Dedicated Server vs VM


In the past, a Dedicated Server was the only way to implement a non-shared environment for hosting. With the advent of cloud computing, a VMware powered Virtual Machine offers the same functionality and autonomy as Dedicated, but also offers additional benefits. For example, to implement high availability on Dedicated Servers would require the user to purchase two or more physical servers in a cluster and run an OS that supports clustering or load balancing. With a VM, high availability is a low cost option that can be implemented with the flick of a switch. The user does not need to purchase more than one server and can use any operating system he/she chooses. Another benefit of cloud is easier upgradability. With Dedicated, changing the amount of CPU, RAM or networking adapters requires the machine to be shut down, opened up, and upgraded with costly parts. A VM, on the other hand, can be upgraded with a simple reboot.

 
DEDICATED SERVER
VIRTUAL MACHINE
EASY TO ADD COMPUTE RESOURCES
No. Requires downtime. Cost of resources is high.
Yes. Requires a single reboot. Cost of resources is low.
SETUP FEES
Yes. Most providers charge a setup fee for deploying or upgrading.
No. There are no service fees to deploy or upgrade a VM with Winky.
HIGH AVAILABILITY
A high cost option that requires additional software.
A low cost option that is already available through VMware vSphere.
TIME TO DEPLOY
Can take days or weeks to deploy a new Dedicated Server.
Usually takes hours to deploy but can be done even quicker.
TIME TO SCALE
Can take days or weeks to add new Dedicated Server nodes.
Usually takes hours to deploy new nodes but can be done even quicker.
COST TO OWN
The cost to own a Dedicated Server is the highest among all hosted servers.
The cost to own a VM is medium in the range of cost for hosted servers.
STORAGE
Almost all Dedicated Servers employ locally attached storage
All VMs employ Fibre Channel SAN for storage.
NETWORKING
Number of NICs limited to number of open slots. Downtime and cost to add
Add up to 6 NICs with a click of the mouse and a reboot. No cost to add
MANAGEMENT
Higher levels of management due to equipment specific device drivers
Device drivers are virtual and automatically installed and maintained
POINTS OF FAILURE
Dedicated Servers usually feature single points of failure, ie motherboard, CPU
All VMs feature redundancy at both the physical and virtual layers

You may have read that Dedicated is necessary to handle the high I/Os required by a database server. A VM can perform this task just as well, especially when a Fibre Channel SAN is incorporated. Winky's Fibre Channel SAN with available SSD drives provides unmatched transfer rates and I/Os, providing the perfect platform to handle mission critical and high traffic applications.

If you are in the market for Dedicated, consider choosing a VM instead. VMs offer cost savings, equal performance, and more optional features than Dedicated.