The lowdown on Colo

I have to admit, I’m often jealous of John Brian. He seems to always get the “cool” topics – Facebook, Social Networks, Google. But being as the world is on vacation this week, I’m going to take this opportunity to write about the new cool topic – Colocation. That’s “Colo” to the cool kids.

Okay, so figuring out your hosting solution may not be the most exciting part of putting together a Web application. But it may be the most important. But before you let your imagination run wild with images of AJAX fairies dancing in our heads, ask yourself one very important question â?? where is this gosh-darned thing going to live?

You could sign on with a hosting provider, and rent their servers in their space. This works if you need only one or two simply configured Web servers. But what if your splendiferous Web application needs a little bit more than that? What if you need SQL servers, Web Servers, Storage Area Networks (SANs), Exchange Servers, and you need to make them all talk to each other? Renting 15 web servers year after year can be a very costly proposition. Plus, the servers are never really yours â?? you’re at the mercy of the hosting provider for equipment and upgrades.

You could buy servers and maintain your Web presence in-house. This is certainly a less expensive option. But if you don’t have a skilled IT staff to maintain it, you could be in a lot of trouble. Do you have someone on your staff that could troubleshoot server issues? Who can set up and maintain monitoring of important functions? Who can restart your server at 3 in the morning? Who has the time to run backups on a regular basis? And if you are so blessed with such a person, what do you plan on doing when that person goes on vacation? And will you have an off site backup? Plus, are you sure the security/fireproofing/power supply in your office building is up to snuff? Or can someone just punch a hole in the wall and steal your servers? (It sounds far fetched, but I’ve seen it happen.)

Is there an option between hosting your application in-house and leasing the whole thing out to a hosting provider? Yes â?? Colocation. With Colocation, you own the equipment. A secure, well-equipped, and well-staffed hosting provider houses it.

Here are just a few advantages of Colocation:

1. It can be cheaper. If you need a lot of equipment, Colo can be a lot less expensive than a purely hosted solution. You buy the equipment. The rest of the annual cost is really just paying rent and maybe some maintenance with the Colocation provider. There is always a good chance (especially if you’re a non-profit) that you can get the equipment and software at a greater discount than a hosting provider. And then you can upgrade (or not) on your own time line.
2. You can get as much (or as little) support as you need. You can tailor an agreement with a Colocation provider to suit your own in-house technical resources. If you have the staff to maintain the servers, you can have a “pure Colo” setup â?? you buy the equipment, they house it, end of story. But if you don’t (or if your tech guy goes on vacation), you can arrange for the staff at the facility to monitor and maintain your servers. Even if you don’t specify a regular service agreement with the provider, many will give you access to their staff for an hourly fee in emergencies.
3. The professionals are taking care of the security. Colocation providers put your equipment in state-of-the-art facilities with redundant power, fireproofing, James-Bond-like biometric access, and much, much and more.
4. You can visit your babies. Many Colocation providers will allow you access to your equipment. So if you need to do work directly on your servers, you can.

Obviously, not all Colocation providers are created equal â?? you’ll need to do your research and request references. But if you think your needs bring you beyond a standard Web hosting package, but you’re not quite ready to plunge into moving your application in-house, Colocation may be for you.