Difference between colocation and in-house servers
There comes a time when rapid growth means small companies outgrow their on-premise servers. This expansion then raises the question of how to meet the best new and changing IT requirements. Below, we compare colocation and in-house servers to determine the best option for your business.
What are they?
A colocation facility is usually defined as a shared data centre that rents out space for servers and other hardware. Generally speaking, colocation services include premises, power, bandwidth and physical security. Although different leasing arrangements will be available, space is often leased by the rack, cabinet, or room.
On the other hand, in-house servers are on-site facilities managed by a company’s own IT department. They are located within a company’s office or building, with all cooling, power, bandwidth, backup and security requirements met by the company itself.
What are the benefits of colocation?
Colocation can help to reduce company costs because power and cooling requirements are spread across multiple customers. Due to their size, colocation facilities are also able to negotiate better contracts with internet providers, reducing expenses even further. As well as providing redundant internet and power connections to maximise uptime, colocation facilities offer high-quality physical security features, which can be difficult to afford in-house.
What are the benefits of in-house servers?
On the other hand, an in-house server is all yours, so you can expand and modify it however you like. The fact that all hardware is on-site also means that staff can access it quickly, enabling the implementation of tailored measures.
Which one is best?
This all depends on your specific requirements, but it’s worth bearing in mind that all costs are the responsibility of the business with in-house servers, with less support available should something go wrong. Redundancy can also prove more challenging, with small businesses often struggling to afford good internet connections and robust backup facilities.
To find out more about colocation services, contact us at Clouvider today. You will get stability, performance, reliability and on-site technical support from one of the largest datacentres in the UK, with leading download speeds and 100% uptime.