This question, often an afterthought is quickly coming to the forefront of entrepreneur’s and web admin’s minds. Why? Because back in the day, managed services were simply too expensive, and hosting solutions too simple to be reasonable.
Now, however, both the price of managed services has lowered and the complexity of hosting setups has increased. This has resulted in a resurgence in interest in managed services. Here’s what you need to know:
What are Managed Services?
It refers to several different services which are typically offered by your server host but can be purchased from a third party. Possible services include:
- DDoS Protection (though this is often included in most hosting packages)
- Monitoring and Proactive Support
- Software Updates
- Managed Firewall/Security
- Managed Backup
- Server Hardening
- And More
No host offers the same set of services as part of their managed services, so it’s important to identify what services are actually being provided. (Here at ServerPronto, we break down managed services into separate categories so that you can pick and choose what to do yourself.)
What Does a DIY Approach Entail?
Well, if you want the short answer, a lot.
The long answer is this: Managing your server yourself can be daunting at first. I’ve done it and know how it can feel (especially if you’re unfamiliar with command line or terminal). However, once you do a couple of tasks, you’ll find it’s relatively easy to do anything you need. Plus, if you don’t know how to do what you need, there are plenty of tutorials online.
However, there’s a significant investment in terms of time to initially learn how systems work. Plus, when something isn’t working (and that happens often) you may spend hours frustratingly figuring out and fixing the issue.
It’s not all bad though! You’ll learn new skills which help you confidently address issues with your server and save money on your monthly bill. Still, for many, it may not be worth it.
When Should You Purchase Managed Services?
The can provide significant value to entrepreneurs, gamers, and other server users. It saves plenty of time for one, but has other, equally powerful benefits too! By purchasing managed services, you can:
- Avoid having your server go offline (with proactive monitoring).
- Protect yourself against DDoS attacks and hackers.
- Have peace of mind knowing your server is always backed up.
- Have peak server performance with the latest software updates.
- And more.
If you’ve already got the knowledge to confidently manage your own server, you may still want to skip out on managed services. However, if you’re not confident in your abilities, or your time is better spent elsewhere, managed services can be extremely valuable. Even if you don’t want to utilize a full suite of managed services, protection and security services are almost always a good investment.
ServerPronto offers the best affordable and secure hosting service in all dedicated server packages.
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