subject: Dedi Servers Vs Server Collocation [print this page] Dedi Servers Vs Server Collocation Dedi Servers Vs Server Collocation
Growth of online traffic for a business will often demand greater capacity than can be delivered by shared hosting services. Greater capacity is thus required to avoid a situation that compromises service quality to their online visitors. There are a number of options that can be looked into to achieve this. The first of these options is to buy and install your own server. There are several significant financial and technical implications that result from taking this option and they can be avoided by opting for either a dedicated or collocation. Your choice of either of these services will be dictated by the specific needs of your business, the plans you have for the future as well as the specs you need. Dedicated servers are rented from a data center and they are totally committed to your business alone. The data center your contract will provide you with equipment and ensure that you have uninterrupted up time. The provider is also responsible for the physical security of their equipment and will also be expected to provide security for your data. On the other hand, colocation requires that you buy a server and have it housed by a service provider who will ensure its safety and provide you with uninterrupted access to the internet. At the moment you may not see any reason as to why you should not immediately sign up for a dedicated server. This may work well for those who do not require high performance equipment. Where high specs and special server features are required, a collocation service is the best bet. Otherwise they might encounter problems in finding a service provider with equipment that satisfies their special needs. Colocation services will also work especially well for those preparing to manage their own hosting in the near future. The reason for this is that you and your team will have gained valuable insight into the working and performance of your server through interactions with the service providers. You will also have the servers at hand when you decide to move the hosting to your site as the equipment is yours though it is kept by the service provider. Long term you may also find the higher fees charged for dedicated hosting could actually amount to a more expensive operation. Since you are not paying for the use of equipment you will often find that collocation servers are charged lower rates. You will be able to make a good decision when you calculate your costs by factoring the fee charged and the expected duration of service.You may also prefer collocation because you have complete control and access of the server. Other server options may involve software restrictions or controls by the service providers. Installation of applications that do not meet the approval of the service provider may be denied. Unique specs or plans to manage own hosting are some of the strong reasons that businesses will prefer to go for collocation servers.