Are These the Best Managed VPS Providers? They Sure Are, And Here’s Why!
If you have a static website or one with low traffic, you can go for shared hosting. However, if you run an active site with around 35 million hits a day, it will not cut it for you. In other words, you will need to upgrade. Sure, you can go for a dedicated server. Well, at least if it is within your budget. But what happens when it’s not?
See, this warning comes after a vast experience with Linode of over four years and seven years with Kamatera (Windows). My journey went something like this; I thought I had enough Linux experience to run my own servers, and I owned about 7 with Linode. So, I went for an unmanaged solution. However, then, I found myself wasting time on server management more than I should have, while I could have easily paid just a little bit more and have that all taken care of.
I had no idea how to monitor my server performance when to upgrade, and how to optimize existing resources. In turn, I found myself upgrading to no avail choosing all types of different packages hoping it would make my site faster.
With Kamatera, it was different. My server kept having problems as the logs kept piling up and causing my server to crash all the time until I contacted support, and they told me what was going on. For just $50 more, I would’ve made at least $500 in return while the servers crashed. With Linode, we’re talking about several thousand lost every time I crashed the servers.
So yeah, I pretty much know how to get my head around unmanaged server one right now. Still, it’s just not worth my time and effort setting it up and maintaining it. I rather have a managed service taking care of all of my servers and helping me to install applications starting from composer all the way to DNS settings and DDOS protection.
To summarize these stories, if you’re worried about your money – GO WITH MANAGED HOSTING. If you want to have headaches and worry about performance and crashes all the time, go with an unmanaged one. Linode & Kamatera both have a managed options. Furthermore, if you really want to host with Linode, you can also go with Cloudways.
Here’s where Virtual Private Servers (VPS) kick in! If you have a knowledgeable and experienced in-house team or a tech professional yourself, you should go for a self-managed VPS. However, if you have little to no knowledge of web servers, the proper solution for you is a fully managed VPS hosting.
Fortunately or not, the market offers a whole bunch of managed VPS hosting solutions. HostAdvice has put together a list of the best performers to save you both effort and time.
In continuance, you can find a fair evaluation using AI technology, expert reviews, and customer opinions. It’s based on essential factors for managed VPS solutions, such as:
- Variety Of Web And Operating Servers
- Easy To Navigate Control Panel
- Non-Negotiable Root Access
- Sufficient RAM, CPU, And SSD
- Lots Of Server Locations
- Superior Uptime, Performance, And Speed
- Strong Security Features And Regular Backups
- Reliability And Trustworthiness
- 24/7 Support And Nothing Less
- Affordable Prices and Scalability Options
So, the only question at this point is, do you need one?
Should I Go for Managed VPS Hosting and Why? Will It Help My Business Thrive?
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) works similarly as a dedicated server, only in a shared environment. Essentially, VPS technology uses a single physical machine to run multiple virtualized operating systems, each acting as a dedicated server.
In turn, a VPS is a more secure solution than a shared hosting environment. Still, it’s less expensive than dedicated servers. Depending on your needs and preferences, you can choose from two types of virtual private servers – self-managed and fully managed. Keep in mind; there are some substantial differences between the two.
Here’s a comparison table to help you get a better grasp of the two terms.
| Self Managed (Unmanaged) VPS Hosting | Fully Managed VPS Hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Server Management and Maintenance | The host is responsible for the availability of a functional physical server. The user entirely manages the server, all installs, and updates. | The provider manages the server, all software and hardware updates. |
| Technical Skills | Users need technical skills and experience to manage the server.* | Users don’t have to worry about any technical details. It’s a suitable solution for beginners in the niche. |
| Accountability | Users are fully responsible for the functionality and performance of their servers. | The host keeps the websites up and running, eliminating any technical glitches. It is responsible for the proper performance of the user’s site. |
| Performance And Speed | Usually comes with more downtime and slower load speeds due to poor management. | The continual monitoring and management account for better performance and website speed. |
| Security Features | Security can be minimal or intensive, depending on the user’s preference. They get to manage the levels of security protecting their data. | The host continually monitors the servers for weak points, malware, spyware, and suspicious traffic patterns. In turn, the user’s website can remain uncorrupted and safe from viruses. |
| Backups | The user is responsible for backups. If they don’t perform regular ones, the data will be lost entirely in case of a crash or some error. | The host checks for vulnerability in files and performs regular backups to ensure rapid restoration if necessary. |
| Response Times | If the in-house team has the proper knowledge or skills, they can immediately perform all updates, installs, etc. | Users can request the host to install a piece of hardware or software. However, it will take some time to fulfill this request. |
| Customer/Technical Support | Usually, customer/tech support requests come at an extra cost. | You get 24/7 assistance with your website for all issues you might encounter. |
| Pricing | A self-managed VPS is the cheaper alternative since the host only provides the server space. | A fully managed VPS is the more expensive alternative since the host takes on full server maintenance and management responsibility. |
In the simplest terms, fully managed VPS hosting is the perfect choice if you have grown past shared hosting and need your cPanel server but don’t have the knowledge or time to monitor and manage it.
- Click here for further reading about Best VPS Hosting
What Criteria Should Managed VPS Hosting Satisfy at A Minimum?
Your only task, as the user, is to find a well-performing hosting provider. As usual, different hosts provide for different overall quality and feature sets.
Here’s what to look for in a fully managed VPS hosting solution.
First Things First, Sufficient Hardware Specifications
The first and most apparent difference between VPS managed hosting solutions are the hardware specs, such as RAM, CPU power, and storage space. The most important thing at this point is to look beyond the numbers. While the size of these variables matters, there is still the bigger picture.
However, it’s worth nothing without an adequate CPU to put the power to good use.
It would help if you opted out for a multi-core server with a 14nm architecture for a managed VPS. Intel’s E5 and E7 Xeon servers are both excellent options in this regard. They draw upon multiple cores to optimize resource allocation and provide seamless performance, even during peak times.
At last, if you are looking for the best possible solution, you should always go for a managed VPS server with all-SSD storage. SSDs account for 20 times faster read and write speeds, boost loading speeds, enhance the user experience, and improve SEO.
Next, Plenty Of Software Options
You always need to choose the right combination of web servers, operating systems, and control panels as the user. If you don’t manage to, the software can also affect your server’s performance and usability.
As you are probably familiar with, the most popular operating systems are Windows and Linux. In general, Linux is the superior alternative, requiring fewer reboots and hardware resources. It comes with built-in features for running your website, its security, loading speeds, and uptime. Even so, you might prefer Windows. So, you should check for the availability of OS before you choose your managed VPS solution.
Managed VPS servers come with web hosting control panels. As the user, you get all the necessary tools for controlling the projects on your server. Still, the host determines what control panel options it’s going to provide. In general, you can find a combination of WHM and cPanel, accounting for incredible ease of use. However, you can also go for a web host with a control panel tailored explicitly to the managed VPS environment. Either way, it’s essential to monitor resource usage and active processes, create accounts for individual projects, manage different tasks, such as uploading and organizing databases and files, installing website-building applications, creating email inboxes, etc.
At this point, you can also distinguish between two types of management systems – proactive and reactive. Usually, managed VPS servers come with reactive management services, meaning they react to issues that might arrive. With proactive management, the host will put measures in place to prevent all the potential problems. In other words, the hosting provider does the technical heavy lifting for you, configure your OS, and manage all updates. In turn, you get more time to navigate the cPanel and adjust all things as you prefer, using root access.
Server Uptime, Performance, And Speed
The combination of the hardware specifications and software options ultimately determines the server’s performance.
When your server goes down, so does your website. In turn, your visitors cannot access it. So, you want your managed VPS provider to have the highest uptime possible, representing the amount of time a server is fully functional and online.
Slow loading speeds are yet another issue that drives your visitors away. As mentioned before, SSDs are the better alternative. It would be best if you also considered highly-optimized servers or a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
At this point, you should also consider the server infrastructure. The hosting provider saves your website’s files virtually. Still, using a VPS in the location where you get the most traffic will further improve your speed and performance.
Finally, it would be best if you go for managed VPS servers with scalability options. As your business evolves, so should your hosting. Sure, you can go for a giant plan from the beginning. However, this will significantly harm your business. Instead, it would be best to go for a provider that allows you to start small and upgrade quickly.
In other words, you want to pick a managed VPS hosting that has optimized its servers for maximum performance.
None of It Is Worth It Without Strong Security
Managed VPS servers are secure on their own, as they come with a team of trained hosting professionals available 24/7. As the client, you also get a unique IP to your server, further increasing the website security.
As mentioned, the host continually monitors the servers for weak points, malware, spyware, and suspicious traffic patterns in managed VPS hosting. So, it would be best to look for a host with solid protection from viruses and other types of hacking attempts, such as ServerSecurePlus or Malicious Activity Detector (MAD).
Apart from security protection, you should also check the availability of server-level backups. The managed VPS backup software should provide regular, likely daily, backups of your server’s files if something were to happen.
Finally, Superior Customer Support Comes Into Play
At this point, you might think 24/7 customer support is what you need for your managed VPS servers. However, that’s no longer sufficient, as it’s the industry standard.
Fast forward, your hosting service’s overall quality proportionally depends on the support team’s work when it comes to managed VPS. So, it would help if you look for a team of reliable trained experts upon which you can rely on.
As mentioned, you don’t have access to all settings in the managed VPS hosting environment. Instead, you can manage only a few configuration options. The question is, what happens when something breaks? See, website uptime is essential in today’s competitive market. So, the team must fix the issue.
In other words, your host’s support experts should quickly and efficiently handle all technical requests, such as the initial setup, server performance optimization, updates, and regular audits.
At last, consider the availability of the knowledgeable and experienced support team. Where can you access the agents? Does the host offer live chat, email, or phone support? Furthermore, what hours of the day can you get the assistance?
The best-case scenario is getting top-notch support any time of the day or night!
How to Choose the Best VPS Managed Hosting? Follow Our Suggestions!
After reading the guidelines, choosing a managed VPS hosting might not be as challenging as you initially thought. However, if you still find it challenging to select the best-of-the-best, you can follow HostAdvice’s suggestions. Essentially, you cannot go wrong.
