| Co-location is one of a range of services offered by | | | | customer have a nearly free reign to install software |
| most hosting providers. The most basic hosting | | | | as needed within those boundaries. |
| account just hosts a web site on one of their | | | | This type of co-location package is typical for server |
| standard configured servers, often with several other | | | | virtualization needs, although advanced virtualization is |
| web services customers. This has the advantage of | | | | making co-location of dedicated servers less and less |
| being inexpensive for you and simpler for the hosting | | | | necessary. (Server virtualization is software that |
| provider to handle - they have a standardized server | | | | allows multiple operating systems to run virtually on a |
| that they use, which makes it easy to back things up | | | | server, either multiple copies of the same operating |
| for all their clients. | | | | system running different dedicated apps, or, in some |
| If all the clients using standardized hosting packages | | | | of the more dedicated and challenging systems, |
| are low bandwidth, or low CPU usage clients, this is all | | | | different operating systems running on the same |
| well and good...and it is cheaper for the hosting | | | | platform. From the perspective of a remote user, |
| provider to handle, and they charge less for it | | | | multiple virtual servers are nearly impossible to |
| accordingly. | | | | distinguish from multiple dedicated hardware setups. |
| The next step up is a dedicated server. In this | | | | There are other benefits to co-location arrangements. |
| configuration, you are paying for a single server that | | | | In many cases, you will own the server directly (this |
| hosts your web site (or web sites) rather than | | | | was the original meaning of a co-location agreement; |
| sharing a standardized hosting package. It costs a bit | | | | now, many times, the hardware is leased from your |
| more (and often times a fair bit more) because the | | | | provider and configured to your needs, the better to |
| cost of the hardware and how it runs isn't being | | | | take advantage of economies of scale in both |
| spread over multiple clients. Dedicated servers are | | | | hardware purchasing and service and maintenance |
| also pre-configured to whatever your hosting | | | | packages). Owning the server directly gives you |
| provider considers the "normal package" of software, | | | | some additional legal rights, including the ability to take |
| whether it has got SQL database support or a CMS. | | | | dedicated control of the server and its data. |
| Where most people move on from dedicated | | | | The other benefits of a co-location agreement are |
| servers to co-location arrangements is when they | | | | mostly physical. In particular for small organizations, |
| need software or support that goes beyond what | | | | co-location of a server means that there will always |
| the standards are for their hosting provider. The | | | | be support staff on hand, which is a significant |
| typical example of this is wanting to use a specific | | | | improvement over manning your own server IT staff |
| set of customer service related applications (such as | | | | department. On top of this, most hosting providers |
| a customer relations management package, or a | | | | providing co-location services offer better fire |
| specific type of software for handling shopping cart | | | | protection and physical protection of the servers |
| and secure shopping applications). The simplest | | | | themselves; the buildings are more secure, they have |
| solution for the hosting provider is to clearly | | | | better (and electronics friendly) fire suppression |
| differentiate between what the customer has | | | | systems and dedicated climate control, along with |
| installed, and what they will support, and let the | | | | centralized backups. |