A dedicated server is a computer dedicated to serving files or web pages over a network. The term dedicated server normally refers to the rental of a web server for exclusive use by one client, as opposed to shared servers and virtual private servers. Dedicated servers are usually used by companies that either receive a lot of internet traffic (several million hits per week) or that need the extra features that dedicated servers offer, such as greater security (no other clients using the same machine) and full customization of the server hardware and software. Some larger companies may prefer to use co-location.