How to Choose a Dedicated Server in Singapore

Location is just the beginning. How the server connects to the Internet and whether the server is compliant with the rules and regulations of Singapore can influence the performance of the server.

This guide answers questions of whether Singapore location is enough to guarantee certain server features.

What should I prioritize when choosing a dedicated server provider in Singapore?

Network connectivity and peering, if the company understands the data protection requirements in Singapore and how the uptime is measured.

In other words, Singapore location alone won't give you much information on how the server works.

The explanations below may help you understand why connectivity, peering and data security matters when choosing a provider.

Why does Singapore's connectivity matter for latency across Asia-Pacific?

The reason lies in the fact that the data centers located in Singapore have landing points of submarine cable and collocation facilities which provide direct connection of the Internet transit providers.

Per data center article in Wikipedia, colocation facilities host "private peering connections between their customers, internet transit providers, cloud providers, meet-me rooms for connecting customers, Internet exchange points, and landing points and terminal equipment for fiber optic submarine communication cables, which are critical to connecting the internet."

Thus, it is not the specifications of the server that determine the latency of the server in Asia-Pacific region but rather the network connectivity and peering in Singapore.

What is the Singapore Internet Exchange (SGIX), and why does peering matter?

SGIX is Internet Exchange Point which is an interconnection facility where the networks peer directly in order to exchange traffic without using any third parties.

According to SGIX Wikipedia page, SGIX was formed as "a company limited by guarantee in Singapore," and it currently hosts 270 peering members with average throughput of 3.36 Tbit/s and peak capacity of 5.21 Tbit/s.

What does Singapore's PDPA mean for data hosted there?

PDPA stands for Personal Data Protection Act and it regulates how the private-sector organizations in Singapore process the personal data, including storing and protecting the personal data.

According to Wikipedia's entry on the Act, "the PDPA regulates the processing of personal data in the private sector" and is enforced by a regulatory body which "publishes advisory guidelines on the interpretation of the PDPA." This means that if the server processes personal data then PDPA applies even if your company is headquartered outside of Singapore.

Does uptime measurement matter when comparing providers?

Yes. The uptime usually measured in nines and it doesn't say much if you don't know what measurement window and methodology were used to calculate this percentage.

As mentioned above, "various metrics exist to measure the data-availability that results from data-center availability beyond 95% uptime, with the top of the scale counting how many nines can be placed after 99%" so without knowing the methodology behind the percentage you cannot compare the numbers.

Our Bare Metal servers and VPS plans are provided with the information on the exact hardware used.