Managed vs Unmanaged Dedicated Servers
You have made the decision to go with a dedicated server but now you have one more decision to make. You should have a list of a few companies that you have narrowed your self to by features they offer; now you also need to go through these companies and see what they offer for both managed and unmanaged servers. With a dedicated server you know that you will not be sharing the server with any other companies and that you will have a lot more responsibility then any other type of web hosting.
With a managed server is for those that do not have the time or experience to manager the server themselves. This option will give you additional features and support. You will get all the standard features that come with a dedicated server such as your choice of operating system with the addition of staff that will act as server and database administrators. You will have the control panel but if you do need the assistance the system administrators are there to lend you a helping hand. You want to be sure that your site is being backed up on a regular basis so if there is a problem then you have something to fall back on. Also be sure that you are always receiving security updates for you site to maintain you sites safekeeping.
Your other choice is to go with an unmanaged server. This is for the advanced user as you will be in full control of the server. You will be responsible for the configuring and on going administration of the server. Support is usually limited to hardware only and the operating system if they installed the software on the server for you; and this is generally limited to only reinstalling the software.