The Benefits of a Dedicated Server for Your eCommerce Site

As an online eCommerce store, your business handles a lot of sensitive information. Credit card numbers and personal information are vulnerable to a cyber-attack, and even the largest of retailers are not immune.

Unfortunately, not all eCommerce stores think to invest in top-notch security. Consider the following statistics:

• Small businesses are a favorite target for cyber attackers, perhaps because they spend less on infrastructure. According to the National Security Cyber Alliance, cyber-attacks involving small businesses were up 424% in 2018.
• Most small businesses – 60% of them – fold within six months after a cyber-attack.
• On average, a cyber-attack can cost small businesses millions of dollars – per breach.
• During a breach, a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) can experience up to eight hours of downtime.
• Most small business owners believe their companies are “too small” to be victims of ransomware.

Businesses of all sizes can experience a cyber-attack, and, in some cases, the consequences are insurmountable. Other than lost sales and system downtime, companies can suffer a loss in online reputation that affects their business well into the future and sometimes permanently.

A dedicated site server is one way to protect your business from online theft. In addition to added security, dedicated servers have many other benefits, from increased flexibility to enhanced performance and protection of customer information.

Better Performance

A dedicated server allows you to have your own space without sharing with others. One of the primary benefits of this setup is getting exclusive access to the resources of the single server. You won’t, for example, have to worry about other websites clogging up bandwidth with bad scripts or other issues. You can count on peak performance when you need it most – particularly heavy eCommerce traffic days, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

A dedicated site server allows for maximum uptime and also ensures you aren’t sharing space with a malicious website or spammers. When you handle sensitive customer data, a dedicated server is a must for both security and performance.

Better Flexibility

As an eCommerce store, your computing needs may vary widely with the season. A sporting goods store, for example, may complete significantly more sales during the summer than it does in the winter. Dedicated servers allow for complete customization and scalability of the server based on your store’s unique needs for RAM, CPU, disk space, and more.

A Unique IP Address

When you have a dedicated server, you have the benefit of having your own unique IP address. This contrasts with shared hosting, in which you will share an IP address with several other sites. If one of your neighbouring sites is spam, your website’s ranking could suffer as a result. Dedicated servers allow you complete control over your IP address, leading to better rank and more security. This is especially important for sites that require SSL for credit card processing.

Dedicated Server Hosting Decreases Overhead Cost

eCommerce sites have two options when it comes to operating a dedicated server: acquiring all the equipment and maintaining it themselves or they can seek dedicated server hosting. The latter is a cost-efficient way to enjoy all the benefits of having a dedicated server, without the associated maintenance costs. Businesses can save money on IT by outsourcing their server hosting to a provider. While dedicated server hosting costs more than shared hosting, eCommerce companies will benefit from increased security, faster performance, customization of services, and having a unique IP address.

When weighing the available options, many eCommerce providers find that having a dedicated server aligns best with their business goals. From protecting client information to promoting ease of use, a dedicated server can help power your eCommerce store.

Author Bio:

ReliableSite is a hosting company that offers dedicated server solutions to meet a variety of needs. With data centers in four locations across the United States, ReliableSite servers offer low latency, excellent security, and 24/7 customer technical support.