Unmanaged or Fully Managed Windows VPS Hosting?

When it comes to buying a Windows VPS, most of us are in a dilemma, whether to buy a Fully managed Windows VPS host or an unmanaged one? So what are the benefits of unmanaged and managed Windows VPS?. 

Once you’ve decided to buy a Windows VPS hosting with an unmanaged or managed option, the most important factors are budget and technical capabilities and your in-house staffing.

Deciding factor: In-house Staffing, Budget & Technical Capabilities

Companies wondering whether they should select an unmanaged or managed Windows VPS must consider several factors, including:

• You will need a technical Staff –

  Establishing, managing, and monitoring a Windows VPS server in-house requires dedicated staff with the knowledge and experience to execute complex operations correctly. Therefore, if you plan to buy VPS hosting with unmanaged support, you should be prepared to build proper staffing to manage your Windows VPS server. In-house staffing might be costly.

  So, is there any alternative to an in-house staffing solution? Yes, the alternative option is to buy paid support on an incident basis from your hosting company. Most hosting companies will offer paid technical support in the range of $30 to $200 per hour. Alternatively, you can buy a Fully Managed Windows VPS that includes technical support.

• Proper Budget –

  Managed Windows VPS hosting will be more costly than unmanaged VPS due to your web hosting provider’s higher levels of technical involvement. Deciding to take on this added expense will depend on how much alternative options, such as hiring additional IT staff, would cost. You may find managed Windows VPS hosting to be more cost-effective than hiring additional IT staff. A managed windows VPS will cost you $10 to $200 per month more than unmanaged windows VPS.

• Technical capabilities –

  Does your IT staff possess a thorough understanding of the Windows server? Will their technical abilities and knowledge help them manage Windows VPS in a way that provides consistent uptime, server stability, and reliability? If you can’t answer these questions in the affirmative, a managed Windows VPS server, new IT staff, or a combination of both may be the best solution for your business.

What are the Main Differences between Unmanaged and Fully Managed Windows VPS Hosting?

When looking for a Windows VPS hosting package, eCommerce business owners have a dilemma between a managed and unmanaged VPS account. 

With unmanaged VPS, the web hosting provider will only set up the windows server for the client, and the client receives full control over the system. All other steps like security hardening, apps installation, etc., are on the customer. On the other hand, the VPS service provider will offer a full range of services with the managed Windows VPS. 

In addition, the web hosting provider will perform all installations, setups, and maintenance and offer ongoing support in case of operational issues with the VPS server. 

As evidenced by the varying service levels between unmanaged and managed Windows VPS hosting, many differences exist between the two types. Some of the considerable differences are:

• Cost –

  Unmanaged Windows VPS is available at lower costs, as no technical support, no day-to-day maintenance, and no monitoring is offered. Fully Managed Windows VPS presents higher costs due to the higher level of services, from day-to-day administration to customer support are offered by your hosting company.

• Scalability –

  With the Managed Windows VPS option, your hosting provider will monitor your VPS on a day-to-day basis. They can easily advise you for scaling up / down your VPS resources with day-to-day monitoring. With unmanaged VPS, the customer will be solely responsible for monitoring his VPS resources and deciding on scaling them.

• Convenience –

  Depending on your company’s level of expertise for troubleshooting technical matters, either unmanaged or managed Windows VPS hosting might work better for you. For instance, if you have qualified in-house staff to perform installations, maintenance, and support functions, then trying to offshore your needs to an outside entity (your hosting provider) may be less efficient than handling it yourself. On the other hand, managed Windows VPS hosting may be a worthwhile investment if your business lacks these capabilities.

• Customization – 

  Most hosting companies have conditions for offering managed services. For example, buying a control panel is mandatory for managed Windows VPS services with some of them. That means some of the unnecessary software is forced with managed VPS option. On the contrary, all the unmanaged servers can be tailored to meet your company’s unique needs rather than to offer a “one size fits all” option. As a client, you can choose between standard and non-standard applications depending on your preferences and desired functionality. You may also utilize programs or software which cannot be offered as a part of a Fully managed Windows VPS hosting service.

• Autonomy –

  With regards to memory, bandwidth, usage, storage space, and software installation, you (the client) receive complete control. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the knowledge and capabilities of your IT staff.

• Access –

  If you or your IT personnel need to have unlimited access, an unmanaged server may be the right choice for you. On the other hand, managed Windows VPS plans offer varying access levels, and one of these may offer the right balance between access and support.
  

• Performance –

  For businesses that require higher bandwidths, unmanaged VPS servers may be cost-effective and better suit your needs.

• Support –

  When you select an unmanaged VPS account, you opt-out of receiving help from your provider in case of software, resources, configuration, or performance problems, although your web host will assist with hardware or network issues. However, with capable in-house staffing, you benefit from instant access to support rather than waiting for remote assistance from your provider.

Get Windows VPS

Unmanaged VPS Hosting

Unmanaged VPS hosting simply means that your host will only maintain the availability of hardware resources. Except for OS Installation & re-installation, you won’t receive any other support from your hosting provider with a preloaded set of software. Technical support is limited to hardware failure or service outages types of cases. However, some hosts also provide unmanaged VPS services with limited support options providing assistance in initial setup and normal troubleshooting issues; on the other hand, managed windows VPS providers assist throughout the service period. 

When you opt for Unmanaged VPS hosting, it is assumed that the VPS user is technical enough to take care of routine tasks such as maintaining VPS stability, data backup, upgrade, and installation. You will also be responsible for managing your website hosting, database backups/restores, setting up email accounts, managing FTP services, and many other similar tasks. 

So, what will happen when you’re stuck with a technical problem and need help from your hosting company? In most cases, the hosting company will charge technical support fees for problem solutions per hour. Generally, these hourly rates are very expensive compared to monthly managed service charges. In such cases, you may probably lose the savings you made on buying an unmanaged VPS service. 

List of the tasks you need to perform yourself under the Unmanaged Windows VPS Hosting

• Third-party software installations and configuration.
• VPS Firewall configuration.
• Installation of the necessary software to create a ready-to-go environment.
• Regular Backup and maintenance.
• Script troubleshooting.
• Email, database, and website issues.
• Performance tunings and troubleshooting of various services.
• Advanced IIS/Apache configurations.
• Installation of OS updates and software upgrades.
• Security hardening of the server.
• Monitoring of services and set alert mechanism.
• Migration of web contents, databases, and emails.

Regardless of these disadvantages, you will still find Unmanaged VPS hosting attractive as 70 percent of VPS sold out are unmanaged. 

Following are some striking features that go in favor of Unmanaged VPS hosting:

• Unmanaged VPS hosting is ideal for limited budget personnel or running a medium-sized business. Since you won’t pay for technical support, you will certainly save some amount.
• Unmanaged VPS hosting is a cost-effective solution for those who have an in-house service technician team available to take care of server administration tasks.
• If you were a shared hosting customer and restricted to some software or scripts, you are free to run such softwares and scripts.
• If you have the necessary technical skills to manage the VPS on your own, you can definitely opt for Unmanaged VPS hosting.

Managed Windows VPS Hosting

When you sign up for Managed Windows VPS services, your hosting company is responsible for VPS configuration, maintenance of VPS, and software updates. Managed Windows VPS services give you peace of mind and allow you to concentrate on your actual business without having to worry about your VPS performance. Choosing Managed VPS services is always the ideal approach when you have little or no experience in a running server. 

The term “managed” is a little tricky as it varies from host to host. Every host has its own definition when we refer to managed Windows VPS hosting. Hence, it is advisable that before you engage in a signup contract, you must contact potential VPS service providers to check support options that come with Managed VPS services. At the same time, determine those specific tasks that your managed Windows VPS provider won’t perform for you.

In general, your host will carry out the following tasks for you:

• Ensure the highest availability.
• Take appropriate security measurements against vulnerability.
• Monitoring alerts for low disk space, High CPU and RAM usage, and potential security risks.
• Regular OS updates, server patches, security updates.
• Provide Technical support on a 24/7/365 basis.
• Regular Backup and maintenance.
• Installing necessary softwares and SSL certificates.

Generally, Managed Windows VPS hosting is far more expensive than unmanaged hosting, as technical support and assistance charges are pre-included in the plan. However, it can be beneficial and valuable when you possess very little knowledge of managing servers. Sometimes, you will feel blessed when you run into problems at midnight and seek technical assistance desperately. However, you will soon realize that your extra dollars are well spent when you can sleep well at night, knowing that your VPS is safe and secure.

We’ve introduced Fully Managed Windows VPS Support at very affordable rates,”  our rates were $60 per month, and we have reduced to $12.96 per month only. This facility is only available to AccuWebHosting Windows VPS customers.”

Ultimate Benefits of Fully Managed Windows VPS

Managed Windows VPS provides secure hosting on a dedicated server. Because AccuWeb Hosting stores your data on dedicated server space, clients don’t have to worry about the issues that can occur when sharing server space with other websites, including known potential problems with sharing IP addresses. Managed Windows VPS gives customers full technical support instead of unmanaged hosting that requires the customer to maintain software and hardware on their own.

How Virtual Private Servers are Beneficial to Businesses

If you haven’t yet incorporated a virtual private server (VPS) into your web hosting strategy, you may be curious about what constitutes a VPS, how it works, and how it can help your company. A VPS is a system that uses a host operating system to simulate the functionality of computer hardware by allowing an outside OS to run on it. 

This means one tangible server can host more than one virtual server in one place. However, each individual server remains isolated or “private” and has its own distinct hardware resources; including disk space, RAM, CPU, and network throughput. One way to understand VPS hosting is to compare them to. 

With co-location, you would “rent” rack space from the hosting company for your own server. Conversely, with a VPS plan, you rent the entire server. With VPS hosting, companies can gain numerous benefits, including:

• Root access –

  VPS allows the installation and configuration of the programs of your choice.

• Unlimited URLs –

  Thanks to Apache’s virtual hosts, VPS users can host as many websites as they wish.

• Other services –

   Host FTP servers, mail servers, and any other desired services.

• Backup – 

  VPS servers provide file storage and backup.

Companies should invest in the service that best meets their needs on multiple levels when it comes to Windows VPS. By taking into consideration the unique circumstances, pros & cons of Managed Windows VPS versus unmanaged virtual private servers; businesses can select the hosting option that improves their performance while providing the characteristics that most improve their ROI. 

Contact us today at AccuWebHosting to learn more about managed windows VPS vs. unmanaged VPS and what both options can provide for your business.