Dedicated Server Hosting in Dallas: Advantages and Disadvantages

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Dallas is one of the major US peering points for internet service providers to exchange traffic. That fact has helped Dallas grow into a major internet hub, popular for hosting dedicated servers and other internet infrastructure. We here at IOFLOOD.com host all of our servers in Phoenix, AZ, but we do recognize that location is not perfect for everyone. Does this mean you should you host your dedicated server in Dallas?

Deciding where to host can be difficult, as there are many options, and the differences aren’t always clear. We hope to shed some light on that in this article where we outline some advantages and disadvantages to hosting your dedicated server in Dallas:

Advantages:

• Central US location provides reasonable latency to both East Coast and West Coast US visitors.
• Good internet connectivity: Being a major peering hub of a similar size to Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Seattle, and Chicago allows Dallas access to many internet providers at excellent speeds and competitive prices.
• Low cost of living, electricity, etc allows Dallas servers to be among the most competitively priced options in the US. With pricing similar to Phoenix, it’s easy to find deals that are far cheaper than Los Angeles or New York on the same kind of server.

Disadvantages:

• Natural disasters, specifically storms and hurricanes, are a real threat for Dallas. To keep your site up 24/7 and avoid data loss, it is important to keep off-site backups and have a disaster recovery plan if you intend to host your dedicated servers anywhere in Texas.
• “Good for many, perfect for nobody”. Dallas is not located near the largest US population centers, so if you need low latency access to those in the Northeast or the West, Dallas will have a disadvantage over providers in New York or Los Angeles, respectively. This is generally more important for game server hosting, and less important for general website hosting.
• Highly competitive market: If your customers prefer a particular location over another, you may be able to demand higher prices if you host somewhere else. Due to the low cost of Dallas hosting, your direct competitors may be offering excellent deals, so offering hosting related services in Dallas can be a very competitive low margin business. If your customers don’t care much about location, this “disadvantage” can be an advantage as you would benefit from low cost vendors.

I know that picking a dedicated hosting provider can be a difficult experience. Hopefully this list of advantages and disadvantages can get you started in making your decision. If you need any additional help deciding where to host your dedicated server, feel free to contact the ioflood team at sales [at] ioflood.com.