Businesses greatly depend on data in almost every task. A vital decision company heads have to make is to choose a suitable place for storing data. They get torn between selecting a colo data center or using a cloud service.
Are you also amongst these people? Well, if you are, then don’t worry anymore. Here is a complete guide to help you choose the best option.
Colocation Data Centers
A colo data center is a facility that rents out space to companies to keep their servers and other IT equipment. Many large businesses prefer to store their data at a secure colocation. Below are some pros of a data center.
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Cost-effective
Many companies believe that colocation data centers are expensive since they have to buy their hardware. However, the costs of purchasing are lower than maintaining the data themselves. Besides that, they don’t have to hire extra staff to handle the data.
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High Efficiency
Providing power supply and cooling is the central provider’s job. This allows them to have control over costs and keep energy losses at bay.
Now let’s weigh the cons of colo data centers.
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Lack Of Control
Updating of servers is done at the center by companies own staff. But time limitations at the place make maintenance less convenient. Thus, many businesses do not like having limited access to their hardware.
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Risk Of Poor Assistance
Finding a secure colocation is easy, but it may not be reliable necessarily. Some of the centers disappoint their customers by not providing attention to their complaints. If server issues are not resolved immediately, work can be held up.
Cloud Services
Cloud storage works similarly to colo. The difference is that here data is stored virtually. Various startups prefer to hire cloud providers.
Following are some reasons for their choice.
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Rapid Scalability
Organizations can easily add more processing resources whenever required. Computing power can be scaled accordingly to meet the demands. Thus, allowing the company to adapt quickly to changing market situations.
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Time-Saving
Cloud providers do all the stuff, such as updating and backing up. That’s why having a skilled IT staff is not a necessity. Apart from that, company staff can put their time and effort into other tasks.
To make a fair judgment, here are some cons of cloud services.
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Security Issues
Since the data is stored virtually, it is prone to digital attacks. Although the provider does maintain security, uncertainty is always present. You can never be sure about their staff’s capability.
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Extra Fees
Often companies don’t know the number of resources they are using. Due to this, they have to pay extra fees along with their usual bill. These fees can be too high to pay, sometimes result in company losses.
Final Decision: Colocation Or Cloud?
That was everything you needed to know about the two services. They both are beneficial in their ways, but it all comes down to your needs. The best option is the one that meets your requirements.