Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting: Which Dedicated Server Is Right for You?

What to do when you get a new dedicated server? Will you manage your own server or would you rather that an experienced team and the resources they have at their disposal handle some of that work for you? Dedicated server management is a common question and there are two options available to you for dedicated servers. Each of the options has their own uses and benefits for any sized business. In this article, we’ll look at the two options for dedicated server management: managed and unmanaged servers.

Netrouting provides a modern and modular hosting infrastructure. Some customers need simplicity, others full flexibility. Some prefer to outsource the full responsibility of their hosting environment through a shared or managed hosting service and others need full control through a virtual server, managed WordPress hosting or any other hosting solution.

In this article we will delve into Managed and Unmanaged hosting in full detail, followed up by a comparison to VPS hosting and a VPS vs Dedicated server decision. Once you are aware of your needs, we can match you up with the proper server to power your workload, with the level of control, flexibility, or ease that you need.

What is a Dedicated Server?

A dedicated server is a single server housed in a off-site data centre but unlike shared hosting a dedicated server is fully dedicated to one customer, i.e. rented exclusively to one person. With some of the highest end features available on the market dedicated server hosting from UK2.com has been engineered to deliver the highest levels of performance in terms of processing power, storage and bandwidth. Ideal for large organisations that require additional power and features to power their business.

This means:

• Full access to all server resources

• Better performance and reliability

• Complete control over your server environment

You have full control over a dedicated server, i.e. you can install any operating system and software you need for your website. In addition to the freely available software package supplied with the dedicated server, you can configure any security and server optimizations you like. The possibilities for your website environment are virtually unlimited. IMPORTANT: Dedicated server(s) are fully managed by you.

We can also manage the solution for you. This means we can carry out the initial set up and configuration for you, then provide regular updates to the software, maintain the software and fine tune the solution to maximise its benefits. Many of these services can be very time consuming and require certain skills and knowledge to get them working correctly. That’s why a large number of our clients opt for the managed solution, allowing them to focus on growing their business and leave the IT worries behind.

Unmanaged Dedicated Server

Our unmanaged dedicated server is ideal for the experienced customer who wishes to manage the server themselves. In addition to managing the hardware and network, the customer will be responsible for applying security patches for the operating system as well as applying security updates for applications. We can assist with any questions you may have within our regular customer support hours of business. Upgrades and installations will be the responsibility of the customer.

Type of Unmanaged Dedicated Server

Our unmanaged dedicated servers offer maximum flexibility for creating your perfect hosting setup. Our unmanaged servers come 100% configured to your exact needs without any unnecessary packages installed and with zero additional monitoring. While we can assist with server configuration, unmanaged dedicated servers are recommended for experienced server administrators. There are several configurations and workloads within our unmanaged server options, so whether you need to host hundreds of users or simply need a more robust hosting infrastructure, we have a solution for you.

Bare Metal Dedicated Server

Our bare metal dedicated servers are fully isolated physical servers that we can provide to you ‘bare’, without a control panel or management interface. This means that you have the choice of installing any Operating System you wish from scratch. With our range of hardware you can be assured of maximum performance, low latency and high throughput without the virtualisation overhead. Perfect for applications such as large databases, real-time trading systems, big data processing and high-end media handling. Root access is provided to the server so you will be responsible for keeping the server up to date with any necessary patches etc.

Self-Managed Dedicated Server (Standard Unmanaged)

This is our entry level unmanaged dedicated server option. We will configure the server for you and connect you to the server, but other than that you are on your own. You will need to set up and configure the server from scratch, apply updates, patches and perform backups as necessary. This is a good option for programmers and system administrators that need a server, but wish to manage it themselves. Also, this is a good option for a developer, who is working on a local server and wish to test a site or application in a real world environment. Don’t confuse this with a VPS where you have a dedicated partition of resources on a shared server. Unlike our unmanaged dedicated server option, we also offer a managed web hosting solution where we will perform most maintenance and other functions for you.

Custom Configured Unmanaged Server

Our custom configured unmanaged servers are perfect for anyone who requires a very specific or flexible solution for their infrastructure needs. Our custom configured unmanaged servers are fully customizable. Choose the exact hardware and network configuration you require. This option allows you to choose the exact packages and hardware that will be placed on the server. CPU, RAM, storage, bandwidth and routing options are fully customizable and are up to you.

For work intensive workloads such as data intensive applications, data intensive databases, embedded services and high performance APIs, further customisation may be required.

We host on an UNMANAGED server. This means that while we can put you on the server, overall optimization and configuration is up to you. However, you will start with a clean slate and can configure the server however you like.

High-Performance Unmanaged Server

Our High-performance unmanaged servers are optimized for very demanding environments with high processing performance requirements and a high degree of rigidity. The latest enterprise-grade hardware is incorporated, including multi-core processors, high-performance frequency RAM and ultra-fast NVMe SSD storage.

They are commonly used for:

• Big data processing

• AI and machine learning workloads

• High-traffic websites and applications

• Real-time analytics platforms

While improving your hardware can do a lot to enhance the performance of your WordPress website, there are also many other technical aspects of your server configuration, caching and more that you can optimize to boost load times.

Our Reseller Servers are a cost effective solution for advanced users who want to maximise the potential of their server, whilst still having complete control over the configuration.

Unmanaged Dedicated Server for Security Use

This security-focused unmanaged dedicated server is configured for specific needs where the security of your server, data and users is paramount. Unlike our other servers, we make NO claims of protections being in place on this server. You must configure your own security options such as firewalls, data encryption and even intrusion detection.

This setup is often used for:

• Handling sensitive data

• Compliance-driven industries (finance, healthcare)

• Private infrastructure and secure applications

Please note that our unmanaged hosting does not include the same level of security support as our managed hosting options. As the site is hosted on you, you will require a high level of technical knowledge to keep your site secure. This will involve tasks such as making sure your plugins are up to date, dealing with security breaches, updating wordpress, etc.

• Security patches

• Vulnerability scanning

• Malware scanning

• Access control and monitoring

This option is most suitable for mature users or organisations with their own in-house security expertise.

Unmanaged Dedicated Server for Web Hosting

Need to create your own hosting infrastructure? Our unmanaged dedicated servers are ideal for Web Hosting. Our unmanaged dedicated servers give you the ability to create the server you need to fit your needs. Load your favorite control panel and host all your multiple clients or websites off a single server.

This gives you the flexibility to:

• Build custom hosting plans

• Manage multiple websites or applications

• Control performance, uptime, and scalability

• Optimize your web server stack (Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed, etc.)

For clarity, you would still be on unmanaged web hosting and responsible for management, configuration and optimisation of the server as required. You would need to also manage integration of any billing systems, handle security and backing up of the site as well as overall performance.

For the more technical entrepreneur or agency, the configuration offers optimal flexibility and scalability for the campaign. However, for the uninitiated, the setup can quickly become over-complicated and difficult to manage.

Pros and Cons Unmanaged Server

Our unmanaged dedicated server offers the utmost degree of flexibility and complete control over the hosting environment as you can configure the server and the software installed on it exactly the way you like. However, with this type of hosting you will be entirely responsible for your server. We do not provide any management support for our unmanaged servers and therefore, it is very important to understand the pros and cons of unmanaged hosting before opting for such a service, as it can affect your server’s performance, security and management significantly.

Pros of Unmanaged Server

Unmanaged Servers offer the ultimate in server freedom giving you complete control to build and manage your hosting environment the way you like best. With root access all are offered at a low cost without the higher price tag of our managed servers.

1. Full Control and Flexibility
Our Linux Dedicated Servers come with full root access to the server, allowing you to configure the environment exactly how you require it.

2. Lower Cost
Unlike managed hosting where you pay extra for support and server administration unmanaged hosting is very affordable.

3. Ideal for Advanced Users
This option offers the most flexibility and is suitable for the “hands on” owner or operator with strong technical skills.

Cons of Unmanaged Server

An unmanaged server is a big responsibility for one person. That’s because it is entirely up to you for everything. If something goes wrong with your server (such as a broken component), if the performance on your server slows down, or even if parts of your server are found to be vulnerable, you will be responsible for fixing it all. Many find this particularly difficult because even a small problem on an unmanaged server can be extremely time-consuming to resolve, often requiring significant technical expertise.

1. Requires High Technical Expertise
The technical maintance of the server includes update of the operating system, troubleshooting and other general network related issues.

2. Higher Security Risks
It does not include monitoring for security issues or for malware. You are responsible for ensuring that your server is run in a secure manner.

3. No Support for Server Issues
In the (rare) event of something going terribly wrong, you are on your own to deal with whatever happens with your server.

4. Time-Consuming
Running your own servers is exciting and all, but it is also someone’s job to keep the servers up to date, to tune performance and to debug. And that someone is you.

Managed Dedicated Server

Managed dedicated servers are a good choice for our customers who don’t have the expertise or time to handle the daily administration of the hosting environment. Our staff will configure, administer, monitor, maintain and support the server and/or applications for you. Let us handle your dedicated server as your own team of IT professionals, 24/7.

Selecting a dedicated server can be a tough decision, but selecting the right hosting provider for your new server can be just as difficult. In our recent blog post we outline a guide to help you decide which hosting provider is right for you and your business. Read: How to choose a hosting provider to find out more.

Type of Managed Dedicated Server

The Type of Managed Dedicated Server is Important. The type of managed dedicated server is crucial for the managed dedicated hosting environment, server security and optimisation. There are different types of managed hosting plans available. Each of these managed dedicated server hosting plans offer different levels of support, server management, customisation, optimisation and technical expertise required to manage the server. Depending on your requirements you can select from fully no touch managed servers or opt for a hybrid managed server that offers the best of both fully managed and unmanaged dedicated server hosting options.

Fully Managed Dedicated Server

Our fully managed hosting is a complete turn-key solution where we manage on your behalf all aspects of the server, including setup and monitoring, maintenance for security issues and updates, and general server optimisation. A fully managed hosting plan is ideal for companies that are not technical enough to manage a server.

Semi-Managed Dedicated Server

We host the core infrastructure and you manage the applications and configurations. This is a partially supported solution.

Custom Managed Dedicated Server

We can offer a fully customised hosting solution where we can host parts of your solution but allow you to control the rest. This type of solution is particularly relevant for clients who have certain requirements, or for organisations who have an in house IT team. We can monitor as little or as much as required, perform basic maintenance tasks, optimisation tasks, or any other bespoke task. You are in full control of the overall solution and the configuration.

Managed Dedicated Server with Enhanced Security

This package comes with lots of enhanced features including Malware scanning and monitoring. The provider will monitor for threats and also apply updates as required to prevent security breaches.

Managed High-Performance Dedicated Server

This server comes with a heavy usage configuration and optimal server settings distributed for maximum usage and uptime. The site also takes advantage of a content delivery network.

Hybrid Managed Dedicated Server

You control the environment – we control the server admin, monitoring and maintenance.

Pros and Cons Managed Server

When selecting a hosting solution for your business, there are many considerations. Deciding whether to opt for a managed or unmanaged dedicated server is one that many organisations do not fully understand the implications of. While there are many benefits to managed hosting (such as someone performing maintenance, updates and security patching for you on your dedicated server), there are also limitations that you need to be aware of. The decision as to whether managed hosting is suitable for you and your organisation depends on several factors including your technical requirements, budget and future plans. Therefore it is essential that you fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of managed hosting before making your decision.

Pros of Managed Server

Having a managed server can greatly help a website to compete more effectively. By having a managed server, you can have your site running at its best without the additional hassle of setting up the server, watching for security threats, applying updates and general server maintenance that a managed hosting provider handles for you. You can focus on more valuable things, like running and improving your site.

You can have the best hosting environment set up with the latest features and fastest speeds but without a managed VPS or virtual private server your WordPress website may not be performing to its full capability. Having a managed hosting solution means you can have the core website platform kept up-to-date, secured and running at optimum performance, without the need for you to get locked into hours of technical work to keep everything running smoothly.

1. No Deep Technical Knowledge Required
Perfect for businesses without an in-house IT team.

2. Strong Security Protection
This license includes Security Monitoring, updates and threat protection.

3. 24/7 Technical Support
You’ll have ongoing access to our specialist team.

4. Saves Time and Effort
We take care of the day to day activities, administrative, operational and technical tasks which will allow you to manage your business effectively.

Cons of Managed Server

For many people the managed server is the best choice. The managed server is very easy to use and offers its user great advantages in terms of reliability. However, there are a few negative points. Managed servers are generally more expensive than unmanaged servers. Some configuration options are also not possible. This means that the managed server is not the best choice for users who need more individual options or have specific technical requirements.

1. Higher Cost
Our web hosting plans cost a little more than our shared hosting plans, but offer some unique features.

2. Less Control
Some options may not be available due to provider restrictions.

Unmanaged vs. Managed Dedicated Servers: How Do They Compare?

Servers are no longer simple boxes; their multi-layered operation demands sophisticated management to ensure optimal utilization of system performance, availability and security. Substantial skills and experience are required to manage a server effectively, in addition to significant man-hours to maintain proper function.

A question we have been getting lately is what the differences are between our managed dedicated servers and our unmanaged dedicated servers. The answer to this is very simple: the only difference is that we provide support for managed dedicated servers, whereas you are responsible for everything with an unmanaged dedicated server.

You may also like to consider other types of hosting such as unmanaged shared hosting. This is very cheap and easy to set up and means that you are literally sharing the same server with many other users. Resources on the server are therefore split and shared across many accounts. In contrast with our offering, you have have great performance and flexibility but very little control. On the other end of the spectrum you have your own fully dedicated physical server with your own resources, guaranteed bandwidth and complete control.

Your options may vary drastically when selecting an Affordable Dedicated Server compared to other options available. Our Affordable Dedicated Servers give you the maximum performance, full control, and complete flexibility, since your server is running 100% of the resources available on the server and does not share any resources with other websites. Unlike VPS hosting, Affordable Dedicated Server gives you full use of resources available on the server, allowing complete control of performance.