4 Reasons Why Your Online Business Needs a Dedicated IP

Last updated - September 6, 2023

As you probably know, the IP address is a unique designator given to every device that accesses the internet. Thus, your phone will get an IP address, your remote camera, and so will your computer. Servers also have an IP address to be successfully accessed so that they can display their content to your browser. When you type in an address in your browser, that name will be looked up first (in a process called DNS lookup), and your computer will be connected to the corresponding IP address that hosts that website.

It is also essential that you keep your IP addresses secure, but the whole online security process gets easier if you invest in an internet service that has built-in security features, such as that of Spectrum which is one of the most secure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country.

This process is called TCP/IP (Internet Protocol Suite). It’s a universal language used by any device trying to connect to the internet. Currently, the most popular type of IP address is IPv4 which uses 32 bits to assign IP values. This number is limited (around 4,3 billion combinations are offered), and the constant need for IP addresses is increasing. Thus, it’s very common for you not to have a fixed IP address.

Simply put, it will change each time your modem connects to the internet, and it is called a dynamic IP address.

This makes little difference to most people, but businesses can get a variety of benefits from static IP addresses. Such IP address could help your business, and your website, be a more secure place for your visitors and your customers.

What are some of the benefits of a static IP address?

Security

Having a static IP address means that other computers and people will always know when they are accessing your website. Also, that the content they are viewing originates from your website.

This is also true for all the emails sent from your domain since all of them will come from the never-changing IP address. It will present a much better security option for you, and your business. Sometimes, certain IPs are blacklisted, as their previous owners have done some shady practices on them. So, it might just happen that you end up receiving one of those IP addresses. If you run a legit business, a static IP address will keep your reputation intact. Have in mind that a static IP address won’t solve all your security issues but will offer another layer of protection.

Utility

If you use devices that must connect to your website and your server, having a dynamic IP address can lead to a lot of hiccups within the service, especially since some devices aren’t able to resolve names into IP address.

For example, some wireless security cameras will try to connect to your server only if it has a specific IP. If it changes, they will fail to connect. This is also important if you often manage your computer from a remote location. A static IP address will make this a much easier and safer experience.

Less downtime

Since there is no need to constantly translate domain names into actual IP addresses every time your servers reset, you will have the highest possible uptime. Moreover, your users will be able to connect quickly and without any unnecessary delays.

This kind of stability helps a lot with file transfers, especially for larger files, as small interruptions in the connection won’t force the file to be redownloaded.

Trust

A dedicated IP address is one of the signals that will tell other businesses and your customers that you are a trustworthy and reliable partner. This is especially important if you accept online payments that help you run your day-to-day operations.

More complicated websites with advanced scripts and a bit more technical purposes wouldn’t work if the IP address were dynamic. And because of this and some other reasons having a static IP address is not only a good idea but a necessity.

As the technology evolves so does the means of solving the downfalls of the dynamic IP addresses. For example, IPv6 version of the IP address uses 128 bits to create a unique string of numbers, giving it a much larger (around 340 undecillion unique addresses), an almost inexhaustible source for IP address creation.

And while the most simple website will function just fine with dynamic IP addresses, having a static IP won’t magically solve all your problems, but it will be a good start to increase your default security. Also, to enable more advanced technologies to be used on your website and your server, which can help you a lot.

Further reading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here