2. Certifications and Awards<\/h2>\n
Another important point to consider is a host\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certifications and awards. Certifications can show that a company adheres to compliance standards, is secure, or even that its staff has the knowledge to manage your server. Awards typically speak more to the experience, price, and performance of a hosting provider<\/a>. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll typically analyze customer service, server hardware, uptime, and other key factors.<\/p>\n When choosing a dedicated server host, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crucial to ensure that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be providing full root access to your server. This is one of the primary benefits of choosing a dedicated server as it allows you to configure your server any way you please.<\/p>\n Customer support (or lack thereof) can make or break your hosting experience. When an issue occurs with your server, you typically need it resolved as soon as possible, and if a support team is hard to reach, unresponsive or unknowledgeable, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be left frustrated and with the issue still on your hand. Before choosing your provider, check how many ways you can reach the team and whether they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re available 24\/7.<\/p>\n The facilities that a dedicated server are in play a key role in the performance, reliability, and security<\/a> of your server. Many hosts aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t too transparent when it comes to their server facilities, but this can pose an issue as their data center may be lacking crucial security features or important features to ensure your server\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reliability.<\/p>\n How long has the host you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re considering been in business? New hosts may have a limited track record which can make it difficult to assess them. Sticking with hosts who have 10+ years experience will almost always result in a great hosting experience as they are more likely to stay in business, will often have better hardware and even more knowledgeable support teams.<\/p>\n Price will always remain an important point to consider, but rather than look at the price alone, look at the value the host provides. Some hosts may offer cheaper plans but lack important services and features. Your ideal host won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be the cheapest, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be the one that provides the most value.<\/p>\n Another crucial point to consider is the hardware which the hosts use. Are they running servers with the latest generation of Intel processors? (Remember server processor generations tend to lag behind consumer models by 1-2 generations. You can learn more about server CPUs here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also important to ensure that they are using genuine enterprise grade hardware. Consumer hardware is typically cheaper, and some hosts attempt to cut their cost by using desktop grade hardware, but it lacks certain security and reliability features that server grade components have.<\/p>\n Last, but certainly not least, is the security of the server host. In addition to the basics of DDoS protection, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll want to ensure the server has a high level of physical security. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re choosing to use a host\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s managed security, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll want to ensure that they provide a firewall with robust capabilities and that they include monitoring\/filtering in the plan.<\/p>\n Even those who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve leased servers can get burned by a bad host if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the necessary steps to ensure the host will provide the service they need. Ensure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll choose a top-notch host by taking into consideration the points above and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be in a great place when you do choose your host.<\/p>\n In the interest of full disclosure, we do offer dedicated server hosting<\/a> of our own but have created this article to be as unbiased as possible and help you choose the best host, whether that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s us or one of our competitors.<\/p>\n3. Root Access<\/h2>\n
4. Support<\/h2>\n
5. Facilities<\/h2>\n
6. Experience<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cloudpronto.com\/spu\/wp-content\/uploads\/thomas-jensen-596085-unsplash-300x199.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n7. Price<\/h2>\n
8. Hardware<\/h2>\n
9. Security<\/h2>\n
Putting it all together<\/h2>\n