How to Choose a Colocation Company

What is a collocation? A colocation is generally a data center where a server is placed for rental. A colocation provides the space, bandwidth, power and everything necessary and connects it to variety of network providers with minimal cost. A colocation has advantages and disadvantages too.

Advantages of using a Colocation:

• A colocation provides higher bandwidth.
• It provides better protection and the server runs all day without any interruption.
• The server machinery can be upgraded without asking the permission of the provider.
• It provides additional security.

Disadvantages of using a Colocation

• It can be difficult to find colocation providers near your work place.
• It can be more expensive compared to web hosting services.
• Accessing your server for upgrading is difficult if the colocation is at a distance from your work place.

Managed or Unmanaged Colocation

A colocation helps smaller businesses which need a large web presence but don’t have the utilities for network connection. The colocation can be managed or unmanaged. In a managed colocation, which is usually referred as dedicated hosting, you are offered you a pre-configured specification of the software applications so that customers can use them within the limits. A dedicated hosting provider will automatically upgrade when it is needed and maintenance of hardware issues are handled by them. This helps the individual who does not have the knowledge, time or resources to handle it. A dedicated hosting server is much more reliable and provides a lot of security to the server components. An unmanaged colocation does not provide any support to its clients. The upgrade or the hardware issues have to be resolved on your own. Therefore most people prefer using a dedicated hosting server rather than an unmanaged colocation.

Upgradation of Colocation

The amount of space required will depend on the size of your server, which can range from a single server to a cabinet. Once the space for the servers is estimated, then you can shift your server to the colocation. Some hosting companies provide remote access to your servers so as to configure or to upgrade it. A colocation can charge you extra fees for providing remote reboots, DNS hosting, IP addresses, firewalls and server backups. The colocation provider should provide extra space if a user needs it, say for a month or so. They should answer every question that you ask and they should have an impressive network connection. You need to ensure that the colocation providers have a reliable power supply to run the systems throughout the day and also have enough bandwidth. Also, see to it that the providers are not too far from your work place since some factors may affect the signals and cause interruption in lines of communication.

Risk Free Services of Colocation

Visit the colocation and ensure that your server is free from any risk; a dedicated hosting service provider can sort out any problems in a colocation. The final point that you need to grasp is the disaster recovery plan. The providers should have a disaster recovery plan, to ensure that the clients have continuity of business if anything occurs.

You can also keep up to date with current trends and technology by visiting Data Centre Talk where we keep you informed on important changes as they occur.