What is a managed dedicated server?
A physical server used only by you, where our engineers look after the operating system, security patching, monitoring and backups so your team doesn't have to.
How much does a managed dedicated server cost?
Fully managed servers start from £269 a month, excluding VAT - that includes the hardware and the complete management service. We'll confirm an exact price for your build.
Can I change service level later?
Yes. You can move between Self-Managed, Proactive Monitoring, Managed and Premium at any time, with no contract lock-in or penalties.
How quickly do you respond to problems?
We monitor your server around the clock and respond to critical alerts in under 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. If we can fix the issue straight away we do, then raise a ticket explaining what happened. If it needs your input, we'll explain the problem, the time to fix and any cost before we start.
Are backups included?
Yes - we take automatic daily backups of your managed services and store them on our dedicated backup platform. They're supplementary to your own backup regime rather than a replacement for it, and assisted recovery is included: your first restore is free, with further restores at our standard admin rate.
How are updates and security patches handled?
Automatic operating system updates are configured for you, typically applied overnight (around 03:00 UTC). If an update causes a problem with the server's core services, we correct it or roll back to the latest backup. Minor updates to core services such as your web server or database can also be done on request.
What isn't covered by management?
We manage the server, operating system and the core services present at handover (such as HTTP, FTP, MySQL and cPanel/Plesk). Things above that layer - WordPress, Magento and other CMS upgrades, third-party extensions, custom scripts and website performance work - are your responsibility, though we can help on a best-effort basis at our standard admin rate of £120 per hour.
Is any of my own admin time included?
Yes - one hour of admin time per month is included on an ad-hoc, best-effort basis. Additional work is billed at £120 per hour, and any task takes a minimum of one hour. If work is ever chargeable, we'll always quote and get your approval first.
What happens if the hardware fails?
Hardware is our problem, not yours. We guarantee 100% uptime on power and network, a 4-hour hardware replacement from the point of diagnosis, and RAID monitoring that alerts us to degraded disks so we can coordinate a replacement with you. SLA credits can be claimed against downtime - see our terms for details.
Can I upgrade to a newer operating system later?
Yes. Major version upgrades aren't done in place - instead we provide a new server with the updated system free of charge for one month, so you can migrate across carefully. Our team will advise and can assist with the migration at the standard admin rate.