Do you have a need to set up a web server? If so, you may have thought about just putting your websites on an existing “virtual” server. For most people, that solution works out fine. But, there are some caveats to that approach.
First, if the server isn’t secure, all sites hosted on it could be vulnerable. Second, what happens if all the physical resources (i.e. RAM and disk space) get eaten up by other accounts? And, third, what would happen if your server went “down”?
As you can imagine, virtual servers aren’t a good idea if you want the best uptime for your sites you can get. That’s why the only option is to have a dedicated server for your websites. The bad news is that usually means you’ll have to spend lots of cash to achieve that goal.
But, what if I told you there was a way of setting up a high-speed Web server on a budget? No, this doesn’t mean stealing anything or piggy-backing off someone’s technology in some way! Intrigued? Read on to find out more!
The solution: colocation
You may have heard of the term “colocation” in the past. But, what does it mean? And why is it the solution to your Web hosting needs?
In a nutshell, colocation refers to the practice of housing your server in a data center.
The location’s owned and managed by a third party, but you use your existing server hardware. All you do is connect it to their infrastructure, and take advantage of their services. It’s a bit like renting a storage unit; the contents are yours, but the unit belongs to someone else.
Why is colocation good for me?
There are many benefits to setting up a colocated server. The primary one is cost. If you leased a hosting firm’s server, you would pay more for that than the cost of buying the hardware. As you can imagine, server parts aren’t that much more expensive than the ones found in consumer PCs.
The beauty of using your server hardware is freedom. You are free to design the specification of your “box” according to your needs. So, if you wanted a super-powerful Web server, you’ve got the freedom to choose the parts you need. Whereas with dedicated servers, you have little in the way of customization.
You also don’t have to stick with particular brands. It’s no secret that some computing brands are better than others. Because you want a server that runs well, you can select parts that offer the best longevity.
Add the cost of building a server yourself. You will find it’s cheaper than renting a dedicated server from the hosting provider.
What other benefits are there?
You have the freedom of choosing the best colocation data center for your needs. That means you can select a location near to your business, rather than on the other side of the country!
Another benefit you can enjoy is having someone manage your hardware for you. That means you can free up your IT staff to work on other projects.
So, when will you go and colocate your Web server?