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Managed VP in U.S. Cental Time Zone
I have between 40-45 websites and I currently have 3 separate shared hosting accounts. Would I be better off getting a managed VP account with a hosting provider and put all my websites on it? I like the idea of a dedicated server but I think that would be well beyond my skill and price range for me to manage. The prices that I've seen for managed VP is from $30 to $70 a month. I'm currently paying $360 a year for the 3 shared hosting accounts I have now. I need PHP and MySQL, php.ini access.
Thanks
DavidPR
Comments
Managing a dedi is not that much different from managing a VPS. You are right that managed dedi will be more expensive though, just because of the higher hardware resources.
With a dedicated server, don't you have to install your own OS (Linux, etc.) and some type of control panel like cPanel? Not to mention PHP, MySQL, anti-virus, Malware protection, etc.?
From how you write and explain you definitely need a managed service, perhaps it would be wise to get a managed VPS from providers like knownhost (i have used their service in 2015 and they were excellent). They currently have a promo which gives you 35% off from their regular pricing.
Usually you just select an OS from a pulldown list when you order the server, and the provisioning system installs it for you. In some cases you do have to install it yourself, but there are also VPS's that are that way.
I wouldn't worry too much about what timezone the server is in, other than to be geographically near where you expect most of the traffic to come from.
I don't know anything about dedicated servers, or what would be a good viable option for my needs. I'm in the discovery or learning stage of all this. Most all my websites are job boards that I wrote using HTML, PHP and MySQL. They are scattered across the southeastern and midwest of the U.S. - in the central time zone, but as server location is concerned, I don't know if that is really important or not. My sites aren't setting the world on fire, but they should be doing better than what they are. They pass all website testing and Google sitemaster service shows no problems with them. So, I'm just considering the possibility that my shared hosting service, or any for that matter, may be playing a negative role. I say that because I do not know who else I'm sharing a server with and how much resources they are using and what I'm left with. I also don't know if whether or not search engines have blacklisted or penalized the server I'm on due to a or several rouge sites I'm sharing it with. This is what got me to thinking about maybe a managed VP. I've read a lot of reviews on various hosting companies that offer this service, and like anything there are good reviews and bad reviews. It seems like a roll of the dice. A dedicated server would be idea, or so I believe, but I don't know. I don't get many visitors to my websites, maybe 50 a day, 200 on a good day, so we're not talking about a lot of resource usage. I would like to change that of course, and I'm hoping that a good place to put my websites will help facilitate that. If I had a good fiber optic internet connection I might would consider having one built for me and running it myself. I don't mind learning about it, in fact, I want to learn more about servers. I've picked up quite a bit of information just reading some of the posts on this site.
I've look at knownhost actually, and will again. I appreciate the nod on that. You guys are the knowledgeable ones so I value your opinions.
I wouldn't put too much stress on the idea that you need it based in Central US but open your location preferences to just North America in general. I think regardless you need clear expectations on what 'managed' is for you as some companies class it slightly differently with 'Semi-Managed' or 'Fully Managed'.
Tell us what you want the host to take care of. I assume the updating and patching of servers for vulnerabilities. Do you also want them taking backups or do you want to do that yourself?
Do you want them to install scripts for your clients or is that something you're happy to do? How about transferring of clients from previous hosts? Do you want them to take care of that or do you have the knowledge on how to restore these?
A lot of the reasons managed VPS providers get a crap review is the client didn't have clear expectations and understanding of what was included. Knownhost is definitely a good brand though. You seem like someone who wants to learn and that's always a good thing. Once you have the knowledge to do this all yourself you could drop the management and take over.
I do wish you the best of luck in your search but a few extra bits of info might be good such as:
How much disk space you utilize over all 3 of those shared accounts and how much bandwidth you use over all those accounts too.
From how you write and explain you definitely need a managed service, perhaps it would be wise to get a managed VPS from providers like knownhost (i have used their service in 2015 and they were excellent). They currently have a promo which gives you 35% off from their regular pricing.
Thanks for recommending us! :-D
Thanks for giving us a look. If you have any questions about our services be sure to let us know and we will be happy to help!
@DavidPR
We have managed VPS plans in Dallas as well.