Cybersecurity has been dominating the headlines lately – and not for the best reasons. Just ask M&S or Co-op, both of which suffered respective IT meltdowns that brought their systems to a grinding halt recently.

Beyond that, rising concerns around data sovereignty, AI-powered cybercrime, and the ever-evolving economic and geopolitical landscape, have made one thing crystal clear – your data deserves better. But even if security isn’t your biggest issue (yet), ask yourself whether any of the following issues sound familiar…

  • Sluggish load times
  • Rising bounce rates
  • Servers that don’t scale
  • Inconsistent support

…because if they do, it might be time to take the leap to a dedicated server. Let’s explore what this means – and how to know if you should make the switch.

What is a dedicated server?

A dedicated server is exactly what it sounds like – a server dedicated entirely to your business. No sharing, no compromises, and no noisy neighbours hogging bandwidth. Just you, and full control over performance, security, and configuration.

At Fasthosts, our dedicated servers come in two flavours – Intel and AMD. Both are powerful, but they suit different workloads:

  1. Intel servers are often the go-to for single-threaded applications and databases.
  2. AMD servers tend to shine in multi-threaded environments like virtualisation and big data. 

Either way, you’re getting reliable, high-performance hardware designed to grow with your business.

5 signs it’s time to upgrade

Still on a shared hosting plan or VPS? That’s fine when you’re starting out – but it’s not built for long-term growth. Here are 5 big red flags that you’ve outgrown your current setup:

  1. Your bounce rate is sky high: If your analytics are showing a steep bounce rate, it might not be your content – it could be your load time. Modern users don’t want to hang around for more than 5 seconds. 
  2. Your website is slower than a snail in treacle: Slow initial load speeds aren’t the only thing you need to worry about. An overall sluggish site could be damaging your SEO rankings as well as your customer experience.
  3. You’re getting negative feedback: Customers notice when your site crashes during checkout or when pages time out – and they’re not shy about shouting about it on social media or Trustpilot.
  4. Your support team is MIA: Shared hosting support isn’t always built for complex problems. If you’re regularly running into limitations and can’t get the answers you need fast, it’s time for something more dedicated.
  5. Your website’s downtime is up: Frequent outages? That’s the kind of reputational damage no one needs. A dedicated server gives you more uptime, more stability, and less stress.

Weigh up the pros and cons

We’re not saying everyone needs a dedicated server. If you’re a microbusiness, on a tight budget, or simply not planning to scale, it might not be the right call.

But if you’re growing fast, bringing in more traffic, or handling more data than ever before, a dedicated server is the smart next step. Especially if:

  • You need to meet stricter compliance or security standards
  • You want complete control over your hosting environment
  • You’ve got a bit of budget to reinvest
  • You’re receiving more customer enquiries and transactions
  • You’re planning on expanding into new markets

A dedicated server puts you in the driving seat. No limits. No compromises. No shared resources.

Some things aren’t worth sharing

In business, some things are best kept to yourself – like your server. When your website is mission-critical, sharing resources just doesn’t cut it. With a dedicated server, you’re ready for whatever comes next – with speed, security, and stability on your side.

Ready to upgrade? Check out our dedicated server plans today, and find the perfect fit for your business.