Dedicated Server Weaknesses
Along with the obvious strengths, Dedicated Servers have some obvious weaknesses. Not every developer can jump right in with a Dedicated Server. The user must have a solid working knowledge of the server, the chosen operating system, and networking techniques. This can take many years to learn. One option is to hire an experienced and sometimes high priced, network wizard. Dedicated Servers may require much more upkeep and maintenance time by the developer. Many of the chores normally performed by the Web Hosting company may have to be performed by Webmaster. Check your server provider about this before you purchase.

Purchasing a Dedicated Server comes with a high price tag. You are renting/leasing or purchasing a full-time computer for your server needs instead of just buying space and transfer from a standard Web Hosting plan. With a Dedicated Server you are not able to leverage the economies associated with sharing hardware, software, bandwidth, and maintenance costs that are found on a virtual server.

Although a Dedicated Server is more versatile in use than a virtual server and has inherent strengths, the use of a Dedicated Server is specialized. Dedicated Servers should only be used when large amounts of hard drive space will be used, or large quantities of bandwidth are required. There are a few exceptions, such as running intensive applications on the server that require root access, or those who wish their site to have complete autonomy such as high security web sites.

When shopping for a Dedicated Server Host, you should check the hardware the host uses, the strength of the network, the possibility for expansion (hardware upgrades, more servers, addition appliances such as firewalls and load balancers, etc.). As an example of what a Dedicated Server Host should provide, SuperbHosting.net offers quite a few server configurations and appliances with an option for a custom-built system. They also provide managed services if needed and have a 100% uptime guarantee.

In Conclusion
Dedicated Servers are not cheap, but do provide certain benefits for those users whose requirements exceed the capabilities of virtual servers. When weighing the viability of a Dedicated Server, price of the server is one of the main concerns. As with all things, shop around and never forget to check the prices for upgrading the server, the price of the initial setup, and the periodic maintenance costs.