VPS Security: How to Keep Your Data Secure

Are you thinking about ordering a new virtual server and wondering about VPS security? Are you unsure of the best ways to secure VPS servers and need help with system security?

When ordering a server for VPS Hosting, you will likely be presented with an option between a managed and an unmanaged server.

It is important to understand all of your hosting options (including those considering shared hosting vs VPS vs dedicated server) when deciding what kind of infrastructure and secure VPS hosting support you will need. 

VPS security includes all facets of server security, including server management; installation of updates, patches, and server hardening; backups; DDoS protection; vulnerability scanning services; and 24/7 support.

The main reason to use a managed server vs an unmanaged server is that a managed server gives you access to a support team 24/7. This is incredibly important for VPS security because managed hosting experts will know exactly how to handle difficult situations and new types of threats.

With an unmanaged server, you have no support on your server other than keeping the network maintained. If you have an unmanaged server, plan on doing all of the work needed to maintain your server. You will also need to provide your own technicians to solve any issues that may arise.

With Managed Hosting with Liquid Web, your server gets regular patches and OS updates automatically. Patching is more important than ever, as core operating system patches secure your VPS hosting and stop hackers from using well-known exploits against your servers.

When an exploit is found, operating system updates are issued to patch the exploit and prevent it from being further abused by attackers. If you are using unmanaged hosting, you will need to install all updates and software patches yourself.

With Liquid Web, our proprietary software keeps your server up-to-date with the latest patches to keep your VPS security system safeguarded against hackers. Our systems check the latest patches and install them during the best times for your business, usually after-hours.

On a managed web server, you will have backup software available to you to keep regularly, likely daily, backups of your server’s files in case something were to happen. These backups will be stored in the cloud, off of your server. If something were to happen to your server, you will be able to restore it to your latest restore point quickly and with minimal data loss.

Unmanaged servers do not readily offer backup implementations. This means that you will have to find your own VPS hosting backup solutions to successfully copy data off of your server in a secure fashion to prevent possible data loss in the future.

Liquid Web’s managed servers come with basic DDoS protection. DDoS, which stands for Distributed Denial of Service, is an attack from hackers in which a server is inundated with packets with units of data to the point where the server cannot function. DDoS protection prevents these types of attacks from happening and is able to shut them down once they start. They can do this by detecting abnormal traffic patterns and blocking the units of data from hitting the server.

Liquid Web can help to secure the VPS server in a way that nothing is affected by the attack, and effectively prevent DDoS attacks. Liquid Web’s team actively monitors network traffic and is quick to detect potential threats. Even while you are home sleeping, Liquid Web’s monitoring team watches for unusual traffic patterns and implements rules to protect your server.

With additional VPS security features like CloudFlare protection, which can reduce server load as well as prevent DDoS attacks, Liquid Web helps makes sure your servers are safe. And with point-and-click scaling of resources, VPS Hosting can handle DDoS attacks much more readily than most shared hosting.

Managed hosting offers a VPS security system with strong protection from viruses and other types of hacking attempts. Liquid Web managed hosting includes ServerSecurePlus and MAD to help fend off attacks.

ServerSecurePlus, which can be purchased at an additional cost, is an overarching security tool developed by Liquid Web to run malware scans, harden FTP rules, and provide real-time security intelligence. These VPS security system tools include anti-virus software, vulnerability scans, and email virus filters.

Liquid Web’s MAD security tool prevents hackers from brute-forcing server passwords by detecting a threshold of failed logins and blocking that IP from accessing the server for a set amount of time. This effectively stops hackers from using automated software to guess passwords on your webserver to gain illegitimate access.

With unmanaged servers, you won’t get any of these features. Unmanaged servers are completely do-it-yourself and do not include anti-virus and brute-force detection by default. Again, another reason to have a managed server is the VPS security it provides to your server and data that’s unmatched by unmanaged hosting.

Hardware upgrades are vital to VPS data security, such as your hard drive RAID (redundant array of independent/inexpensive disks), which allows storing data across multiple hard drives. If your RAID fails, then all of your data is at risk of deletion. Having a dedicated team available to monitor these physical hardware risks is incredibly important to keep your server safe. Managed servers will get hardware upgrades automatically at the data center.

If hardware is failing or becomes very out-of-date, the support team can automatically upgrade these physical components at an appropriate time. Even if you need more RAM added or a bigger hard drive, managed support can implement these changes.

Unless you have your own fully dedicated technical support team at your organization that understands VPS hosting, it makes sense to go with managed hosting. Unmanaged VPS hosting can be a lot of work and requires a vast array of technical knowledge to keep VPS data secure. This support must also be available at any time to prevent or stop attacks. With a dedicated Liquid Web monitoring team, security team, and Windows or Linux general support, Liquid Web supports you every step of the way.

With Liquid Web, the Managed Support Team is available 24/7/365 via phone, chat, or email to help you with any VPS hosting issues that may arise with your VPS security system. Whether you need a password reset, a firewall rule implemented, or have a VPS security question, a dedicated support team makes a big difference in your workload. You can simply reach out to the support line and get an expert technician in minutes.