Dedicated Hosting Budget
It should go without saying that you need to balance your dedicated server
requirements to match what your budget can realistically provide you.
As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Knowing your
business requirements and budget will help point you in the right
direction.
Here are the 7 most common service fees associated with dedicated hosting servers.
- Monthly Dedicated Internet Server Fees
- Server Setup Fees
- Server Management Service Fees
- Bandwidth Costs
- Operating System & Software Licenses
- Upgrades
- Miscellaneous
Some dedicated hosting providers allow you to pay in increments other than monthly, such as quarterly, or annually. These can be good options because you can often receive cost-savings on your internet server over the longer periods.
2. Server Setup Fees: Setup fees for your dedicated server are a one-time fee for getting the webserver up and running. Setup fees may or may not apply to your account, depending on the internet hosting provider you choose.
Fees typically include the setup of the physical server, the installation of an operating system, configuration of networking on the server to make it accessible online. It can also include fees for configuring software, control panels and service add-ons for the dedicated host.
3. Server Management Service Fees: If you choose to go with a managed internet server, management service fees will apply. This may or may not be itemized on your monthly hosting service fees, meaning it may be included with the dedicated server price or may be separate. Managed hosting fees typically include the management of the operating system and applications on your web server as well as security patches and updates, adding new software as needed etc. It’s always good to speak with your hosting provider about this as there can be unexpected service fees in some situations.
4. Bandwidth Costs: Typically, bandwidth costs aren’t applicable if you have a bandwidth plan that exceeds your monthly usages. You will only see bandwidth costs under two circumstances.
If you exceed your monthly bandwidth limit, you will be billed for the overages. Overages are generally billed at a premium.
When you use unmetered bandwidth dedicated servers, this may show up as either part of your dedicated host’s monthly service fee or as a separate service. Unmetered bandwidth plan service fees should be the exact same each month.
5. Operating System & Software Licenses: Most dedicated internet servers use some variation of Linux or Unix. That’s because Linux was primary developed as a server operating system. Most of them are completely free of charge and will not affect your service fees. There are some exceptions, such as Red Hat.
Microsoft Windows costs money, so you can expect to pay extra for the license. This may or not be included in your webserver’s overall monthly fee. It just depends on how your dedicated hosting provider breaks down the monthly service fees. You can generally expect Microsoft Windows to add anywhere from $20/month to $200/month ontop of the cost of the server.
Software licenses may apply if your dedicated internet server uses software that is commercial. Prices for this vary depending on the applications you need. Service fees may be billed monthly or may be included as a one-time setup fee, reducing your monthly expenses.
6. Upgrades: When upgrading your dedicated server there are two service fees that apply. The monthly cost of the added or upgraded server hardware. A one-time setup fee for the hosting provider to have a technician perform the upgrade.
7. Miscellaneous: In some situations there may be other miscellaneous fees. Some examples of what this may apply to are: remote reboots, KVM/IP access, data backup and server port speed access to name a few. You typically know of these service fees as you explore the dedicated hosting provider’s service offerings and make your purchase.