Organizations are always looking to enhance their currently used security infrastructure. Chances are that you must’ve heard about the current solutions in the industry but aren’t aware of them. And with all those questions, ‘What is Dedicated IP’ is prominent.
A dedicated IP serves multiple functions. One such function is to secure access permissions for employees and teams.
However, using a dedicated IP or a shared IP is a question that is bound to surface when making business safety decisions. The confusion may be due to misconceptions regarding the technology and its implementation in workflows.
Let’s break it down into elements to understand the configurations better with a detailed understanding about its offerings.
Table of Contents
What Is a Dedicated IP?
Firstly, let us understand what an IP is.
An IP stands for Internet Protocol and is an address assigned to each web domain.
An organization only uses a dedicated IP address, and its employees can access it through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The users assigned to this network are guaranteed safe entry and access to an organization's data regardless of where they are. It refers to a unique address provided to each computer connected to a network. In simpler terms, a dedicated IP can only be used by a single user or entity.
With a dedicated IP, an IP address is assigned to a domain that isn’t shared by any other domain.
It is a simple and effective way to maintain a robust security system, ensuring access to only authorized users. This also helps to keep the online traffic to be private and unseen.
How Does IP Work?
A shared or dynamic IP address is used by unknown users wherein all data is sent through the same server.
On the other hand, a dedicated IP is used by a specific organization and its employees making it a secure and inclusive aspect.
A dedicated IP address can be purchased. You can prevent unauthorized network access, control permissions, and ensure continuous access to users regardless of location.
With a dedicated IP, all the data traffic can be sent through the static IP address that only the organization can use without losing control of privacy. VPN providers may call the dedicated IP option different names, such as personal static IPs and others.
The difference between both configurations is based on how they are implemented.
The Difference Between a Shared IP and a Dedicated IP
Choosing a web hosting might not be accessible with ample options and gaps in understanding their core offerings. The differences between both configurations are quite apparent. Here’s more:
Shared IP
A shared IP is a single address used for my multiple websites with a single server. This requires the webserver to make extra efforts to move requests to the correct website on the users.
It means that the firm will take the same IP address as different users of the same provider. The traffic and data of all these firms will be sent through the same server.
When organizations connect with a VPN server, they often share their IP address with many people. This leads to the data traffic of one or more entities being sent through the same VPN server. A shared IP is susceptible to change as per the server, which may move locations to maintain security, which is not the case with a dedicated IP. And this is where the Internet Protocol Address helps to identify unique data used to provide the actual location of a machine.
A user will be assigned a different IP when connected to VPN servers that only have shared VPN addresses. VPN providers also use an IP address from one user to the other to ensure safety. This is regardless of whether you are using a different server location.
This image may give a different picture to the website visitors. A website can also block a shared IP address when a lot of people use it to get access. With a dedicated IP, you will be the only person trying to access it.
With a shared IP, those sharing the same IP address may get banned for spamming their audiences, causing a direct impact on your services.
Although it is worth noting that the site uses a shared IP address, it doesn’t mean it is using shared hosting.
Dedicated IP
A dedicated IP means that the website has its address. This refers to the organization using the IP address or the domain name to access it from the web.
With the dedicated IP, you have the same IP address and can always connect it to one IP address on the specific VPN server. A dedicated IP differentiates your services from others that don’t put your organization at the mercy of what other firms do.
The dedicated IP, however, does not guarantee that the VPN is undetected by websites and services.
Benefits of a Dedicated IP
There are ample benefits that a dedicated IP offers an individual user or an organization. They are as follows:
- Grants Access to Website Whenever Needed
- Beneficial for Email Marketing
- Secure Remote Access
- Minimum Steps of Verification
- Allowlisting the IP
- Avoid Data Breaches
Grants Access to Website Whenever Needed
It is vital to get a preview of the website before giving a domain name to the server and launching it. A dedicated IP helps access the server without tweaking the domain name or the DNS settings.
Beneficial for Email Marketing
Nearly 85% of the emails sent daily are considered spam, and having a dedicated IP only reduces that risk for businesses.
Users can also enjoy their favorite streaming services such as Netflix without the fear of being blocked. A website on a shared IP address can lead to unexpected issues, affecting email services substantially. However, emails sent with a dedicated IP won’t be blocklisted easily.
Emails with a dedicated IP address are trusted more by services such as Gmail than emails from a Shared IP address. Such email traffic is given more priority over emails generated by shared IPs. This is because emails from shared IPs need to be double-checked. This may lead the emails to end up in the receiver’s spam folder.
Secure Remote Access
According to a study, 43% of cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses, but only 14% of them can defend themselves. Organizations can ensure they do not fall prey to such attacks by providing secure remote access. Every employee can reach the cloud-based networks by setting up a site-to-site VPN.
Hence, the organization can establish that only authorized personnel can access sensitive data. However, employees might be unable to access this data with a shared IP address or internet connections. This helps with smooth access to data regardless of the location. Yet, this data cannot be accessed with just any other dedicated IP.
Minimum Steps of Verification
Blocklisting occurs due to suspicion of misuse.
The use of the IP address being unexpected could be one of the reasons for the address to be blocklisted. This will require multiple verification steps to log into the service again.
Sites such as Gmail, PayPal, and eBay, may ask for verification when they see multiple people using the same IP address simultaneously. These confirmations can be based on the suspicion that the user is a robot. Since this comes across as dubious, these sites will likely double-check your identity once more.
Allowlisting the IP
Allowlisting the IP ensures that only authorized employees have access to sensitive data. Network permissions can be segmented by allowlisting the IP address and allowing access to gateways and servers to the employees that the organization wishes to.
Avoid Data Breaches
As of 2020, there were nearly 3,950 data breaches, and a dedicated IP can significantly help to bring down the number.
Using a dedicated IP with a business VPN can keep the data and your employees safe from potential data breaches. The traffic is also hidden and encrypted from users outside the network.
This can be done by creating private gateways for specific teams and enhancing permissions to protect sensitive data.
Can You Change Your Dedicated IP?
The address cannot be changed if a dedicated IP is assigned to a device. However, a shared IP can change irregularly depending on the server. Hence, it will commonly move locations to maintain security.
A dedicated IP is enough to provide secure access to your entire workspace, while also creating safe channels for specific teams to access specific datasets. A dedicated IP address can be assigned to others in the team by adding or transferring user licenses.
What Is a Dedicated IP Address - Key Takeaways
Each organization has diverse needs and workflows, and a detailed study of configurations can help determine the most acceptable option.
We hope this post has successfully cleared the air regarding the lingering question – What is a dedicated IP address?
Despite occasionally coming in with drawbacks such as costing an extra fee, a dedicated IP is a perfect option to let your business function online seamlessly.
Professional web development agencies can also help you with this process, so we advise looking for the right agency to partner with for your project.
