Hosting services today are of various types.
Companies, small businesses and individuals that have websites can choose between the managed and unmanaged servers.
There are major differences between the two but both normally utilize a dedicated server capable of hosting only a single website.
With managed servers, obviously there's a dedicated team that maintains the entire system to ensure its stable performance and security for the long term.
The staff managing the server usually works full time and performs a variety of functions from setting up of operating systems, software programs, Firewall to updating and maintenance of databases, storage spaces and many other tasks.
In this situation, the company is totally hands free when it comes to server management.
This option is best suited for large companies that have complex websites receiving heavy traffic on a daily basis.
However, for startup companies that have no huge budget, this option may not be very ideal due to the high costs involved.
Unmanaged servers, on the other hand, are being operated by the company itself which means more responsibilities.
Companies and organizations that utilize this type of server are hands on in every aspect.
But this is not to say that just because they're called unmanaged, everything is left to the company with no support from the provider at all.
Most hosting companies still offer a certain level of support especially for packages involving dedicated hosting services.
This can include maintenance of the hardware, software installation and configuration and other technical support.
This type of extra support can be arranged and does not need to cost much as website owners can just hire a technician when there are problems and pay them on a per hour basis.
As this is the case, going for the unmanaged servers is indeed a cheaper option.
If the unmanaged dedicated server is of interest to you, don't decide too quickly.
There are several important things you will have to consider first.
One of these is figuring out if you or your company has the time to maintain the server without a regular support from the hosting provider.
Secondly, find out if you have a skilled technical staff you can assign to perform the management and maintenance tasks from time to time.
This would save you extra costs.
If you have an IT background and expertise in maintaining servers, you can definitely help out as well and this could let you enjoy bigger savings going forward.
You may just need to call a technician if the problem is a major one and beyond your control.
Before closing a deal with a hosting company, make sure that you have determined the level of control you can have over the server hardware.
More importantly, you should have researched about the reliability and integrity of your preferred hosting provider.
Remember that you're looking at the long term when getting a dedicated server and not just on a temporary basis.
And what you should aim is one that can work efficiently to ensure that your website is always live and easily accessible to your target market.