Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

April 13, 2010

The Cost of Colocation Web Hosting – Is it Worth It?

Colocation web hosting is the most expensive kind of web hosting service in existence. In fact, no other web hosting service costs more to operate and establish. Therefore, colocation web hosting is seen as a corporate solution that should only be used by individuals with vast server needs and a high budget. Although collocation hosting services provide security and serve storage that is unrivaled by any other hosting service, there are some viable alternatives to collocation hosting. This leads many medium sized business owners to ask the question – is colocation hosting worth the cost?

Colocation Setup Cost

Perhaps the costliest stage of collocation web hosting is the setup process, as you are required to purchase your own web server. Colocation hosting simply a web server storage and maintenance server, and thus does not include the cost of server administration or server cost. This means you will not only have to buy your own web servers (which cost thousands of dollar) but you will also have to pay for technical support and server administration assistance. Luckily all of this can be done remotely, so the need for on-site server administration is not necessary, however you will still need a team of IT experts to keep your server running smoothly, unless of course you have the knowledge to do this yourself.

Colocation Security

The main reason for the high cost of collocation web hosting is the stringent security precautions that are taken at the colocation facility. Colocation facilities are state-of-the-art structures specifically designed to house web servers. The building is covered in surveillance 24 hours a day. And every area of the facility is fire-proofed with the latest fire detection and extinguishing. The server rooms are kept at an exact temperature at all times to maximize server shelf life, and air flow is kept constant to prevent dust build up. Colocation hosting is an optimal solution for individuals that need a safe and reliable place to house their private web servers.

Colocation Support

Although you are required to administrate your own web servers, you will still have access to quality support that can check on your server configuration at any time of the day or night. Colocation facilities are manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In fact, the supreme reliability and security of collocation hosting is what warrants the overwhelming startup and maintenance cost. Colocation hosting is only a suitable solution for online business owners that need a lot of server resources and have hefty budget at their disposal. If you are on a budget of any kind, or do not have the funds to purchase your own web server and IT team, then collocation hosting services are simply not for you.

Conclusion

Due to the high cost of colocation hosting, most consumer web hosting providers do not offer a colocation hosting plan. For this reason, if you are in search of a colocation hosting plan, then you will need to find a reputable company that specializes in colocation hosting.

Tags: colocation,  colocation facility,  colocation setup,  colocation security,  colocation web hosting,  colocation support,  on-site server administration,  IT experts,  server needs