What is the benefit of managed and monitored server hosting?

What is VPS server hosting? 

A virtual private server is a method of hosting that simulates a dedicated physical server environment within a shared/segmented physical server (or cluster of servers). Having a server ”virtualised” offers greater control, flexibility, redundancy and performance when compared to a physical server or shared hosting environments, as each VPS runs its own operating system and has allocated resources such as CPU, RAM and storage which can be adjusted on-the-fly. 

With a managed VPS, tasks like server configuration, operating system updates, patch management and backups are handled for you – which is especially valuable for businesses without their own in-house IT team. A monitored VPS is also actively observed in real time, with alerts and diagnostics in place to detect potential problems, allowing them to be resolved by your hosting provider before they cause downtime or reduced performance 

Reliability and uptime 

Managed support, with its proactive monitoring, helps to ensure a more reliable hosting environment. VPS hosting can therefore deliver excellent uptime – comparing favourably with shared hosting, which can be more prone to congestion and resource contention. 

Managed VPS hosting services also typically involve service level agreements (SLAs) guaranteeing a certain level of uptime and response times. This provides an extra layer of reassurance for businesses that are reliant on online services for their digital presence to function effectively. 

However, you shouldn’t rely on SLAs alone when choosing a hosting provider. There are many providers in the marketplace, many of which offer substandard customer service. Ridgeon Network is different – and our commitment to exceptional UK-based customer support sets us apart from the crowd.  

Security and compliance 

Security is another important benefit of a managed and monitored VPS. Your provider should keep your systems up to date with the latest patches, configure firewalls and may also include additional features such as intrusion detection and malware scanning. A more managed approach can also incliude custom maintenance windows for important security and operating system updates to be applied to avoid impact to your applications or processes. 

For organisations in highly regulated industries like law, healthcare or finance, or those handling sensitive data, this level of oversight is especially important. A managed VPS helps to greatly reduce the risk of human error while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations – while also improving overall resilience against cyber threats. 

Choosing a provider with known compliance standards such as ISO27001, ISO9001 and Cyber Essentials can provide additional reassurance on the provider practices and apporach to service quality and security. 

Scalability and flexibility 

One of the core strengths of virtual private servers is that they can scale in tandem with the evolving needs of your business. Resources can be adjusted quickly as traffic grows or workloads increase, without your organisation having to migrate to an entirely new server environment – which would be a time-consuming and costly undertaking. 

Managed VPS hosting makes this process smoother. Technical support teams are on hand to advise on upgrades, monitor resource usage and handle any reconfiguration on your behalf. Whether you’re expanding your business offering, revamping your website/app or adding new users, your VPS can – and should – grow alongside your business. 

Hands-on, attentive support 

Some hosting providers offer little more than basic ticketing systems or automated chatbots. Others, however, take a more hands-on, service-oriented approach – providing the kind of responsive human support that can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major outage. 

When something goes wrong, or you simply need advice, having access to technical expertise can significantly reduce stress and downtime. Managed VPS hosting should therefore include direct access to support staff who understand your setup, your application and can resolve any issues swiftly. 

At Ridgeon Network, we take a different approach to other hosting providers. Our team are proactive and always on hand, with technical experts just a phone call away when the client needs support – unlike others, who leave their clients reliant on chat bots when trying to resolve serious issues. When you initially contact Ridgeon Network, we take time to understand your application’s and your end user’s needs so that we can configure the monitoring and tailor the management of your server hosting with us. 

Why choose managed and monitored VPS hosting? 

Virtual private servers offer the control and performance of a dedicated physical server at a more accessible price point. But a managed and monitored VPS offers even more, including the reassurance of expert oversight, continuous monitoring and technical support you can rely on. 

Rather than navigating the complicated business of server administration alone, managed VPS hosting allows organisations to concentrate on what they do best – growing, innovating and serving your customers, while your hosting infrastructure is taken care of in the background. 

Talk to us about UK Managed & Monitored Server Hosting