Dedicated
Servers vs. Colocation
Understanding
the Difference Between Colocation
and Dedicated Servers
The
difference between dedicated
servers and colocation can be
summed up easily.
The appropriate
question one might ask is what
is a better investment for my
business?
This can be answered by
assessing your company’s
technical needs, budget,
Internet traffic, and growth
expectancy.
It is fair to say that
larger, established companies
typically rely on colocation
over a dedicated server.
Whereas, smaller
aspiring businesses, which do
not have the ability to
administer a server, can opt
for web hosting on a shared
server and then ultimately
transition over to a dedicated
server.
Once a company has the
ability to administer a
server, it usually graduates
to utilizing the benefits of a
colocation facility, which
allows a company the autonomy
it often desires.
Colocation
Offers Greater Freedom Than
Dedicated Servers
Often, a
company will need root access,
which dedicated servers almost
never include to the user.
Because of this
reality, colocation is the
obvious best solution when
root access is needed.
Another reason for
choosing colocation is due to
the inflexibility of a
dedicated server company’s
ability to offer a variety of
software applications and
hardware equipment choices.
If a company requires
specialized hardware and
software for their business,
then an unlimited selection to
choose from is extremely
valuable.
Thus, dedicated servers
disallow the desired freedom
that colocation offers.
Colocation
is also a less expensive route
than using a dedicated server
service.
Costs quickly
accumulate with dedicated
servers because the server
rental, software, bandwidth,
system administration and
other bundled services are
expensive.
However with
colocation, a company owns
their server and can
self-maintain their technical
needs from within, thereby
eliminating excessive
expenses.
Additionally, if a
company ever decides to move
out of their current facility,
then they can take their
server with them. This is not the case with a dedicated server because it is a
rental.
Before parting,
everything must be backed-up
if the company wishes to keep
the information.
Managed
Dedicated Servers and
Non-Managed Dedicated Servers
As
mentioned previously, if a
company doesn’t have the
luxury of technically
administering their equipment,
then they need to outsource
this necessity somehow.
Managed dedicated
servers remove the burden of
technical maintenance to a
company by providing system
administration within the
service.
For instance, a company
that needs technical support
and does not want to share a
server and its resources with
other companies might select a
managed dedicated server
(as long as they can get the
specific hardware/software
desired).
But a company that has
its own IT personnel does not
need managed service.
In this case, they can
get a non-managed dedicated
server instead.
This type of service
includes the server hardware,
bandwidth, and colocation for
any type of application, i.e.
VOIP, web hosting, streaming
online radio, email,
processing, etc.
Colocation
- An Undeniable Strength
In
summary, your company’s
resources and stability will
dictate your decision making
process.
There are many
colocation companies and
dedicated server companies
that can fulfill your needs
once you come to the best
conclusion for you. Advanced
Server Colocation
or
Equinix
are a couple of colocation
companies you can look into if
that is the road you decide to
travel.
EGIHosting.com
and
FuturaHost.com
both offer dedicated server
service if you need technical
administration.
Whichever service your
company settles on, remember
that as it grows its
requirements will change.
Technology is
constantly evolving, placing
greater demands on a company’s
ability to compete in its
marketplace.
Colocation provides the
leverage to respond to those
demands, affording more
opportunity to a company than
dedicated servers.
***
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