Choosing a Colocation Provider

When choosing a Colocation provider there are many things to consider. Your choice will be depends on your specific requirement and the budget you have available.

One of the most important things to investigate is the provider’s track records, as this will give you an idea of the service you could experience. Their reputations are something to look at, and seeking others opinion will help. Online reviews are always worth a look. Although you can’t trust every review at face value it will give you a general overview of others experiences. If you are visiting colocation centre’s during the decision making process you should ask other customers their opinions if possible. They should give you direct and honest answers to any questions, and after all, they should know.

The technical side is very important. You need to make sure the colocation provider you choose has the capacity to host your server. There would be nothing worse than choosing a colocation provider only to realise they don’t meet your requirements. Amongst other thing you need to check bandwidth. Although most data centres have plenty, you need to check this before proceeding.

You should try to establish how much downtime is normal for a particular provider, and whether this is better or worse than others who you are considering. Also look at how long sites tend to be down for and whether they have any contingency plans for potential problems. Many providers have backup plans, which may mean these issues would not have too much of an affect.

The conditions the server will be hosted in should be a consideration. Most data centres control the air and temperature of the relevant areas of their premises so that they are optimised for hosting. The better controlled they are the more suitable the area is likely to be for hosting.

Another area to look at is security, as the security of your server is vital. The premises need to be protected from break-ins. The very nature of a colocation centre means that customers are in and out all the time, and therefore security is even more of an issue. You need to be sure that other customers cannot access your server. Protection from other problems such as fire is also important.

Some colocation centres have support on hand, while other don’t. Depending on your requirement this may be something you need to think about. You won’t want to pay extra for support that is not required, but if you are not confident in hosting you may need to make sure support is included.

A final consideration is price. It may not be the sole reason for choosing a host, but it will certainly come into the decision making process. Some go for the cheap option for obvious reasons, while others choose the more expensive providers because they think the service will be better. Sometime the old adage, “you get what you pay for” is true, but not always. Whether it is cheap or expensive is not the key; the key is value for money and making sure you get the service you need.

Andrew Marshall ©

Colocation Centre’s – An Overview

Colocation is a type of web hosting service, where clients store their server’s at a Colocation Centre, which is a type of Data Centre. It is becoming more popular all the time as a preferred form of hosting.

A Colocation Centre works by providing rack space for clients to rent. The clients’ server will then be placed into this rack space which they have rented from the Colocation Centre. It is the rack space that is hired, not the server itself. The server and other equipment is owned by the client. It is in their control and they perform maintenance and other tasks and are responsible for the server’s up-keep.

One of the main benefits of storing a server at a Colocation
Centre is that it is cost effective when compared to renting you own server. As the Colocation Centre has several clients they are able to drive the cost down. Another advantage is that certain other things (such as the environment the server is kept in and security) are taken care of so the client doesn’t have to worry about it. The client knows that the server is being kept in a safe place and they to not need to be concerned with providing security themselves.

Measures are put in place to make the servers as secure as possible. Protection against natural disasters and fire is provided, with the server areas being secure and fire proof. Close circuit television (CCTV) is usually provided and there are normally security guards on duty meaning the areas is protected against intruders. If clients were hosting their own server they would need to provide this themselves and this would involve extra costs.

All the necessary power that is required is provided by the Colocation Centre. It may be priced at a set amount per month for power and bandwidth usage up to a certain point. If a client requires extra in a particular month it will usually be provided automatically and they will be billed at the end of the month. This means downtime is less likely to be an issue. Using less that the expected amount of power or bandwidth will mean a reduced bill. There is normally power backup as well. There are generators that can be used in case there is a power failure or a similar problem.

The Colocation Centre’s environment is designed and managed to be the optimum for web hosting. Air conditioning is used to keep the air at the right temperature – usually between 20 and 25C.

At some Colocation Centre’s assistance is available, while at others it is not. This can be an advantage as the Colocation Centre’s employees will have high expertise, something that is especially useful if the client does not have advanced knowledge themselves. This may be part of the package with assistance included in the original price, or it may be an optional extra that can be purchased when required.

Colocation is for those who want control and their server but do not want to host it themselves. It has the advantages of the right environment and protection that hosting it at the clients premises would not provide, while still meaning they can maintain control, something they would not be able to do if it was being completely managed by the hosting company.

Andrew Marshall ©

Colocation