Compliance regulations regarding customer data are full of potential pitfalls. Consider the ride-sharing company Uber, which according to Bitdefender, inadvertently leaked sensitive customer data in 2016 after configuring a third-party server incorrectly. In matters of security, the more parties involved, the higher the risk of a data leak.
Many companies use their own on-site servers to avoid this kind of incident. But, this isn’t always viable, as servers are not exactly small. A good compromise is using a colocated server solution. So what exactly is a colocated server, and how do they work? Read on to learn more.
What Is a Colocated Server?
Essentially, a colocated server is a server your company owns, stored in a third-party location. Your company owns the server, and another company owns the building the server is in. Your company has full control of the server hardware, but the service providers take care of things like cooling, power, and physical security.
Pro: Enhanced Security
Dealing with sensitive data means as few people should have access to it as possible. The more people who have access, the greater the range of potential security threats.
As Microsoft says, it’s about letting the right people in and keeping the wrong people out. Cybercriminals frequently target third-party server providers, and sometimes they uncover critical security flaws.
If you rely on a third party to manage your server, it’s up to them to provide security patches. If they’re slow to respond, your confidential data is left exposed. One of the big advantages of colocation is that you’re always free to respond as you see fit.
According to IBM, physical access is also a key part of data security. If you’re running a small company, there’s a limit to how well you can secure your offices. Maybe you share your office spaces with other organizations, meaning unauthorized individuals could get close to your hardware.
Colocated servers are usually housed in buildings with robust security. These facilities are equipped with security cameras, on-site security guards, and even biometric access controls. This kind of advanced protection simply isn’t possible for smaller companies.
Pro: Better Reliability and Uptime
Servers require power, cooling, and high-speed internet connections. If something interferes with any of these, the server will go down. Colocated servers are housed in large-scale data centers, and these facilities are incredibly resilient.
There are always backup systems in place, and sometimes the backups even have redundancies. Such robustness is only possible when you’re operating servers on a large scale.
Pro: Colocated Servers Can Scale With Your Company
Another one of the big server colocation pros is that they can easily scale with your company. If you want to add another server to your rack on short notice, you won’t need to worry about having appropriate power or cooling solutions. In a massive data center, there’s always room to upgrade.
Running your hardware on-site might work initially, but if your company becomes an overnight success, you don’t want your operations held back by something as basic as a lack of cooling capacity.
Pro: Full Control
Some companies simply can’t give up control of data to a 3rd party. Maybe you have script data compliance requirements, or perhaps you have unique configuration requirements that can’t be fulfilled by a remote server. Whatever your situation, if you don’t have the space for a server room, a colocated solution is the only way to maintain full control of your hardware.
Con: High Installation Costs
One of the main disadvantages of colocated servers is that the initial installation isn’t cheap. You’ll need to invest in all the server hardware, and you’ll also need to pay for transportation and installation. The service provider allows you the space to house your server, but purchasing it and setting it up is all up to you.
Setting up a colocated server could sometimes be more expensive than running everything in-house because you’ll have to transport all your hardware to a remote location.
Con: It Can’t Move With Your Business
Unlike conventional remote server solutions, the physical location of your colocated server matters a lot. You’ll still have to access your hardware to do upgrades and maintenance, so it makes sense to purchase space close to your company offices.
The trouble is, if your company scales up and moves to a new location that’s further away, it makes it more difficult to access your hardware. If your company needs frequent access, consider the location of your server carefully.
Con: Complex Maintenance
A server isn’t something you can just set up and forget about; you’ll have to do routine maintenance and sometimes, you’ll need physical access to troubleshoot. Unlike with other remote server solutions, colocated server providers won’t take any responsibility for this.
In the interests of data security, the service provider will never touch your hardware. Instead, you’ll have to send your server technicians to the remote location. The nature of colocation and data security requirements means getting into the building isn’t straightforward.
Your technicians will need to verify their credentials, and if there’s any doubt about their identity, there could be significant delays.
Con: You Rely on the Data Center
Some of the biggest disadvantages of colocated servers relate to your dependence on the data center. While they should have strong contingency measures in place to ensure optimal uptime, this doesn’t always work out in practice.
Through poor management or unanticipated events, your server could go offline. If this happens, there’s not much you can do but wait for the data center to solve the problem. If you can’t afford downtime, you’ll need to find a provider you can trust.
Looking for a Colocated Server Provider With a Proven Track Record?
As you can see from these server colocation pros and cons, colocated servers are a viable solution for companies requiring reliable, secure, and scalable server solutions. Colocated servers are all about trust between your company and the data center, so finding a reputable company is crucial.
Here at Great Lakes Colocation, we’ve built up our long-standing reputation through our commitment to reliability, security, and customer satisfaction. Our state-of-the-art data center has redundant generators, cooling systems, and 3-phase power supplies providing unparalleled connectivity and uptime for all our clients. Contact us today to secure your business with top-tier server colocation solutions.