Colocation is becoming a more popular type of site hosting, especially for small businesses that are looking for the benefits that come with hiring a dedicated IT team, but without the attached cost.

Colocation is a type of hosting in which a company purchases their own web server, or servers, outright and places them in a web host's rack. By doing this, the business owner can save storage space, as they won't have to house an entire rack of servers; and they can also draw on the web host's bandwidth. The bandwidth that is used in any given amount of time is included in the web hosting package, and the business owner can simply use it as though it were their own. In addition to bandwidth, the web host will also supply an IP address and power to the server.

The fact that the web host provides so much to the server, and to the business owner, is one of the biggest benefits of colocation website hosting. Drawing on the web host's bandwidth and using it as you need is typically much more affordable than it would be if you were to purchase that bandwidth, and rent a web server, from a web host.

The power supplied by a colocation host may not seem like a deal-breaker when you first start looking for a colocation host; but it's an important feature that should not be overlooked, and for a couple of reasons. The first is that web servers are very powerful machines that use an enormous amount of power. They also need to be running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For a business owner to store the server themselves and make sure it always has adequate power can be extremely costly. With colocation, it's not because those costs are absorbed by the web host.

Power supply is also a big feature when it comes to things such as power outages and blackouts. While a colocation service will ensure that they have multiple backup generators and contingency plans, this is not always possible when a web server is simply in an office building. If the power were to go out, the power to the web server would also go out, and the website would be shut down until it came back on. For an e-commerce website, or site that brings in profits, this could mean thousands in lost revenue.

With all these advantages, why wouldn't you choose colocation services?

Colocation hosting is typically much more expensive than standard web hosting, and it's for this reason that it's typically only used by businesses. Not only is there the initial investment of the hardware itself, but also the software that needs to be installed on it, as well as the cost of hosting and maintaining the web server. However for those that have the means within their budget, and want to experience the best of both worlds in web hosting, colocation could be the right fit.

Omniracks is providing the most reliable Los Angeles Colocation facility with connectivity through One Wilshire, the most connected network hub in the Western United States. read more