Using A Server Colocation Service (Mark Nesbitt)
Sep 9, 2010
Server colocation can be an option for businesses or those who have their own dedicated servers but who do not need the large bandwidth expenses which come from possessing lively and popular websites. Essentially, rather than maintaining their servers on location, these organizations have their servers at a server colocation provider where they rent space and bandwidth.
Individuals and companies with big sites that get large amounts of traffic every day, or who get a lot of downloads through their website or uploads to their site, are those who're best suited to utilizing such a service. These services aren't cheap, but for clients whose bandwidth needs are excessive and who have got an exceptionally high cost of bandwidth, they generally work out cheaper. The bandwidth used by the server is shared with the server colocation company, therefore reducing the total price of the service to the organization or individual who uses it.
It is occasionally possible to rent a server from the service provider company, which can be useful for companies who don't have their own dedicated servers. In this case, the organization doesn't own the server, but will own the data kept on it (this is usually a dedicated server).
Before electing to utilize one of these services, there are a number of things an organization needs to consider. Most of all, look at your bandwidth needs. In some instances the cost of utilizing this form of service is more expensive than the actual price which bandwidth would be if you were hosting the server yourself or using a shared hosting service. This definitely comes down to the use and interest in the website. Businesses which have hugely popular websites that receive masses of daily traffic and therefore use lots of bandwidth will frequently discover that such services are much less pricey compared to self hosting of servers, or different server options.
The price scales of most of these companies change depending on the physical dimensions of the server (servers are generally within the range of 1U to 7U), larger servers necessarily cost more as they take up additional space (1U works out to around 4.5cm or 1.75 inches). Additional fees include the server connection charge, and the kind of connection used. Connections tend to be known as "pipes" and their size ranges from 1mpbs to around 1000mbps. In general, the larger the connection, the greater the monthly cost.
There are numerous benefits in using this sort of service. The first is that the server colocation provider is well outfitted to manage any issues that may occur in server functioning (these can include power outages, for which there is usually a back up generator). The second reason is that providers may also provide safer storage facilities for your server (than could be had in a home or work place), this is because safety is vital to both the company and their customers.
About the AuthorClick on the links to learn more about the benefits of server colocation services, and how to find a server colocation provider..