I know Colo / Hosted Dedicated Server, most of you are saying, “What are those? And why do I care?” Colo’s and Hosted Dedicated Servers are good to be aware of because they can save your business a LOT of money.

A Collocation Center is a facility where companies rent space to house equipment and data. Colo can be in reference to the Collocation Center or a service that will be described further on in the article. The equipment housed in a Collocation Center includes servers, firewalls, switches, routers and standard networking equipment. I know – if it holds standard networking equipment and servers, what’s the big deal? How do I save a LOT of money? Collocation Centers typically have the following costly properties that aren’t found in most commercial offices:

     •  Multiple links to the Internet
     •  Cabinets and Racks
     •  Backup power supplies
     •  Climate controlled rooms
     •  Cable management structure
     •  Electronic and other security systems
     •  24x7x365 Internet Connection Monitoring

A Colo service provides a cost-effective means of accessing a secure hosting environment with your own equipment. A Hosted Dedicated Server is the same as a Colo with one very important difference – it’s not your equipment. The Hosted Dedicated Server typically comes with these additional options:

     •  Flexible, custom-built hardware options
     •  Powerful Software Options for the Server
     •  24x7x365 Server Monitoring and Support
     •  Rapid Response to Any Hardware or Software Issues
     •  No out of pocket cost of buying the hardware; which can be many thousands of dollars

Colo Service and Hosted Dedicated Servers are a great option for businesses that have any of these common circumstances; multiple locations for single company databases and programs, remote users, dedicated Internet bandwidth, and desiring a higher level of service for maintenance and response. Many of the circumstances mentioned require dedicated Internet bandwidth to your facility. Dedicated bandwidth of a T1 speed and higher carry a cost that is at least $400 and up. Putting your equipment into a Collocation Center and being able to use their broadband connection can generate instant savings! Desiring a higher level of service for maintenance and response also carries a savings because downtime can be limited by a tech walking to the server instead of waiting for a tech to arrive onsite to address the issue.

Let us know if you would like to talk with one of our sponsors about the benefits of Dedicated Servers and Colo Services can bring to your business.