Once a term only used by governments, cloud hosting is making its way to businesses both large and small. According to Wikipedia, cloud computing “is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the internet.” Image a multitude of servers that are connected through networks to create a cloud where companies are able to store data. Essentially, this cloud acts as an outsourcing agent for server and storage needs.

Just because cloud hosting is becoming a new buzzword, adoption may or may not be the best choice for your company. Read over these pros and cons to learn more about your options with cloud computing.

The Benefits

Hosting your information on an outsourced system (that is maintained by a third-party) can really free up space and cut costs. With cloud hosting, you can

• Access your data at all times - not just while in the office
• A physical storage center is no longer needed
• Most have a pay structure that only calls for payment only when used
• Relieves burden on IT Professionals and frees up their time in the office
• Easily scalable so companies can add or subtract storage based on their own needs

The Negatives

If you are going to move all of your information to data centers situated outside your company, then security should be of utmost importance.

• Lost control comes with handing over your data and information
• Depending on third-party to ensure the security and confidentiality of data and information
• If your cloud host disappears, where does your information go?

If you are a small business, or even a Fortune 500 company, cloud computing can take a large expense and make it work for your budget. Funding the servers, software, and information technology professionals can be a real burden and finding cost-efficient means through cloud hosting can be very beneficial.

Colocation is a type of internet server hosting. With Colocation, companies buy rack space in a Data Centre and store their own server equipment there. These Data Centre’s are facilities purpose built for this purpose. It is a way for companies running there own servers, but not having to have them on the site of their own business. Multiple customers are located at these Data Centre’s, but each own their own rack space and server’s. There are both advantages and disadvantages to Colocation, compared with hosting your own server on site, or just basic web hosting.

Bandwidth is cheaper in a Colocation Centre than it would be if you hosted your own Server. As bandwidth is shared between many servers, the cost is reduced. This also has the advantage of there being extra bandwidth should it be necessary. Unlike managed hosting, with Colocation you own your server and therefore have control over it, and can upgrade if you want to. There are large power and mechanical systems, and due to this website speeds can be much quicker. Having your server based away from your own site means that your internal networks are freed up and can be used for other purposes.

As colocation centres specialise in this area there are superior backup protection in case of any problems. If the is a power failure, for example, there is unlikely to be the same issues as there would be if you were hosting your own server. This means websites can continue to run. Colocation can be beneficial to small business, who want some of the features of a large IT department without the high costs. Most centres have the facility for customers to pay extra to have their server managed and maintained. Servers are kept in a safe environment at Colocation Centres. There is security, and servers are kept in a fire safe and temperature controlled environment.

As with most things, Colocation has disadvantages as well as advantages. It may be cheaper than hosting your own server, but it is more expensive than basic web hosting. Therefore if web hosting is all that is required, then that is the best option. There is an initial cost involved as you have to pay for both the rack space at the data centre and the server itself. Once you have outlaid these initial costs, you still need to pay for bandwidth, usually on a monthly basis. This cost will vary depending on the amount of bandwidth that has been used. If a particularly large amount of data has been transferred during the month, then you could have quite a large increase in costs that month. Of course, this can also work the other way, with the cost being less than expected.

As the prices fluctuate month on month you don’t have the security of knowing the exact amount you will be spending. Unlike Managed Hosting, you also have to pay whenever your server equipment needs updating. One of the benefits of having your server located at your own site is that it is there with you, whenever you need it. This is not the case with Colocation, and you will need to travel to the Data Centre when you need to perform any tasks. Unless you pay someone else to do it for you, you have to maintain your own server equipment, much like hosting you own server, but unlike managed hosting.

There are many things to take into consideration when deciding whether or not Colocation is best for your business. You need to take costs, practicalities and the amount of control you have into consideration. Colocation can be a very good alternative to web hosting or managed hosting, depending on your own individual needs.

If you decide to create a web site, then you will have to decide on what type of web host provider you would like to use. There are actually four main types of web host. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, the one that is right for you will depend on your own website needs. Consider each type before making a decision.

Free web hosting is very popular for personal websites since it is, well, free. The good thing about free hosting is that you will not face hosting charges, domain registration charges, and other fees. Your website will be totally free.

The downside of a free web site is that you will not have very much control over it. Most likely, you will have to use a template that is offered by the website. You will not have an inordinate amount of storage or bandwidth, and you will not have your own dedicated domain name.

The next type of web hosting, and another popular choice, is the shared server type. With a shared server, you will pay to use space on the web host’s server. With this sort, the cost is relatively low and you will have your own domain name. You may have the option to add more storage for a fee when it is needed.

However, you will still not necessarily have a large amount of storage space, and your bandwidth may be limited.  In addition, you will be sharing sever space with other customers of the web host.

There could be security and privacy risks involved when you use a shared server, since it is possible that other customers could accidentally see your information. A shared server is not ideal if you plan to offer ecommerce on your site.

The third web host option is the dedicated server. With a dedicated server, only your site and your information will be stored on the server, meaning that you will have plenty of storage and bandwidth, and your information will be exponentially safer.

The negative of a dedicated server is cost. Dedicated servers can be quite pricey since you are paying to use the whole server for yourself.

One last web host type is the co-located server. With co-location, you will provide the actual server and it will be located on a web host’s premises, offering you security and the knowledge that your server will usually be up.

Deciding which server is right for you will depend on what you would like to do with your website and how much money you are willing to invest.