell to other companies that are also in the market for cheap hosting. Even with colocation, this option is available. That extra income could help you buy even more bandwidth in the future to build an even better site. Those extra funds could also cover the entirety of your hosting costs.
Running your own server without colocation will take a certain amount of knowledge. Not only will you need to appreciate the machine’s sensitivities (e.g. climate control), you’ll also need software with which to manage it.
As you can see, running your own server doesn’t actually have to be that difficult. Best of all, it could save you a lot of money too.
ServerPronto offers the best affordable and secure hosting service in all dedicated server packages.
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So You Want To Run Your Own Server
Photo Cred: Salim Fadhely
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