Despite the fact that a Colocation and Private Cloud sound similar, there is a world of difference between these two. A colocation data center is a physical location which is shared by a number of companies to place their servers and IT infrastructure. All these servers are located in close proximity so that they can lead to better latency and connectivity. On the flip side, a private cloud is a virtual machine that runs on remote servers. Sometimes a cloud runs on a colocation data center and at other times, it can be hosted on a dedicated data center as well. Here we shed light on the basic differences between Colocation and a Private Cloud.

The following are the striking dissimilarities between Private Cloud and Colocation:

• The Basic Premise

A Private Cloud is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) where in you rent out a portion of the shared space on virtual machines which run inside a colocation center. The Cloud is a software that is mounted on shared computers through virtual machines that are a part of the colocation center. On the other hand, a colocation is a physical location and the address of all the servers.

• The Deployment of Resources

It is indeed a challenge for businesses to integrate complex hardware and software components coming from multiple vendors. A befitting solution here comes in the form of a Private Cloud where you do not have to get bogged down by the purchase, installation, configuration and deployment of your hardware.

Businesses which are already happy with their infrastructure can check out the affordable and time-saving features offered by Colocation data centers. They can avail the physical space to house their servers on rent and pay for the power that is drained out at the location, to the service provider.

• Security Concerns

Your choice between colocation and private cloud should be a function of security requirements. In an attempt to derive maximum data security and compliance to regulatory specifications, you can pick an on-premises private cloud.

It is the responsibility of colocation providers to offer data center security. They will not only safeguard your data, but also prevent security breaches to jeopardize your business objective.

• Technology Requirements

A private cloud makes the most of the state-of-the-art technology to ensure that you enjoy a host of benefits including cost savings, agility and speed. The name private here refers to the fact that you will be the sole tenant who will be benefiting from the cloud technology.

Colocation data centers make use of information technologies that will help you build, deploy and maintain an up-to-date and flexible IT infrastructure. Sparing you of the huge investment to build a mission critical data center, you can bank upon the latest technology that not only saves you monies but also helps you focus on your business objectives.

• The Service Providers

A Private Cloud Service Provider is ordained to manage and maintain cloud-based software, IT infrastructure and storage capabilities. The ownership of the equipment lies in the hands of the service provider who is held responsible for the maintenance of the cloud system along with keeping a watchful eye on the maintenance, security and upgrades. It is through the service provider that the Private Cloud platform becomes an IaaS.

Colocation providers, on the other hand, rent out the physical space that is required to house your servers and hardware along with other IT infrastructure. Businesses which opt for colocation services simply outsource storage and the regular maintenance of their servers and hardware while being tagged as the owners of the equipment.

• Costing Constraints

When you choose to host your website on a Private Cloud, you will be free from managing the infrastructure responsibilities. The Cloud Service Provider steps in to conduct regular maintenance tasks which comes as a blessing to you. Through a Private Cloud, you will be able to devote your time towards business opportunities that will ultimately improve your bottom line. Thus companies opting for cloud services will be able to bring down their capital expenditure along with the operational costs showing up in the form of maintenance and support activities.

Enterprises choosing the colocation will have to invest a great deal in the purchase of their own equipment including switches, servers, software and hardware. It will be your sole responsibility to look into enhancements and upgrades of both software and hardware that should happen at regular intervals. You will have to manage an in-house team of IT service professionals who will be entrusted the responsibility to monitor, manage and maintain your equipment so that it is up and running at all times.

Conclusion

Each option, whether it is a Private Cloud or a Colocation comes with its innate positives and reservations. Hence it is up to you to delve deep into what your requirements are. Once you enlist all your needs, you can use these data points to come up with a long-term option that will benefit your business in more ways than you can imagine.

With the US technological markets being flooded with a plethora of dedicated server providers, it makes it a herculean task to pick the best out of the lot. But to arrive at this decision, you need to do a little bit of groundwork. This includes pinpointing your requirements and matching your requirements with the services offered by the US-based web hosting companies. Factors such as security, speed and uptime offered by them also should be considered.

Below is an in-depth rundown of the features offered by the US-based dedicated server providers that will help you sign up with the best out of the many.

Striking Characteristics of US-Based Dedicated Server Providers

For your convenience, we have chosen to highlight the characteristics of the dedicated server providers under the important heads of technology and data center teamed with other important considerations. Let us now look into the technology aspect of dedicated server providers based in the US and what they bring to your table.

Technological Considerations

• Power of the processor

Since a server is powered by a processor, it makes sense to pick a processor that is in line with your requirements and offers you the most of RAM. Intel and AMD are the processor giants that are making waves in the dedicated servers’ sphere.

You need to look into the cores of these offerings to come up with a right choice. A Xeon or dual Xeon server can be extremely useful for specialized applications like video-transcoding and virtualization. So, it pays you to be called a CPU geek to sail through the numerous processor options that are available in the US market and pick the best that serves you the best.

• Memory

Memory space is another notable characteristic that helps you make the right choice. Undoubtedly, a server which offers you more RAM can become your top bet. Since the amount of RAM has a direct reference to the speed of your server, the efficiency of your server becomes a function of memory. A larger memory allocation prompts a swift loading of your website. Hence, it is always better to pick a US based dedicated server provider who promises you more RAM.

• Bandwidth

Spade work done by you will help you uncover the traffic your website is poised to experience. When you get this data point about website traffic, you can pick a bandwidth that matches your specifications. High traffic websites like those demanding you to run scripts, stream multimedia files and load HD pictures in a jiffy can bank on dedicated servers which offer enhanced bandwidth.

• Storage

You need to delve deep into your website storage requirements so that you can come to an intelligent decision about hard drives. RAID ‘O’ and RAID ‘I’ are the most promising drives that can be picked up to safeguard your data against data loss that occurs during a hardware failure. Hence you can partner with a dedicated server provider who employs the concept of mirror copying that is a striking characteristic of RAID hard drives.

• Operating System

Again, you need to be clear of your requirements so that you can pick a dedicated server running on Windows or a Linux platform. And to arrive at this decision, you need to look into the nature of your application.

• Application Requirements

Delve deep into your application requirements before you zero in on a Windows or Linux dedicated server provider. A Linux Dedicated Server provider can be your best bet if you are looking to run an application that does not call for a Microsoft license. Alternatively, you can use it to employ LAMP or MEAN stack. On the flipside, if you are looking to host ASP.NET, MS SQL or Microsoft IIS, then a Windows Dedicated Server can become your best friend.

Your Data Center Requirements

Next in the list of basic qualities of a US based Dedicated Server provider is the one that provides a one-stop solution to all your data center requirements alongside promising a great deal of data security. It is also the responsibility of the data center to match your traffic needs so that you can come up with a right choice concerning the type of dedicated server you would need.

Below are the typical characteristics that you should look for so that you can match your data center requirements with a befitting dedicated server provider.

• The 4 Tiers of a Data Center

It is important to know that there are 4 tiers of data center. This breakdown shows ratings and differences between them based on the specifications of redundancy and uptime.

Here is a brief explanation of the 4 tiers of a data center.

Tier 1: This section demonstrates 99.67% uptime without any redundancy. Additionally, you can experience an annual downtime which is close to 28.8 hours.

Tier 2: Guaranteeing you a 99.74% uptime, this section demonstrates partial redundancy in cooling and power. Speaking of downtime, a tier 2 data center is susceptible to 22 hours of annual downtime.

Tier 3: With a significant 99.98% uptime, this is an N+1 fault tolerant option that is susceptible to a low 1.6 hours of downtime in a year.

Tier 4: Tagged as a promising data center tier, this section offers a significant 99.9% uptime with a 2N+1 fully redundant infrastructure. With regards to downtime, you will experience a very low 26.3 minutes of downtime, during an entire year.

• Security of Your Data Center is Paramount

Before you sign the dotted line with a dedicated server hosting provider, you need to ponder over the following questions concerning safety mechanisms, power supply, access to data, hardware constraints and those predominantly concerning the privacy and security of your data.

For your benefit, we shed light on the open-ended questions that should be answered by the provider so that he will be able to convince you of his abilities.

1. Is the data center susceptible to unauthorized access that can be misused by outsiders?
2. What are the safety mechanisms in place to ward off hacker attacks?
3. In what way can the provider safeguard your data and infrastructure during a power failure?
4. In the event your server fails, will the ripples be felt on your data? Is your data secure under such conditions?
5. In the event of a fire, who is the SPOC that will help you resolve the issue?
6. What will happen if a natural disaster strikes?
7. What are the steps taken by the provider to ensure that your data is protected at all times?
8. In the event of a data loss, how can you retrieve the lost data?

These 8 questions concerning the physical and technical make up of your data center need to be answered by the Dedicated Server Hosting provider.

• An In-depth Analysis of Your Requirements

You should perform a great deal of groundwork before you sign up with a Dedicated Server Hosting provider. Considering these parameters will help you better analyze your requirements so that you can work around the collated data points and pick the best hosting provider.

1. The Type of Server That Suits You The Best

The choice of a server depends on your activity. You can pick a server from amongst these:

• A Print Server
• A File Server
• A Communication Server
• A Domain Server
• An Application Server
• A Database Server

1. What is the quantum of website traffic that you anticipate in a month?
2. You can consider employing a server that offers you high computing power if you are planning to run a resource hungry application.
3. You can make a choice between a Windows Dedicated Server and a Linux Dedicated Server.
4. Notwithstanding the fact that choosing a dedicated server provider pinches your pocket, you can enjoy a good return on investment provided you pick the best out of the lot.

Other Important Considerations

Here are some additional yet important considerations that will help you rope in the best Dedicated Server hosting provider based in the US.

1. Customer Feedback – An Important Data Point: You can check out a host of customer reviews that speak about the performance levels of dedicated server hosting providers based in the USA.
2. Responsive to Issues and Queries: You can delve into the details such as the uptime, their responsiveness towards queries and issues along with the turnaround time to resolve your concerns.
3. Additional Free Services: You can also enquire about the providers in the US offering free additional services like DDoS protection and mitigation. If you find that one of them offers you such free services, you can bank on such providers with a feeling that the provider is attuned to a high level of customer service.
4. Backup Mechanism: Last but not the least, you can look out for a befitting Dedicated Server hosting provider who ensures that your data is backed up before your server goes live. In the event the provider does not guarantee this aspect, it is best to avoid all such US providers who can put your data security and privacy to risk.

Closing Thoughts  

Easing the process of zeroing in on the best Dedicated Server hosting provider in the US, the above considerations which when given a serious thought will help you in more ways than one. While you are prepared to shell down dollars as an investment into a dedicated server, you will be at the receiving end of an array of benefits offered by a professional and customer-centric hosting provider. Check out the above considerations and then make a judgment call to sign up with the best US-based Dedicated Server provider.

Reference Links:

https://serverguy.com/servers/choose-best-dedicated-server-guide/

http://b2evolution.net/web-hosting/blog/hosting-advice/server-cpu-ranking