Colocation vs. Cloud: Learn the difference to select sensibly

Regardless of their size and nature of services/products, they are offering; enterprises are using IT and computing. They aim to improve performance and reduce operational expenses. Though digitization of the traditional business process will save time and money, management of in-house IT infrastructure is expensive due to an additional cost of hiring dedicated resources to oversee the technology infrastructure.

As compared to equipping workplace with systems and networking devices, third-party data centers and hosting facilities provide an IT-based technological solution at reasonable cost. To make sensible selection, business owner should focus not only on their needs but also on the unique features of technologies available.

Here I am sharing important facts about colos and cloud to help businesses in making a sensible selection of technology.

How they differ from each other? Colo and cloud solution are different from each other. In fact, a cloud is the off-premise set of sophisticated technological tools and services. It stores data on the internet and helps companies to transform their operations. In contrast, collocation is a place or data center, which provides physical space to store client hardware, and servers that stores data within a local network of an organization.

Enterprises may independently select a suitable technology service or adopt both of the solutions if they already possess traditional applications and looking to improve faster solutions and business aligned technical strategy.

How can companies adopt these solutions? Cloud service providers offer database, website or app hosting services and online data storage facilities for their clients. Customers can choose from private, public or hybrid cloud according to the sensitivity of their data. Irrespective of its type, hosting solutions offer scalable and agile solutions for their clients. To select a suitable service provider, customers should focus on system cost, business requirement and security.

Customer reviews have also revealed that flexibility and scalability of service packages have made it a favourite option for both small and large organizations. It allows them to handle varying traffic volume without any difficulty.

Customers, who are adopting colo possess their racks, servers, network equipment, hardware and software. Moreover, a colo service provider also maintains dedicated teams of IT staff to oversee the whole setup for uninterrupted power supply to keep all the devices functioning.

How pros and cons of IT-based business solution can affect the decision? Vendors are providing a wide range of IT-based business solutions for entrepreneurs. In addition to offering specific benefits, every option has its pros and cons. The smart way to select the most suitable solution is to go through the pros and cons to decide the best for your business.

Few pros and cons of cloud solutionsCloud is best for businesses offering some services to their clients. It offers multiple benefits from low cost, reduced operational expenses, unbreakable business continuity and enhanced data security. As company owners and resources are no longer responsible for overseeing HVAC and electrical power supply for IT equipment, they will have more funds and time to manage core business activities. This will improve their performance and productivity.

Though these benefits are exciting, entrepreneurs should not ignore the drawbacks. Few of the cons of choosing this are reduced control on IT resources, complete dependency on platform and equipment and security and compliance with security regulations.

Few pros and cons of colo solutionsIt is a good option for vendors, who don’t have easy access to hosting companies and data centers. Renting an offsite space to store data servers and network devices are affordable as compared to constructing and in-house data storage. Besides this, redundancy of data storage and power supply and 24/7 technical support are remarkable pros. Enterprise owners must look into the potential cons like IT staff requirements and stress of managing technological equipment before they appoint a colo vendor.

Endnote: When it comes to adopting technology based solutions like collocation/cloud, checking out pros and cons will enable you to evaluate the actual worth of option and help you to make a sensible solution.