What is a Dedicated FTP Server?

"Dedicated FTP server", “Shared FTP server”, "FTP server" -- do they mean the same thing? While they are all talking about the same application, a dedicated FTP server is actually its own unique entity and should always be treated as such. Understanding exactly what a dedicated FTP server is and what that term means is one of the keys to making the most informed decision on behalf of your business regarding an FTP provider in the future.

What is a Dedicated FTP Server?

One of the biggest differences between a shared FTP server and a dedicated server also has to do with its biggest advantage - the fact that you aren't sharing system resources with anyone. In an effort to service as many clients as possible while remaining as efficient as possible, many FTP providers share servers with more than one client or business. All of your confidential files may be stored on the same computer that an entirely separate, unrelated business uses. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this from a security perspective, if properly designed, it could be taxing on the machine if a dozen businesses are trying to perform system resource-intensive tasks at the exact same moment.

A dedicated FTP server, on the other hand, is yours and yours alone. Providers like FTP Today offer you access to a managed virtual machine with its own dedicated CPU and memory, giving you complete confidence in knowing that not even a kilobyte of someone else's data will ever touch that machine. This also helps to keep all of your data in one place, as a dedicated FTP server is inherently scalable. FTP Today lets you start with 250GB of storage space and gives you the option to increase to 5TB or more depending on your needs.

Depending on the provider, a dedicated FTP server may be the only way to get guaranteed storage access. With some providers, if three businesses are using a machine with 3TB of storage space, each might be able to monopolize the storage. If you suddenly need to go beyond that, you may run out of space even if you are paying for it. While this can’t happen with FTP Today since even shared FTP servers have allocated and guaranteed storage for each account, this simply can’t happen at all on a dedicated FTP server since not only the CPU and memory are dedicated, but so is the storage.

A dedicated FTP server gives you access to all of the productivity and security-related features that you have come to expect from an FTP provider. You can create an unlimited number of user accounts and have access to your own dedicated IP address. All branding options, e-mail notification options, file retention controls, password enforcement and other functionality is ready and waiting to be taken advantage of in any way that you see fit.

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