Although many people use the terms colocation and private cloud interchangeably, they are extremely different. While a colocation facility is a data center that allows floor spaces to be rented by organizations, a private cloud is an infrastructure based in a data center that runs just your data, and is configured to your requirements.
In simpler words, what makes a colocation different from a private cloud is not the location of the hardware but their respective functionalities.
To further understand why these concepts are so different, you first need to understand the basics of cloud computing and colocation.
What Is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a concept whereby computational services are hosted in remote servers and then accessed over the Internet. To understand the differences between colocation and a private cloud, the first step to take is defining what public cloud means.
Over the years, public cloud has gained lots of popularity and has come to mean the same thing as IT outsourcing. However, the public cloud is not restricted to just leasing IT resources in a remote data center. Here, your data is stored in the data center of your cloud provider and they are responsible for the management and maintenance of this site.
Many companies have found this cloud environment more appealing since the time required for testing and deploying new products is reduced.
On the other hand, a private cloud is a cloud service that is offered exclusively to one organization. Here, the organization gets to enjoy all the resources of the data center alone.
A private cloud does not necessarily have to be located in the same place as the organization but can also be remotely managed by a third party company and then accessed via the Internet.
Therefore, what makes a cloud public or private is not the location of the data center but who is responsible for managing the data center. In a private cloud environment, you are required to manage and maintain the data center. However, in a public cloud, your data center provider is responsible for all the management and maintenance activities.
What Is Colocation?
A colocation facility is somewhat similar to a public cloud however, it does not offer managed services. In a colocation facility, you can get adequate space, internet, power, and sometimes physical security. However, you as an organization are responsible for your servers and other hardware required to efficiently store your data.
Colocation can also be grouped alongside private cloud since organizations are responsible for the management and maintenance services in both. Here, you will be required to manage your own rack space, servers, and other equipment. You will be responsible for the configuration of the server hardware, backup, and recovery as well as software licensing. The reason why most companies opt for ServerMania colocation servers mostly because they lack the required space for the physical hardware.
Colocation VS. Private Cloud
Now that you understand what the private cloud and a colocation mean, you also need to know that the only similarity between them is that they are both a multi-tenant environment.
The differences between these two concepts lie in their features and functionalities.
Some of the features of a standard colocation are:
- You are responsible for the provision and maintenance of data storage hardware. A colocation facility offers a hosting service where your data is stored in a well maintained and secured data center. Here, your server will be sent to them and it will be fitted into a custom server rack.
- In a colocation center, the provider is responsible for 24/7 physical security and ensuring that the data is under the right environmental conditions. Other requirements like high-speed internet, as well as automatic backup and recovery plans, are provided by the data center provider.
Private cloud services on the other hand vary based on the features they offer their clients. However, there are standard characteristics every private cloud services should have and they are:
- The virtualized services of a private cloud can be accessed by multiple clients, however, from different pools of physical computation.
- Private cloud services can only be accessed across well-encrypted connections via public networks or through private rented lines.
- Another feature of the private cloud is the additional security and this is what every organization looks out for.
- Private cloud services also give clients access to a service catalog. This is a menu of applications that offers clients many services to choose from.
Both colocation and the private cloud are great means of storing data, however, you need to consider your business needs before settling for one.
