There are many pretenders out there who claim they offer VPS technology, but be warned: not all VPS offerings are equal. So when you're researching the best solution for your needs, remember that a hosted VPS should be evaluated by more than just price, disk space and bandwidth. A VPS should be judged by the comprehensive set of services you receive. You're paying for the network, the hardware and software, maintenance and managed services, support and a good relationship with your vendor.

Some criterias to consider:

• How long has the VPS provider been in business? Can you count on the provider to be there when you need them, several years down the road?
  
• Is the VPS you are considering a mature solution (seasoned OS on proven hardware), or is it a newcomer? When it comes to reliability and stability, experienced providers are the best bet because the technology has been proven.
  
• Does the provider use refurbished desktop hardware that may not have the most reliable components or drivers?
  
• Are the operating system and hardware tuned for optimal performance?
  
• Are hardware/software updates and upgrades included as a part of the service, or will you be expected to pay for upgrades or do the upgrades yourself?
  
• Does the provider offer constant patches and security reviews to lock down possible vulnerabilities?
  
• Is the provider using certified hardware and applications for security, performance and reliability?
  
• Are applications available to install on your VPS that have been certified to run on your VPS, so that you aren't required to compile and install applications on your own?
  
• Does the provider ensure that your VPS is allotted a fair share of server resources, such as CPU, bandwidth, memory?
  
• What type of network connectivity can you expect with your provider? Going with the big guys should get you much more reliable network connections and network peering, which ensures better and faster access to your server regardless of what functions it has been set up to serve.
  
• Is free support included in your VPS hosting plan? For how long? What type of support is offered—can you ask “how toâ€� questions? Will they help with you questions about using your server, even if your questions aren't about the server itself?

VPS hosting plans are a fantastic solution for most small business hosting needs, but choosing the right VPS can be as difficult as choosing the right car. The trick is to keep it simple by looking at the bigger picture. Ask the basic questions, and don't buy if you don't get a satisfactory answer.

If you don't assume that a lower price and more disk space is the better deal, you won't wind up broken down in the desert heat, wishing you'd spent a few extra dollars to buy the more reliable car.

Introduction to Virtual Private Servers
Virtual private servers or simply VPS are a means of splitting a single physical server into multiple virtual servers. Its greatest advantage is its use in the web hosting plans. There are many other uses of virtual private servers that we will discuss in this article.

Advantages and Disadvantages of VPS Web Hosting
It is true that with a Virtual Private Server you still share system resources like the CPU and RAM with other users but the resources are allocated in such a way that you cannot tell that the system has anyone else on it?