When to Downgrade From a Dedicated Hosting Plan
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 22, 2011 in "Web Hosting Types"
Overestimating site requirements is an all too common problem in the hosting industry, as many webmaster tend to want more than they need or can even handle. Although it is admirable and often advisable to plan for excess and assume that you will need a powerful hosting plan, it is not wise to continuously pay for server resources that you are not using. Not only is this wasteful financially, it is also costing the hosting company and the planet energy unnecessarily.
Dedicated hosting plans are perhaps the most common culprits in terms of under usage. Most people that have a dedicated hosting plan do not use more than half of their available server resources, and therefore waste a great deal do money each month. Knowing how and when to downgrade is an important aspect of conserving your budget resources and optimizing your hosting situations. The following information teaches you how to tell when it is time for a downgrade, while also revealing some alternatives to dedicated hosting that may be more suitable for you.
Steady Surplus
If you find that you have a steady surplus of server resources each month, and your empire of sites and traffic levels are not increasing rapidly, then it may be time to consider a downgrade. You can check the amount of server resources your account is currently consuming within the main section of your hosting control panel (usually on the top of the left navigation bar). To the contrary, if you’re gradually approaching the limit of your hosting capabilities then it may be time to schedule an upgrade. While it is recommended to have more than you need on hand in case of a rapid traffic surge, a good rule of thumb is – downgrade when you’re consistently using less than 50% of your plan’s capabilities. If you’re unsure about the total amount of server resources you’re currently consuming in relation to your plan limits, then you should call your hosting company to inquire about this as soon as possible.
Downgrade Decision
After deciding to downgrade, it can be difficult to select a plan, as everything else may seem substandard in comparison. Fortunately, since you already have a hosting plan, you should have access to the aforementioned server analysis stats in your control panel that will let you know exactly how much power you’re using. After determining how much you’re currently using, try to find a plan that offers at least 30% more than what you currently have. This will give you enough room for expansion, while also preventing a complete waste of money and energy. In most cases, you’ll want to consider downgrading to a VPS or reseller hosting plan, as these are the most similar to dedicated hosting. A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a mix between shared and dedicated, whereas a reseller plan gives you the ability to brand and resell some of your hosting resources.
Consider Cloud Computing
If a structured billing schedule does not appeal to you and you would like to try something more flexible, you may want to consider cloud hosting. Cloud hosting is based on cloud computing, which pools entire networks of servers to bring you unlimited and instant expandability and scalability, while only charging you for the exact amount you use each month. This eliminates the guess work, save s you time and money, and ensures that you always have access to the server resources you need.
