As a business looking to host your digital platforms on a server, you can either go with a shared server (one you’ll share with other users) or a dedicated server (one that you’ll use alone). Both these have their advantages and drawbacks. But what if you’re able to reap the benefits that both these approaches provide while avoiding many of the downsides that they bring?

That’s what a Virtual Private Server (VPS) does for you. As its name suggests, it’s a server that exists virtually and guarantees the privacy of user data held on it. If you’re keen on enjoying these advantages at your business and would like to know who the best virtual private server provider in Nigeria is, you’ll find this article useful. Here we’ll talk about how you can identify a reliable VPS provider. But first, let’s run through what a virtual private server is, and why your business needs one.

What is a Virtual Private Server?

A virtual private server (VPS) is a virtualized hosting solution that is created by dividing up a physical server into virtual instances. A VPS works just like a physical server would; the main difference between it and the latter is that it isn’t hardware. VPS is ‘private’ because it has its own resources: memory, CPU cores, and space. You won’t be sharing these with other users.

As we’ve already pointed out, a virtual private server offers the benefits of both shared and dedicated servers. As a user, you don’t need to acquire fresh physical hardware to scale your server capacity; you can actually increase or decrease server utility upon request. While it’s multi-tenanted, you get the privacy that typically comes with hardware-backed dedicated hosting plans.

Why You Need a Virtual Private Server Provider in Nigeria

Here are a number of reasons your business needs a reliable virtual private server provider in Nigeria:

•You are likely to have higher platform uptimes with virtual private servers compared to regular shared servers, as a single problematic user or website cannot crash an entire server.

 •As we noted earlier, it’s easier to scale up or scale down server capacity to meet existing business needs if you’re using a virtual private server. This is especially great for small and growing companies which tend to have variable demand for servers over time.

•You will get greater storage capacity and processing power with a VPS because you won’t be sharing its resources with other users.

•VPS solutions cost less than dedicated servers, so they can guarantee significant cost savings for your business.

•The fact that your VPS is separated from other server users means that it’s more secure, or ‘private’. It also allows you to install additional security measures, such as firewalls, to protect your business’s privacy. 

How to Select the Best Virtual Private Server Provider for Your Nigerian Business

Here are the steps you should take to choose the best VPS provider for your business:

Assess Your Business Needs

The first thing you should do is to assess your business's specific requirements. Factors you should consider include the size of your website or application, expected traffic, and resource-intensive features. When you properly define your needs, you will be better able to find a VPS plan that aligns with your business goals.

Check for Performance and Reliability

VPS packages aren’t all created equal. The quality of service available differs across providers, so it’s important to find one that’s reliable. Hunt for a provider that offers high-performance servers with reliable hardware. Check for features like solid-state drives (SSD) for faster data retrieval and uptime guarantees to ensure your online presence remains accessible to users.

Examine Options for Scaling

As your business grows, so should your hosting solution. Opt for a virtual private server provider in Nigeria that offers scalable plans, which will allow you to easily upgrade resources as your website or application expands. Scalability is crucial for accommodating increased traffic and maintaining optimal performance during periods of high demand.

Think About the Server Location

The geographical location of your VPS server can influence website loading times for visitors. If it’s sited overseas, there’s a chance that your platforms will be slower than you would like it to be. We recommend that you choose a VPS derived from hardware in Nigeria. This will enable you to avoid problems like poor load speeds and achieve a consistently satisfactory user experience.

Look Out for Security Features

One reason many forward-looking companies go with VPS is the increased security that it often guarantees. But the quality of security that a setup of this kind achieves largely depends on the measures taken by the service provider. So, ensure that your VPS partner adopts robust security strategies and solutions, such as firewalls, regular backups, and DDoS protection. In addition, check for options to customize security settings based on your business's specific needs.

Weigh Customer Support and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

You will want to have your questions or complaints about your VPS quickly attended to by smart and empathetic professionals. This is something you should look for in a provider. Ideally, they will offer 24/7 customer support through various channels. Make sure to review the provider's SLAs to understand the level of service you can expect, including guaranteed response times and problem resolution.

Consider Costs

There’s certainly nothing wrong with shopping for the best deals in the market for VPS. Compare pricing structures among different providers, considering things like included features, resource allocation, and any additional costs for scaling or added services. However, you’ll have to strike a delicate balance between costs and benefits, as these two are sometimes negatively correlated in this domain.

 Layer3, a Virtual Private Server Provider You Can Trust

If you’re going to find an excellent virtual private server provider in Nigeria, you’ll need to look out for performance, scalability, security, support, and cost issues when weighing your options. When you take this reasoned approach, you’ll make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and ensures that you succeed at whatever you’re utilizing your server for.

As far as virtual private server providers go, Layer3Cloud leads the way in Nigeria with respect to the quality of service on offer. VServer, our VPS solution, is fast, secure, and customizable. It also allows you to scale memory and CPU resources. What’s more, it has an easy-to-use self-service portal, automated backup and monitoring capabilities, and comes with no installation and setup charges. There are no vendor lock-ins, and support is available 24/7.       

If you would like to find out more about our VPS offering, you can speak with our experts HERE.