As you probably already know, there is a relatively new type of hosting that is quickly becoming a great option for those online businesses that have outgrown shared web hosting, but are reticent to commit to a fully managed dedicated server solution for their hosting needs. The hosting option that occupies this space is known as a virtual private server or by its acronym -VPS.

Through working together with the VPS hosting experts at HostMySite.com, The Hosting News has created this brief snapshot into what we expect in VPS hosting for the next year.

The current VPS landscape has plans that sell anywhere from around $29.95 per month for Linux based VPS to $39.95 for Windows based virtual private server plans. This type of plan would typically afford the following features on the Linux side: root level access, 256 MB of RAM, 5 GB of virtual disk space, 200 GB of monthly transfer, one dedicated IP address, PHP 5, Perl, MySQL, and included daily free backups. On the Windows side, an entry level plan would typically include: 256 MB of RAM, 5 GB of virtual disk space, 200 GB of monthly transfer, one dedicated IP address, ASP.NET 2.0 and installed ASP components, MS SQL Server 2005 Express, and included daily free backups. With a Windows VPS hosting provider, it is prudent to insist on a company that is Microsoft Gold Certified. This provides the assurance that a company has passed a series of competency steps that have been reviewed by Microsoft.

So what will 2008 bring in terms of virtual private server hosting? We expect that last year's trend will continue and even accelerate. This is the tendency for those who are in the market for either a managed dedicated server or even a stripped down dedicated box to consider a VPS hosting plan as an alternative. When properly configured, a virtual private server takes on the appearance of a dedicated server to the user. That is, root level access and dedicated resources are present. Additionally, even though the VPS account is not on a separate server, there are typically many fewer accounts per server - yielding the fast processing speeds and unfettered access that usually characterize a dedicated server. Therefore, it is possible for many applications and websites to run just as well on a VPS as on a true dedicated server. The difference is in cost. Where a dedicated server may run anywhere from $99 to well over $500 per month, a VPS solution can be acquired for a fraction of the price.

One other trend to look for in 2008 with regard to virtualization: a shifting of resources from an established dedicated server to a virtual private server or a virtual environment. This is expected due to the fact that it is difficult to properly allocate all of the resources efficiently in a dedicated server configuration. That is, one has to estimate rather closely the amount of disk space, and bandwidth required for the website operations. Often these targets are moving or difficult to estimate. This dilemma invariably leads to an overestimation of the resources required. That is because to underestimate leads to a potential slowdown in the applications running on the server, or worse - visitors to the site experience such extreme latency that they assume the site to be inaccessible. Virtualization permits the resources to scale up as needed - both at the precise time and to the precise amounts that will yield optimum performance. This attribute saves the website owner money in being scaled up to the right levels, and not overbuilding the website infrastructure. This seems to indicate a real cost advantage for those who transition to a virtual solution. Expect to see this trend emerging more strongly in 2008 and beyond.

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Published on: 2008-01-06 (2125 reads)