Colocation Web Hosting

Colocation server hosting offers its clients the advantages of security and facility of dedicated server. It also allows user to have full control over the scalability and over their hardware. Basically, in collocation web hosting the host allows the user to place their hardware in their data center which is secure and equipped wit the most recent technologies, and also offering dedicated internet connections, controlled power and full time technical support. Thus, the user gets full uptime and increased security. The involved security features might include cameras, backup power generators, fire extinguishers, regulated power and several connections.

It is vital for you to know what requirements and facilities you need from hosting server, to know if you need collocation host or not and in case you need such hosting what are the exact specifications of a deal. It will also be helpful regarding the upcoming needs of your website, plus you can examine the prices and various other specifications of add-ons provided by your host. Next in line are the data security needed for data storage and the available types of security provided by the hosting company. All these will be in your own advantage and will save you considerable amount of time and money for you to manage your work and remaining within your budget.

As a collocated server hosting user, you should know the physical location of your server and it is also essential to have 24/7 support system. You server is secured with all the required safety measures managed by skilled people who know how to best do their job. If you can visit the site of your server only within the office hours of the hosting company, you might be in trouble if your website breaks down after their office hours. This could be damaging for you and you will not be able to recover your website until the start of office hours.

Another major aspect of colocation server is to determine the way your server is connected. There are two major available connections, first is the connection from your site to the server and which will be responsible for the speed of the system, while the other is the connection between your server and internet. The first connection establishes the accessibility speed, while the second one establishes the bandwidth and finally the amount of traffic that can be managed on your website. You should also ensure that the facility of your server is well protected with 24/7 armed security, continuous power supply and so on.

Actually, colocation is pretty much as the unmanaged dedicated hosting server. What differs is the ownership of server, as with colocation it is owned by the clients, while in the other case by the hosting company. It is why colocation server hosting is a lot cheaper than the dedicated hosting.
With colocation servers, you do not have to pay for rentals of the server. Usually, the rent is based on the rack space used by your system and charge based on the per GB of data transfer which is generally measured as in standard web hosting plan. You must ensure with your colocation host that your server is rack mountable as this the only one generally accepted by hosting providers. You should also have suitable knowledge of basic hosting such as colocation bandwidth and dedicated server collocation, to be able to manage your server on your own, as colocation servers offer only minimal support. The next issue to clarify with your colocation hosting is the time of your visits. It is recommended to go for the 24 hours permission for visiting the data center for you to be able to solve any problems in your server.

Differences between colocated servers and dedicated web hosting

Overall, colocation hosting is just another form of dedicated web hosting, with the difference that you are the owner of your server. So, along with the advantages of dedicated server hosting you have plenty of available options for server adjustment as it is your property. With this kind of hosting, you are required a higher level of expertise regarding server hosting as with dedicated hosting where everything is managed by the hosting company.
When you need hosting for your website, the main question is to choose if you go for colocation hosting or data center hosting. In fact, they are both the same, colocation facilities are in fact data centers, while not all data centers offer colocation facility. Certain data centers forbid any equipment to be colocated within their premises but in the same time allow customers to buy dedicated hosting from their servers. In fact, data centers are physical facilities where your hardware is placed, allowing remote user access and various other computer related services. Colocation  is the procedure of placing or housing the data and information in a certain place, rather then these data centers which belong to the hosting company.

Colocation hosting has numerous advantageous. One of the most important advantages of colocation server is the higher security of your equipment, because the data center is in charge for the security of your server and all the sensitive data contained in it. These data centers have the best security measures and are monitored 24/7, thus it is the safest place for your server.
Another aspect is the cost efficiency, because you are required to have a building for your computers. The hosting companies have their own advantages as well, as they simply offer some rack space in their building, receiving rent for their services. They are required to have a building for their own servers, so basically this is an extra income for their business. The other main advantage of colocation hosting is the fact that you receive your own bandwidth, RAM and other major hardware facilities just for yourself without having to share them with anyone else. As a result, your servers will work at their full and best capacity and speed.

As colocation involves dedicated servers which are constantly monitored and situated in top quality facilities, the hosting customer is certain that the services they are going to buy are totally reliable and trustworthy. The main idea of colocation is to offer an independent location for the placement of servers by the clients. The facility in fact allows you to have your data and hardware hosted by a certain data center. With the colocation of your server, your physical business is certainly in safe hands and it will be run with total efficiency and effectiveness.

The next major advantage of colocation server is that you can upgrade your system as often as you want, or modify it based on your requirements. It is quite different from having to pay your hosting company for extra or changed packages to apply the needed changes by investing more in it.
Comparing colocation hosting with other type of hosting you will learn about the long and short terms effectiveness of the service. It is generally not recommended for small business websites or personal ones, as there is not a huge amount of data to be handled. Such small websites can be easily managed by standard hosting packages with cheap rates, as there are several hosting companies offering quality hosting services with affordable rates. If you really don’t need a bigger space it is pointless to purchase heavy equipment.

Nevertheless, if you have a website with heavy traffic or with huge amount of data to be managed, dedicated hosting or colocation hosting are viable options for your business. In case of very heavy traffic on your website, standard or shared hosting might create problems for you, as it is impossible for them to manage the flow of excessive traffic. In the case of large business and available funds to invest in serious hardware, colocation hosting is the best choice, as you will have total command and control of your system and also the right management of hardware. You should have the proper expertise in terms of hosting servers prior of choosing this hosting option because you have to take care of the server yourself.