First off, what is a BMD? A Bare Metal Dedicated Server is a physical server that hosts only a single customer. This means you have access to 100% of its resources, making your website ready for heavy traffic and quick page speeds. When deciding to upgrade there are a few common questions to consider before making your move. Below is a guide on some of the most important questions to ask yourself when upgrading. 

Purchasing Decision

Choosing the right hosting provider and plan will have a major impact on your digital experience! Here are some things to consider before purchase. 

1) What’s my budget?

One of the first things to ask yourself is what kind of investment you are willing to make. If your website experiences heavy traffic with lots of information and files, investing in a BMD may be right for you. You need to consider the costs of saving money with a cheaper plan vs not having enough resources and experiencing the potential cost of downtime due to less expensive hosting plans. 

2) What sort of reputation does the host have? How long have they been in business (your website/business is heavily reliant on your host)

Now that you’ve decided it’s worth the investment it’s time to start considering your hosting provider. Many people will do an industry search, look at variables like speed, security, uptime, and support. It’s important to note that reviews can also be helpful in order to see what actual customers are saying about each host. 

3)What type of site do I have or am I looking to host? (eCommerce? Agency? WordPress site? Reseller?)

There’s no one-size-fits-all for hosting. The range of the best hosting plans vary depending on many different variables. If you’re confused on which level of plan is right for you check out our blog post on important resources to consider when choosing your hosting plan. 

Resources

Next, pay attention to the resources each plan comes with. This will help you decide if you need a smaller plan (like Shared or VPS) or if a Bare Metal Dedicated server is the right call for you!

4) What CPU should I choose?

CPU stands for Central Processing Unit and is like the brain of your server. It helps handle requests and processes so your site stays active and available for your visitors. They handle traffic surges and high-volume script requests on larger sites. When looking at new plans take into account how heavy your traffic is and if a higher CPU is something you need to stay running quickly.

5) How many Cores do I need?

CPUs generally have two or more cores which determine processing power and how quickly they can carry any request given. Your site’s traffic volume and amount of dynamic elements can help determine how many CPU and cores you truly need. If you have a site that’s complicated and very active buying a plan with more cores may be right for you. 

6) What backups are included? Should I choose local, cloud storage, or both?

Having backups included in your plan is an important part of any hosting experience. Backing up your site is essential for any business. You could accidentally lose your data at any time, so it’s important to research this information when looking at different plans. Here’s a guide from our Knowledge Base on how to backup your data on dedicated and vps servers. 

6) What are my resource needs? Is my server scalable? Can I upgrade?

It’s helpful to look at all the plans of the hosting provider you’re researching. Do they grow as you grow? Are there enough upgrades and larger plans available to fit your needs later on? Some important resources to delve into are: 

• Storage

Take a look at the different storage options. Are there SSD or NVMe options? How many GB does your plan include? If your website is larger you will need a larger plan.

• Bandwidth/traffic needs

Bandwidth is the rate a server can transfer data affecting how fast visitors can see information on your site. If your site gets heavy amounts of traffic it may be important to invest in a plan with more bandwidth.

• Do I want or need a control panel?

Control panels can be an important factor in how well you navigate the backend of your website. It’s good to take this helpful addition into account when you’re looking at plans. 

Performance

Finally, performance is the key to your site’s success! Ask yourself these questions as you look at any prospective BMD plans.

7) Do I have the resource needs for a multi-core processor?

The number of CPU cores sets the limit on how much PHP you can run before your servers reach their maximum capacity. If you experience frequent heavy traffic you may decide you need a multi-core processor. 

8) What’s the network port speed?

Port speed measures how fast different interfaces transmit and receive data. This greatly impacts your site’s speed so it is important to look into this on any plans you are researching. 

9) Do I want faster individual page load speeds or to be able to handle large numbers of concurrent users? (Cores vs Clock speed)?

Do you have heavy traffic or are you looking to give a greater experience to fewer users? This affects the amount of Cores vs Clock speed you need on your plan. You would need more cores for heavier traffic and more clock speed for a better experience with fewer visitors.  

10) Do I want faster page load speeds with the latest technology (NVMe)?

Speed is so important for user experience and for repeated visitors. Why not invest in the latest technology and keep your customers coming back?

Support

Finally, whether you’re just starting or a hosting expert, support is a vital part of any hosting relationship. Make sure you pick a host that cares about you and your business!

11) Will they help me migrate from my current hosting solutions?

Free migrations are one of the greatest parts about transferring over the A2 Hosting! If you are looking at more than one hosting company this is an important perk to check out. You want your website moved efficiently and effectively in order to minimize downtime.

12) What sort of support is offered?

A2 Hosting offers 24/7/365 support! We offer tickets, chats, and calling support and are always available to answer any questions. It’s important to check this for any hosting provider you’re looking at because you want someone who will be around at 3pm and 3am, just in case you have an early morning website emergency. Additionally, our extensive Knowledge Base provides helpful solutions and information on a wide range of topics.

13) Should I choose Managed or Unmanaged?

• What’s included with “Managed” Hosting?

Managed hosting is very helpful for people who don’t have time to take care of the back end of their website and want help from experts to make sure it’s running as efficiently as possible. Check out A2 Hosting’s Managed BMD details here! Ask yourself these questions to help you decide:

• Do I want to handle my own security and software configs?
• How do you keep my server safe? (Firewall, scans, best practices etc.)

This could include security measures like firewalls, scans, and best practices that users and companies should be following.

If you’re interested in learning more about our bare metal dedicated plans click here for details!