Compared with a shared hosting account a cheap dedicated server can be so much more secure. You are not vulnerable to what other hosting accounts on the same server do in terms of what risky software they run that could get the whole server hacked, including your account or what risky undertaking the other accounts have going on their account could result in the whole server being seized as evidence and gone over with a fine tooth comb.
When you have your very own web server, even a cheap dedicated server, you have your very own hard drive, so your data stays in your server and is not affected by what other websites do. What you may not know is that on a shared hosting account your data is on the same drive or set of drives that all the other hosting accounts are on and in some instances there can be hundreds of different hosting accounts all on one server.
Now let’s say one of these accounts violates either a law and is caught. Because your are on a shared account that means that all the data that is on the drive will be taken and examined by the police of government agency. So much for your privacy. However in that case it is the government agency that is accessing the data, which is relatively benign, but suppose it is a rival company that has a successful civil lawsuit against someone who is also hosting on the same web server as you? In this case if they have a court order to look at the drive this other competing company may just have a look at your operations, server logs, client databases, etc...
The only true way of ensuring that you will not be affected by some other hosting account is by having your own dedicated server. And if you don't require a large amount of power in a server you can rent a economical dedicated server for, in some instances, even less money that you would pay for a shared hosting account.
While we are on the subject of security if you really want a secure server you can host it in a country that has strict privacy policies.
Did you know that in the United States your server can be searched without a warrant or even without your knowledge? This is because of the Patriot Act which can have some unintended consequences a purely hypothetical example would be:
Your competition has a relative or friend who works for the local law enforcement or some government organization that falls into the right category that gives them the power to just walk into your Hosting provider and demand access to the web server. They have the right to look at it and then they just might share that information. I say this as hypothetical because none of these agencies would condone this behavior but if someone were to go rouge and do it you would be at risk.
In Canada the laws still state (at the time of this writing) that you need a warrant issued by a judge to inspect a server, so if you want some additional security you can host just north of the border for an equivalent price. You can see our list of Canadian hosting companies that offer cheap servers by following the link.
Looking for our FreeBSD Forums? We have moved them off our main page,just follow the link to our FreeBSD Forums page.
Custom Search
|
Copyright © 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017, WEBSERVER CONSUMER GUIDE
Please note:
(1) FreeBSD is a registered trademark of The FreeBSD Foundation.
(2) WEBSERVER CONSUMER GUIDE is in no way affiliated with The FreeBSD Foundation