Just like the hybrid cars of today have given additional choice to the automotive consumer, so too has the Virtual Private Server to a hosting seeker. It's a Web hosting hybrid if you will. Let's explain.

What if we told you that for the cost of the premium shared hosting plans offered, providers are able to make a shared server as reliable, secure, and powerful as a dedicated server for about one tenth the cost of maintaining a dedicated server. Sound interesting? Well, the advantage to the hosting customer is the obvious price benefit and server capabilities but what’s in this for the Web host? Since the Web host has to foot the cost of the servers and software they now can spread the investment cost across multiple customers while still offering a robust value-added hosting package for those who seek a dedicated server but find the solution cost-prohibitive.

Also in the host’s favor is that the high rate of technical knowledge required to maintain a dedicated server has been eliminated through the automation of server configuration, application installation, and upgrades - through easy-to-understand GUI (Graphical User Interface) control panels - which eliminates the data entry errors common to manual configuration of IP addresses, DNS’s, and other critical account information.

So what is a VPS after all?

A Virtual Private Server (sometimes referred to as Virtual Dedicated Servers) is a technology platform that allows a hosting provider to partition a single server into multiple “virtual” machines, all linked on an individual basis to the Internet backbone connection.

Like a shared solution, the cost of hardware and software is distributed across many clients, which enables small businesses to take advantage of dedicated functionality for about the same monthly cost as a high-end shared solution.

It is more than a shared server and less than a dedicated server. A VPS simply put is, a server that runs inside another server. Each VPS looks, feels, and acts like a dedicated server but shares the same hardware.

Why leave your Shared Hosting Solution?

With any virtual hosting solution, there are a number of unavoidable weaknesses and limitations:

* Hardware and software configuration cannot be customized, as the host has to provide a uniform environment for all clients on the server

* Clients cannot run their own applications

* Application options and configurations are controlled by the server administrators

* FTP and POP functionality is shared, the access and speed of which is determined upon moment-by-moment global usage

* Clients do not have root access

Why Switch to a VPS Hosting Solution?

Unlike shared hosting, a VPS is a separate partition on a server - not just a directory. Consequently, a VPS solution has the following advantages over virtual or shared hosting:

* Only the hardware is controlled by the hosting company

* Software can be configured and customized by the client

* Clients can install and run their own applications

* Virtual root access is available

* FTP and POP access is not shared

Summary

Hosting customers who would like the features of a dedicated solution but can’t afford the price are ideal candidates for this stepping stone solution. These features include:

* Control: So they can install and run their own applications

* Security: To ensure that they will never have to share the same space with other customers

* Isolation: To eliminate the risk of downtime due to others mistakes, attacks/hacks or faulty scripts

* Performance: Their site is growing and needs more resources.