Dedicated servers are a great option for many website owners in need of reliable and customizable hosting. Specifically, a dedicated server hosted at a secure, third-party data center, avoids the hassles that can come along with purchasing and maintaining your own server hardware and equipment. Still, when you have a dedicated server, security is always a concern. You’ll want to make sure you select a hosting company that has plenty of security features at their data centers, including 24/7 surveillance. However, no matter how secure of a server you have, there are some steps you should still take to bolster security and protect your site from attacks.
Check for Updates Often
One of the most important responsibilities you’ll have as a website owner is that of checking for security updates and patches often. Many vulnerabilities are a direct result of failure to install a patch to a known security issue or failing to install needed updates. Ideally, you should be checking for updates at least a few times a week and installing them as soon as they become available. Furthermore, it’s never a bad idea to get rid of any plug-ins or other components that you no longer use, as this will ensure you’re not prone to any vulnerabilities that may exist through those components.
Know Your Networks
A common mistake website owners make when it comes to their dedicated server security is not paying attention to the networks they use to log in and out of their hosting accounts. You should only ever log in using a network you know and trust, such as a secured home network. Logging in using any kind of free, public or unsecured network (such as the one at your favorite local coffee shop) is a recipe for disaster, since there is always the possibility that others could be monitoring what you type. This is a common way for log-in information to be stolen and malicious attacks to be carried out on your site.
Opt for DDoS Protection
DDoS attacks are becoming an increasingly common problem among websites of all sizes these days, so another way to bolster your site security is to make sure your dedicated server comes with some form of DDoS protection in place. This security feature will essentially filter your website traffic so that any malicious or non-legitimate traffic is blocked, while all your regular traffic is allowed through without delay. Some hosting companies, such as ReliableSite, now offer free standard DDoS protection with all their dedicated servers. You also have the option to purchase additional protection for attacks of up to 100 Gbps, if desired. This is definitely something to consider for added peace of mind against this very real security threat.
These are just a few ways website owners can go about beefing up security through their dedicated servers. From there, you can enjoy a reduced risk of attacks and get back to focusing on your business.
