Dedicated vs Colocation vs Cloud – Servers explained
If you are confused about the difference between dedicated, colocation and cloud servers, you are not alone. When trying to choose the best option for your business, it’s easy to get lost in complicated industry jargon. Here are the simple explanations of these complicated concepts.
Dedicated servers
A dedicated server owned by a provider is rented to you for a monthly fee. Only the client has access to the server, and it is not shared with anyone else. The host company will make sure your dedicated server stays up and running with maximum redundancy (meaning little chance of losing data in the event of failure due to backups). Most datacenters offer a managed server with backup generators and a support team. If your company needs a large amount of processing power, then dedicated servers are your best choice. Renting cloud servers is efficient but can be expensive if a large number of resources are needed
Colocation servers
Colocation has been around for quite some time. It is similar to a dedicated server setup. Instead of renting a server, you rent the space for one in a data centre. It’s up to you to decide what server or equipment you’d like to bring in. A good data centre will give you the option of managing the server yourself or using their management services. What’s the point in owning your server when you could just rent one? Well, many small businesses choose to buy and house their own servers, but once they begin to scale, setting up high-speed connections and redundancy systems gets expensive.
Cloud servers
The Cloud is the term given for data that is accessible over the internet. Cloud servers are giant, incredibly powerful servers that are based in a designated geographical location (not actually in the sky). You rent the exact portion of the processing power you need to keep your company running smoothly. Choosing a cloud server that is close to your location is important if you want to get the fastest speeds. A dedicated support team usually runs a cloud server and ensures maximum redundancy. Depending on the quality of the facility, some providers guarantee 100% uptime to make sure your servers never go down. Cloud servers are great for almost any business but are particularly popular with small start-ups. You can rent the exact amount of power you need, saving money while starting out.
As you can see, each type of server offers several different advantages. If you still feel confused about which one will work best for you, then get in touch. Our team is happy to offer personalised advice that suits the unique needs of your business.