8 reasons why VPS makes your website more secure

Your website holds treasured information and data that you and your customers need. It’s this treasured data that also makes it vulnerable to thieves and attackers. Every day, there are countless threats in the digital space, whether it’s malware, DDoS attacks,  or data theft. How do you protect your website from these dangers? 

One possibility is to work with a virtual private server (VPS), one of the most secure and reliable solutions you can choose to protect your website from threats.  

In this article, we’ll look at eight ways that a VPS protects your website, from better network segmentation and malware protection to stronger infrastructure. Whether you’re already using a VPS or considering it, the security benefits are undeniable.  

1. Full control over security configurations 

A VPS gives you complete control over your security configurations, making a VPS a particularly secure choice for you as a website owner.  

From configuring your own firewall to selecting and installing specific software updates, you can customise your website’s security according to your own needs. You can set rules to monitor traffic, block malicious IP addresses,  and restrict access to certain areas of your website.  

This gives you a decisive advantage in terms of security, as you don’t have to rely on standardised solutions that may not cover all your system’s needs. 

Customisation also lets you implement security protocols and practices that are optimised for your specific website and its requirements. For example, if a new vulnerability is discovered in a software you use, you can immediately update to protect your website without having to rely on a hosting provider’s schedule. This ensures a proactive security strategy and minimises the risk of attacks or data loss. 

The flexibility and control of a VPS let you continuously adapt and improve the security of your website. 

2. Network segmentation gives better protection against attacks

A VPS offers enhanced control over your network environment, including network segmentation, which lets you restrict control and access to your network. Compared to shared hosting, where multiple websites share the same physical server and network, a VPS provides a separate, private environment.  

This ensures only authorised users or applications have access to your server resources and data, reducing the risk of unauthorised access. 

Network segmentation on a VPS lets you run different services on separate virtual machines (VMs), limiting the attack surface and minimising the likelihood of a security incident spreading. Segmentation means that even if one VM is attacked, the rest of the system remains secure. 

Additional layers of defence include firewalls, VPNs, and access control lists (ACLs), which restrict access to trusted IPs and devices. All these layers further strengthen your server’s overall security. 

3. Use of encryption and SSL certificates

With a VPS, you have full control over your website’s security settings and protocols. This includes the ability to install SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates, which encrypt the data exchanged between your server and your website’s users. This encryption protects sensitive information such as usernames, passwords or payment details from being intercepted by third parties.  

Encryption is especially important if you process personal or confidential data on your website, for example if you own an ecommerce website. It protects your users from security threats and builds trust, as users can clearly tell that the connection is secured by the lock icon in the browser and the “https://” in the URL.  

By managing your own SSL certificates, you can ensure optimal encryption, boost the credibility of your website, and even improve your SEO rankings, as Google and other search engines prefer HTTPS-encrypted pages. 

4. Regular security updates and patches 

One of the biggest benefits of a VPS is full control over software and security updates. You can decide for yourself when and how often you install security updates on your server, allowing you to respond quickly to new threats and vulnerabilities. 

Regular security updates are essential, as attackers often target outdated software to exploit known weaknesses. With a VPS, you can ensure your server, content management system (CMS), database, etc., is always protected by the most up-to-date security measures. 

Fast updates are important since hackers often exploit vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered. Installing updates and patches immediately can help prevent attackers from compromising your website.  

If you prefer a simpler solution where updates and security patches are taken care of for you, be sure to check out the one.com Managed VPS offering:

5. Automatic backups and fast restoration

A VPS usually offers the ability to perform automatic backups of your website and data. Automatic backups ensure that copies of your important files and data are made regularly without requiring manual input.  

With a VPS, you can control how often and at what times backups are performed – whether it’s daily, weekly, or after every important change. This flexibility ensures that your data is always up to date and that rapid recovery is possible in the event of a disaster. 

Many VPS providers, including one.com, provide options for recovery in case of an incident. For example, if your website becomes inaccessible due to an attack or technical error, you can access the latest version of your data and restore the website in no time. A fast restore option can minimise downtime and get your website back online as quickly as possible. 

6. Protection against malware and viruses

A VPS gives you full control over the selection, installation, and configuration of security tools, including antivirus and anti-malware software. You can choose the solutions that best fit your needs and ensure they’re kept up to date actively protect your website from malware, viruses, and other harm. 

Beyond basic protection, you can configure the VPS as needed for specific protection mechanisms, including traffic monitoring, custom firewalls, and attack detection systems to block suspicious activity in real time. This customisation allows you to provide the protection necessary for the specific needs of your website and data. 

7. Isolation and exclusive control over dedicated resources

Unlike shared hosting, a VPS provides your website with its own dedicated virtual environment, complete with individual CPU and RAM. This boosts performance by preventing other users from consuming your resources, while also improving security by isolating your website from potential vulnerabilities in other hosted sites. 

With exclusive control over your server’s environment, you can configure your system to meet your exact needs, including its security protocols. The separation ensures consistent performance and lets you build a custom security strategy without worrying about interference from other users.   

8. Firewall management

With a VPS, you have full control over your firewall configuration, meaning you can control and actively monitor traffic to and from your website. You can set custom rules to permit only trusted IP addresses or restrict access to specific ports, giving you more precise protection than what’s possible with shared hosting. 

With individual firewall settings, you can protect your website from a wide range of attacks. These include DDoS attacks, brute force attacks, or SQL injection attempts, where hackers try to gain unauthorised access to your database.