What is a VPS?

What is a VPS?

A virtual private server is a virtual machine on a shared physical host that behaves like a server of your own: its own operating system, its own allocation of memory, cores and disk, its own IP address, and an administrator who is you. On Infosaic Cloud a VPS is a Windows Server 2025 machine on a Dell Hyper-V host, with the web stack configured before you sign in.

It sits between shared hosting, where many sites share one operating system and one pool of resources, and a dedicated server, where the whole physical machine is yours.

VPS

Virtual private server: a virtual machine that is yours to administer, on a physical host shared with other virtual machines. Also called a cloud server or a virtual server.

Virtual machine

A complete computer - operating system, memory, disk, network - implemented in software on a physical host. Each Infosaic VPS is one.

Hyper-V

Microsoft's hypervisor, the software on a host that runs and separates virtual machines. Infosaic Cloud runs on it.

Full isolation

Each virtual machine has its own allocation of memory, cores and disk and cannot see or affect another. What makes a VPS different from a shared account.

What do the plan specifications mean?

Each plan is described by its memory, virtual cores and two drives. The rest - the operating system, the stack, the network, the support - is the same on all four.

RAM

The server's working memory. Light has 2 GB, Basic 4 GB, Standard 8 GB and Pro 16 GB. Databases and busy applications want more of it.

vCPU / virtual core

A share of a physical processor core given to the virtual machine. Light has 2, Basic 4, Standard 6 and Pro 8.

System drive

The drive Windows Server and installed software live on: 50 GB on Light and Basic, 60 GB on Standard, 80 GB on Pro.

Data drive

A separate drive for sites, databases and files: 50, 100, 200 or 300 GB by plan.

Instant availability

The access details are emailed the moment the sign-up completes; there is no provisioning queue.

Email

Mailboxes for your domains with POP3, IMAP and webmail, included with every plan.

VPS, shared hosting, dedicated server or virtual desktop?

Shared hosting puts many sites on one server and one operating system; it is cheap and limited. A VPS gives you your own operating system and allocation on a shared host, with administrator access. A dedicated server gives you the whole physical machine. A virtual desktop is also a virtual machine, but it runs Windows 11 for a person to work at rather than Windows Server for software to run on.

Shared hosting

Many websites on one server and one operating system, administered by the host. Infosaic's web hosting packages start at $8.99 a month.

Dedicated server

A whole physical machine for one customer. Infosaic's are fully managed Dell servers from $104 a month.

Virtual desktop

A Windows 11 virtual machine for a person to work at, reached from any device. Infosaic's start at $11.95 a month.

Cloud server

Another name for a VPS, usually one that can be resized without moving.

What is pre-installed, and what do the names mean?

Every Infosaic VPS arrives with Windows Server 2025 and the web stack configured. The terms below are the pieces.

Windows Server 2025

Microsoft's current server operating system. Installed, licensed and activated on every Infosaic VPS, with the license inside the price.

IIS

Internet Information Services, the Windows web server. Configured for multiple sites on every VPS.

ASP.NET

Microsoft's framework for web applications and APIs, running under IIS.

PHP

The language WordPress and much of the web is written in. Runs under IIS on an Infosaic VPS.

SQL Server Express

The free edition of Microsoft SQL Server, pre-installed. Microsoft caps its database size and memory; a licensed edition can be installed when a database outgrows it.

MySQL

The open-source database WordPress and most PHP applications expect. Pre-installed.

Application pool

IIS's way of running each site or application in its own process, so one cannot take another down.

How do I manage it?

Over Remote Desktop, on every plan: the whole machine, with built-in installers for the routine work and IIS Manager and the database tools for everything else. A browser control panel can be connected on request.

Remote Desktop / RDP

Remote Desktop Protocol, the standard Windows way of connecting to a machine and seeing its screen. Clients exist for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad and Android.

Built-in installers

Thirteen installers present on every VPS, run from a desktop icon or a PowerShell prompt over Remote Desktop: a new IIS site with its database, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, MediaWiki, PrestaShop, phpMyAdmin, Umbraco, DNN, a free SSL certificate, an FTP account, a site backup and a site removal. About a minute each.

Control panel

Infosaic's browser-based management for sites, databases, mailboxes and DNS. It can be connected to a VPS on request; day to day, the server is managed over Remote Desktop.

Administrator access

The right to change anything on the server: install software, edit settings, manage services. You have it on every VPS.

Fully managed

Infosaic runs the host, storage and network, keeps Windows updated, and supports updates, databases, permissions and security on the server at no extra charge.

What about the network?

Every VPS has a dedicated public IP address on a 100 Mbps connection with unmetered traffic, fed by the data center's redundant carriers. Several servers can be joined on a private network as a virtual private cloud.

Dedicated IP

A public internet address belonging only to your server. Useful for mail reputation, whitelisting and reaching the server directly.

Unmetered traffic

No bandwidth cap, fair-use threshold or overage charge on the connection.

100 Mbps connection

The connection each VPS is given to the data center's network, shared with nobody else's virtual machine.

Virtual private cloud

A private network on Infosaic Cloud with your servers on it, so they reach each other over private addresses nothing else can see. Quoted on request.

Redundant carriers

Several independent internet providers feeding the data center at once, with traffic blended across them. If one has an outage, its traffic moves to the others automatically.

Automatic failover

The switch from a failed provider to a working one without anyone having to act.

Where does it run, and who runs it?

On Infosaic Cloud, the ultimate hosting platform: Dell hosts running Hyper-V in a compliance-audited data center in the United States, managed and kept patched by Infosaic, with support around the clock.

Infosaic Cloud

The platform under every Infosaic service: hosts, storage and network, managed by Infosaic in a compliance-audited US data center.

Compliance-audited data center

A facility whose colocation services hold their own attestations - here a PCI, HIPAA and SSAE Type II certified network - covering physical security, power, cooling and monitoring.

N+1 cooling

One more cooling unit than the load requires, so one can fail or be serviced without the room warming.

BAA

Business Associate Agreement, the HIPAA contract a provider signs with a customer handling protected health information. Infosaic signs them.

Site transfer

Moving an existing website - files, databases, mail, DNS - from another provider to your VPS. Included in the price of every plan.

Money-back guarantee

A conditional refund on a customer's first order, described on the money-back page. It does not apply to accounts that breach the acceptable-use rules.