Currently set to No Index

What to Look for in Colocation

If you feel that a dedicated server or managed hosting provider isn’t able to meet your needs, you always have the option of purchasing your own server and taking it to the data center of a colocation host.  In most cases, you pay a housing or rack fee in addition to charges for internet connectivity and possibly other services.  The provider is responsible for maintaining its data center and network infrastructure while you are responsible for your own server.   Some of today’s most prominent internet companies rely on colocation hosting as it offers the customization needed to achieve the best possible server performance.

Choosing a Provider

When deciding to invest in colocation hosting, choosing a provider is the most important step in the process.  As with any type of hosting, you should first determine your individual needs, write out a list and keep it in front of you while listening to offers from different providers.  It sounds elementary but if you don’t, you could be easily sold on aggressively marketed services instead of getting exactly what you need.

RELATED:   Site5 and Mokugift Combined to Help Reforestation

Below we have listed some factors that must be considered when searching for a colocation provider:

Technical Support

The level of technical support should play a huge role in your final decision.  A good provider following industry standards will offer support around the clock via phone and email.  It is important to keep in mind that unless you pay an additional fee for maintenance, technical support probably will not cover any issues with your server.  Technical support offered by a colocation provider generally includes addressing connectivity and setting up the hardware.  In any event, getting a quick response is vital.

Redundancy

Equally important is redundancy as the provider’s infrastructure is what will ensure that your hardware stays running.  We strongly recommend that you learn some background information on the connection to make sure you get the best performance.  Even if you have a high performance server and all the best hardware, you could still experience unacceptable downtime if the provider doesn’t have a stable internet connection.  A respectable colocation host has multiple backbones in place to provide a stable, fast connection to the internet..  Furthermore, they have other redundant systems such as 24/7 monitoring, climate controls and backup generators to keep you online in the case of a power outage.

RELATED:   From Dedicated Servers To Managed Hosting – Life In The Fast Lane

Price

We saved price for last because although you don’t want to overpay for anything, going with the cheapest colocation provider isn’t always the best decision either.  Choosing something more affordable is often tempting but could end up resulting in downtime if you choose the wrong company.  The most important thing is to understand the contract and the services you are paying for.

Proceed with Caution

Colocation is one of the biggest moves you will ever make in regard to your business.  We have heard far too many stories of business owners who were bombarded with hidden fees from hosts because they overlooked something as simple as a network card for their server.  If you are financially strapped, dedicated or managed hosting might be the way to go.  However, if you are certain that colocation is the right move, take extreme caution when selecting a provider.

How to Find a Successful Name For Your New Blog?
How to Find a Successful Name For Your New Blog?

One of the most important decisions you can make to ensure your blog is among the best is to select a name. While there are more than 500 million blogs available...

How-to Start a Blog – Review of the Best 10 Blogging Platforms
How-to Start a Blog – Review of the Best 10 Blogging Platforms

If you want to start a blog as fast as possible, then you need to consider choosing a blogging platform. Thankfully, there are some excellent free and paid blogging platforms...

How Referral Marketing Can Benefit Web Hosts
How Referral Marketing Can Benefit Web Hosts

Even if the niche of web hosts are fully loaded with a lot of companies they are still one of the easiest to promote because you could write your own...

Broken Links: How to Find, Fix, and Benefit from Broken Links
Broken Links: How to Find, Fix, and Benefit from Broken Links

Links are what holds the web together. Essentially, the web is named as such because of the ability for pages and sites to link to other sources and relevant information....

Brand Value & the Most Powerful Brands (with Infographic)
Brand Value & the Most Powerful Brands (with Infographic)

Brand value – everyone wants it, however, only few are able to achieve it. The subject of “brand value” holds a significant position amongst marketers, executives, and entrepreneurs. Let’s discuss...

Reasons why your business should shift to Cloud hosting
Reasons why your business should shift to Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting has been on the rise since its inception. The improvement to your website performance and business efficiency that comes with Cloud hosting is almost tangible.

Why We Love the IT Support Career?
Why We Love the IT Support Career?

In almost all of my posts I was talking about the stressful side of the IT – the long hours, end user issues, migrations, midnight calls and the like. But...

IT Manager: Ways To Show Your Appreciation To Your Team
IT Manager: Ways To Show Your Appreciation To Your Team

Surely your team struggled hard and made things happen. You cannot say “this is what you get paid for” and just leave – you cannot keep your IT staff that...

1 Comment

  • Avatar for mk_michael mk_michael says:

    You’re right. The cheapest offer is not the best one im most cases. In my experience, the support is the most underrated feature.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *