In a time where many servers are delivered faster than pizzas, many never stop to consider the risks and problems that arise with instant and near instant server provisioning times.
Most server hosts want to keep it this way too! The promise of a quick delivery is attractive, but server hosts will never tell you that you lose scalability, quality, and security in exchange for a quick server delivery.
Known Security Issues
With such a small amount of time to get your server up and running, server hosts have to cut corners. Unfortunately, this means that many will use an OS image that is months or even years old. The older operating system will have well-known security issues which aren’t present in newer versions.
Unless you take the time to check and run system updates, you will have major security issues, and if you need to perform system updates to be secure, was your instant server really instant?
Lower Performance and Reliability
In order to set your server up in minutes if not instantly, server hosts must use parts that are several generations older. The hardware will likely be more than 2 generations old, and with that age comes a decrease in performance and stability.
In addition to receiving older parts, server hosts will not have updated your server’s firmware, and since the majority of firmware updates improve reliability and performance, you’re missing out on a good bit of power and stability.
So, this next point only happens rarely, but it does happen so you need to be warned/prepared. Some server hosts who provide instant server set up will leave their servers running in a standby mode until ordered. This low power mode isn’t really an issue for most of the hardware on the server. But it can cause excessive spinning on the hard drive. And this will result in premature wear and possibly even hard drive failure.
Little to No Scalability
One of the biggest downsides an instant server set up is that all of the servers must be set up as preconfigured packages. This means that you won’t be able to add things like a larger hard drive. Or additional RAM to scale with your company/website/apps needs.
Usually, your only options for server hosts is one that provides super short set up times. But, has a higher priced package. In which you could be forced to pay for resources you don’t need or to find and migrate to a different server host.
Avoiding the Above Issues
Not every server hosts who provide short provisioning times will be cutting corners. But you need to be aware of the potential issues. When considering a server host with instant or near instant server delivery, ask the following:
- Does the server come with the newest OS Image?
- How old is the hardware?
- When was the firmware last updated?
- Are the servers left in a low power mode until ordered?
- Can I add RAM, hard drives, etc?
- How are your servers provisioned?
ServerPronto doesn’t cut corners and still has an hour average provisioning time. Our servers are built to order using the parts which you choose. And we promise reliability (100% uptime SLA), power, and scalability. With ServerPronto building the perfect server is easy, and upgrading when the time comes is even easier. Build and price your server Now!
ServerPronto offers the best affordable and secure hosting service in all dedicated server packages.
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