If your web presence is beginning to grow faster than you anticipated or you begin to require more resources for your website then upgrading to a dedicated VPS hosting account may be your best move.
Alternatives
Many times site developers try to run applications that just don’t work on shared hosting accounts. When that happens a number of alternatives are tried first, sometimes a compromise on the software or a substitute to a less suitable application, but eventually they realize that the easiest and most cost effective way to get what’s best for the site is to move up to virtual private hosting or VPS.
Proprietary Names
Almost all web host providers offer the ability for a site owner to upgrade. Some companies have proprietary names different from what most tech people know as VPS, but the product is the same. Usually each offers a variety of programs with increasing bandwidth or memory and other upgrades within the server itself.
Skill Set
The process itself is quite simple and web host providers do their utmost to make the transition from a shared hosting account without too much drama. However, there are additional skill sets that you need to maintain your own server when compared to what you’ve been doing with the host company managing everything for you. The most important is that you get root access to the server, just like a dedicated server and that means that no other user can sneak into your files or your account.
Support
When you upgrade to a dedicated VPS hosting server all of the software is pre-installed, updated and pre-configured to standard usage. Knowing how to access and work with cPanel, PHP, MySQL, FFMpeg modules or others require a learning curve, but every company but the most lame provides, semi-managed accounts and tech support 24/7 to help you through the myriad of options. Getting help requires a simple phone call or an email to support.
Additional Cost
Along with the added control and security you have with a virtual private server there is also additional cost. Each time you upgrade to a larger program among those offered by the provider, comes increased costs. If you know that you will continue to increase over the next few months, it may be wiser to look into a dedicated server rather than a portion of one that is offered as a VPS.
Knowing your needs and anticipating future growth will keep you growing without suspension from your host provider.