You always wanted to become an entrepreneur and start your own business but don’t have the resources to do so. You start saving money and laying the foundation of your business. Once your business started growing, you started receiving tons of traffic and orders so much so that your current system was unable to handle it. You decided to upgrade to a dedicated server, but financial constraints were a big hurdle that prevented you from achieving your goal.
Ever wished there is a way to get the dedicated servers at a fraction of a cost? The good news is that there are many ways to get the best deal on your dedicated servers and get the best bang for your buck but how. That is exactly what we will talk about in this article. If you are interested in learning more about it, continue reading.
In this article, you will learn about six ways to get more performance at a fraction of a cost when buying a dedicated server.
1. Choose an Affordable Configuration
If you have a shoestring budget but still want the best dedicated server then you can do that by choosing a cost-effective configuration for your server. Some server providers let you choose from predefined packages while others let you pick and choose different hardware configurations according to your business needs.
There is no point in choosing top of the line hardware for your dedicated server if you are not going to utilize it to its full potential. Start off by assessing your needs and then get a hardware configuration that can fulfill your current business needs. Skimp on hardware features that you don’t need or will rarely use and stick to ones that are more relevant and essential for your business. This will help you to keep the costs down and get a dedicated server that fulfills your needs in an effective way that too without putting a huge dent in your pocket.
2. Take Control and Responsibility
Most server providers offer two different types of plans, managed server, and unmanaged server. If saving money is your priority and you have the resources and capabilities to manage your own server in house, then you should opt for unmanaged server plans. Unmanaged server plans do not only cost you significantly less than managed server plans, but they also give you more control over your server. You can install any operating system, software, and application you want, and you do not have to ask for access every time you need to make internal changes.
You will get a dashboard that will allow you to make all these changes and manage everything from a single dashboard. You are responsible for everything from security monitoring, patching, data backup, load balancing, and disaster recovery when you opt for an unmanaged plan.
Yes, you might not have the peace of mind that experienced experts are taking care of your servers as you would get when you choose managed server plans but the cost savings are worth it especially if you have the resources who can take care of your servers.
3. Avoid Downtimes with SLAs
When you visit websites of server providers, you will see one common trait. All of them claim high uptime and some even guarantee 99.99% uptime. Unfortunately, very few back up their tall claims. Downtimes can be very costly depending on how critical your business is and which industry you operate in. In fact, research shows that companies lose $26 billion due to unplanned downtime.
So, how can you hold these vendors accountable for fulfilling their claims? With a strong Service Level Agreement (SLAs). The problem is that most of these server providers tend to reserve their high uptime guarantees as well as service level agreements for top tier customers. Ask them to sign a service level agreement and include clauses you want such as consistent uptime of 99.99%. This will force the server provider to maintain a standard of service otherwise, you can end the contract at any time.
4. Safeguard Your Assets by Doubling Down on Security
Another mistake most businesses make when buying a dedicated server is they skimp on security features to keep the costs down. Cutting corners when it comes to security can be risky and can land your business into hot waters. You are better off spending extra money on security features and safeguarding your business data and digital assets than paying a hefty amount in ransom to a ransomware attacker. Apart from the financial damage, cybersecurity attacks can also dent your business reputation badly.
5. Scale Methodically
You might be lured to switch to the cloud due to its flexibility, scalability and no hardware and software costs but costs can quickly add up if you exceed the threshold limit. That is why it is better to invest in a dedicated server which can be scaled up as your demand grows. The good news is that costs are usually fixed, and you can easily predict it. This gives system administrators more control over the environment.
6. Take Advantage of Discounts and Coupons
Server providers offer discounts on special occasions such as Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year. In addition to this, they also offer clearance sales where you can grab a great deal on dedicated servers. Then there are vouchers and promo codes, which you can avail to slash your cost. Combine all that and you can get a high-performance dedicated server at a fraction of a cost. You do not want to miss out on these offers. In some cases, you might pay for a shared server and get a dedicated server by availing these discounts, which is great for small and medium-sized businesses who are on a very tight budget.
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How do you secure the best deal when buying a dedicated server? What factors do you consider when buying a dedicated server? Share it with us in the comments section below.
