Hosted QuickBooks
I have gotten asked asked a lot of questions over the years about QuickBooks Hosting, and while I have answered in a lot of different ways, I thought I would write a little article to simplify the matter because it can be a a lot like your choice in real estate... how you spend your money can make a world of difference in how you enjoy life.
Dedicated or Shared... 'that is' the Question
Ultimately QuickBooks Hosting comes down to the question of a 'dedicated hosting environment' or a 'shared hosting environment.' The differences can be like 'night and day', or like 'living in a palace vs a shared apartment.'
Dedicated hosting provides an exclusive physical server that is only available to you, nobody else is using the same server which is running only your applications, including QuickBooks. A shared hosting environment in which your application(s), like QuickBooks, run on the same physical server (even if it has been configured as multiple virtual servers) with many other users is just that, ‘shared’ and the resources (processors, processor cores and memory) are also shared.
Dedicated physical server environments are like owning your own house, while shared hosting on a virtual server is like living in an apartment complex. But even worse, shared hosting on a common server is like living in a single apartment with roommates (even if you do have your own bedroom and bathroom), and what some hosting companies call 'QuickBooks Hosting' in which the QuickBooks Application is simply running on a shared server with multiple instances available to different companies... well that's like living in common quarters with people you don't know sharing everything from the bathroom to the kitchen.
Which Environment do you want for Your QuickBooks Hosting?
Murph’s answer is, as it almost always is when it comes to equipment, and let’s face it the reality is that hosting is as much about ‘the equipment’ as the actual ‘host’… “the very best you can afford.” So, as far as I am concerned you really want to have your QuickBooks and any related applications hosted on a ‘Dedicated Server’ rather than even a ‘Virtual Server’ in shared environment (physical machine) with other users.
Here is why:
Enhanced speed and performance comes from the fact that your servers’ resources are dedicated exclusively to you and your applications… it’s your processor and processing cores, and it’s your RAM, just like it was when the server was sitting in your own office. With a dedicated server your performance can be ‘tweaked’ if the host has any real knowledge of what they are doing to be significantly faster than if the physical server is having to manage an environment in which multiple ‘virtual servers’ are sharing physical (yet allocated) resources.
Equipment freedom is another plus of ‘dedicated server’ environments because in effect the machine is yours, that means you should be able to specify as much resources as you are willing to pay for… “I want more RAM”, or “I want more storage space”. You had that kind of control in your office, you should have it with your ‘Dedicated host.’
Application control freedom (I love that word ‘freedom’ when it comes to hosting) is provided by the fact that your ‘dedicated server’ should have no restrictions so long as you have authorized the necessary physical resources to run whatever software applications you want to run. They can not possibly conflict with anyone else since nobody else, or their applications, are (or should be) on your server.
Improved security results from the fact that you and your employees are the only people having access to your ‘dedicated server’ and the applications on it. Since you will have a unique IP, you are much less likely to be subject to site attack, even though your server should still be protected by the same intensive cyber security measures the hosting company provides for all of their operations, servers and clients. And, with a ‘dedicated server’ you should be able to request (if you are willing to pay for) specialized security options that may provide even greater cyber risk reduction.
If you host is ‘wishy-washy’ about any of these, then they may be telling you that you have a ‘dedicated server’ when you really don’t. But generally, if you are willing to pay to have your host manage the dedicated server for your QuickBooks environment you want, including the other applications you need, they will gladly do so.
What I have found is that it isn’t necessarily ‘cheaper’ than having a server of your own and having to maintain it yourself (probably with either staff or a consultant), but it should be fewer headaches. Certainly, one of the biggest of those headaches it hopefully eliminates is ‘disaster recovery’ as a result of multi-location redundancy. So, make certain that the host is providing those kinds of security for even your ‘dedicated server.’
If your Host Can't Offer (Guarantee) You Dedicated Hosting
Assuming you can afford it, if your hosting company can't offer and more importantly 'guarantee' you dedicated a dedicated server environment meeting your specifications for your QuickBooks and other (related) applications, then I say... "move on down the road" to a hosting company that can, and will, guarantee you the environment you deserve. There are too many options in today's market that can be easily and safely configured to provide you with hosting for your QuickBooks and related applications, under configurations you dictate. There are plenty of reputable hosting companies that can and will meet your requirements, and guarantee you 'dedicated hosting services', so don't settle for less.
After all, do you want to be living in a 'Penthouse on Park Avenue', or a 'Shared Trailer in Pahrump'?