What Is a VPS Server? Everything Your Business Needs to Know

It’s no secret that a powerful presence online is one of the key factors to success as a small business.

Part of a strong online presence, though, is the quality level of your web hosting service. A virtual private server (VPS) is one of the most effective hosting options, as it essentially allows a single computer to run a business.

Not everyone knows what it is (or how to use one), though.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know to answer “what is a VPS server”.

So… What Is It?

Don’t get a virtual private server confused with a virtual private network (VPN).

The latter is a method to maintain your privacy while browsing the Internet, while the former is a way for you to have significant server-level power for your business from your own computer.

Put simply, a VPS is computer software that functions just like computer hardware.

Let’s take a look at a brief example.

David owns a small company that sells athletic apparel. He needs more server power for his website but doesn’t have the budget (or space) to add more equipment to his office.

Instead, he uses a VPS. Now he is able to access multiple company servers (run through computer virtualization software) from a single computer, vastly increasing his efficiency.

How Does it Work?

As previously mentioned, a VPS uses software that emulates the function of an actual computer.

This means the VPS software gets its own operating system, RAM, storage space, etc. Any attribute of a regular computer can be assigned to VPS software, allowing you to build a machine with ideal specifications for your business.

From here, your main business computer can access multiple personalized virtual servers that can run specific tasks that you need them to.

As you can tell, this greatly reduces the number of resources you need to have a large-scale server operation running at your company.

How Else Can It Be Used?

While most software functions identically across both Mac and Windows operating systems, there are programs out there that function best on one or the other.

So, let’s assume your office is stocked with Apple products and there’s a program you’re looking to purchase that would double your productivity.

Unfortunately, this program is mainly updated for Windows and Mac versions are unstable. Rather than buy a Windows computer, your VPS can act as a computer with a windows operating system that will run the program for you.

You can also use a VPS to seamlessly host multiple domains. So, if you’re an entrepreneur with multiple unrelated business websites, a VPS is the perfect management tool to handle them.

Understanding The Answer to “What Is a VPS Server” Can Seem Difficult

But it doesn’t have to be.

With the above information about “what is a VPS server” in mind, you’ll be able to increase your company’s online presence and drive sales like never before.

Want to learn more about how technology can help run your business? The Technology section of our blog has plenty of useful info.