Once your business begins to grow and you find yourself wanting more online space, it is probably the time to make the move to what is known as a dedicated server. This is essentially a server that only hosts your website(s) and is not shared by anyone else. What this means in practice is that you will have a lot more space at your disposal and are therefore in a situation where you can easily expand your online presence. 

When looking into dedicated hosting, there are a few things to bear in mind. Firstly, it is certainly not a one-size-fits-all situation. There should be a number of options available. This is one of the best ways to judge the qualities of a company providing the servers: whether there are a number of different configurations so that you can get what is right for your business and not pay for something you'll never need. 

So what should you look for? The two main choices you will be presented with for server hosting are whether to go with an unmanaged solution or a managed one. The difference between the two is not insignificant so both options should be weighed up carefully. An unmanaged solution is basically the option for you if you feel that will need a higher level of flexibility and greater control over the server. This is the more "hands-on" option and should come in different sizes. 

If you are looking for the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the maintenance and running of your server is being taken care of by professionals at all times then you will probably want to investigate a managed solution. In this instance, the server will be monitored for you, kept up-to-date and you will be able to rest easy, confident in the knowledge that it is always performing at optimum levels. The best companies will provide a dedicated account manager whose job is to be there to offer support whenever you may need it. 

There is also a third option that some companies may well offer, which is a virtual server. This may be a good option for smaller businesses that are growing but may not be at the level where they need a fully dedicated server. A virtual server from a good provider should be able to be upgraded without the need to make changes to your site(s) or domain names. 

Whichever server you feel would be best for you, it's important to consider all of the options. The best way to do this is to go to a provider that offers all of these options for you to select from. It is also worth remembering when choosing a provider that it's important that you can be confident of a strong, ongoing support relationship. To this end, look for a provider that allows you to ask as many questions as you want before ordering and then provides a platform to ask questions once you are up and running. Once you have found a provider who offers all of this, you should be well on your way to enjoying a peerless server hosting experience.