| When most people make a big investment, for
example the purchase of a house, car, or shares of stock, they typically
don't keep important documents sitting in a file cabinet in their
home or office. Instead, to give themselves added peace of mind,
most people entrust these documents to the safety and security of
a safety deposit box. So why should an investment in expensive server
equipment be any different? The web hosting equivelent of a safety
deposit box, Co-location programs are the premier way for you to
protect your web site's equipment, and allow you to rest assured
knowing that your investment is in secure hands.
Co-location programs are an excellent way for
webmasters to protect their investment, and are essentially luxury
accomodations for your hosting equipment. With Co-location, you
provide the equipment, and are responsible for maintaining and upgrading
it, and the provider offers a safe, secure, storage facility.
| What are the Advantages of Co-location?
Co-location programs offer webmasters a
number of advantages over Virtual Hosting programs, in that
they offer an unparalleled level of control. Because you are
the owner of all equipment, you have the ability to upgrade
and update your server whenever you desire. As a result, you
have direct control over the availability and speed of your
site, and are ultimately responsible for the success or failure
of your online business. In addition, Co-location also ensures
that your equipment is safe and secure, as most providers
offer temperature controlled rooms, fire-safety equipment,
fast internet connections, 24 hour security, UPS backup, exceptional
bandwidth, and specially designed server rooms. In addition,
some providers also offer a realtime web page where you can
view the temperature, status and even images of the person
opening your server cabinet!
What are the Disadvantages of Co-location?
With the various competitive advantages
of Co-location, you might think it's a wonder that more people
don't choose Co-location over Virtual Hosting. Think again.
In addition to its numerous advantages, Co-location possesses
one significant disadvantage that puts it clear out of the
reach of many webmasters: a hefty price tag. It's not that
Co-location programs are necessarily expensive themselves,
but rather that subscribers to Co-location programs must be
able to put up the capital needed to purchase expensive server
equipment. In addition, Co-location also requires that you
provide someone to act as a web server administrator, which
is another added expense.
When one considers the various advantages
and disadvantages of Co-location programs, it should become
apparent that Co-location programs are ideal only for the
most serious webmasters. Although Co-location requires a high
initial investment, this investment will decrease over time,
and the equipment you purchase with that initial investment
will ensure your site the maximum performance possible, making
your investment well worthwhile. |
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