A vital decision for every business is deciding what type of IT environment best fits its needs, abilities and budget. Every solution has risks and rewards to consider. That is why a business must do its research before deciding which option is the best long-term strategy.
Keeping It All In-House
In-house data centers were once the primary solution for all businesses, no matter the size. It allows a company to control every aspect of its IT environment. Control is considered to be the biggest reward provided by this solution. With an in-house data center, the business chooses everything from security measures to operating systems and network design.
An in-house data center carries a number of risks, as well. The most significant is scalability. As a business grows, it can quickly outgrow its data center. It must either choose a different solution or build another data center. Building a data center requires a significant initial investment. It also requires ongoing overhead and operation costs. If the data center is poorly designed, the day-to-day costs will skyrocket as it becomes increasingly inefficient.
Colocation
Colocation is the ideal solution for businesses for several reasons. They can maintain a lot of control but still shift the IT infrastructure responsibilities the specialists. The company can still provide all of the necessary equipment and maintains control over it. The colocation provider handles the day-to-day infrastructure maintenance, as well as security. Another benefit of colocation is immediate scalability. Businesses can increase the amount of space they need as soon as they need it.
The biggest risk of colocation is choosing a poor provider. Low-quality colocation facilities lead to significant downtimes and heightened security risks. Additionally, the business has no control over the data center infrastructure. It is best to choose purpose-built data centers rather than retro-fitted centers. Purpose-built were built specifically to house and maintain IT equipment and data, reducing possible issues.
Managed Colocation
Managed colocation shifts a majority of responsibility onto the service provider. The colocation provider takes care of the data center infrastructure, network, servers and other necessary equipment. The customer can provide the operating system, software and applications. This solution provides significant rewards to businesses that want control over the software. It also provides benefits for those that don’t have the ability or desire to manage the operation of the servers.
The biggest risk of managed colocation is the business is completely reliant on the colocation provider. The provider must be reliable to properly maintain the hardware. They also must use an effective set of procedures and processes to ensure consistent day-to-day maintenance. Over time, this solution is more expensive than traditional colocation.
Managed Hosting
Managed hosting is similar to managed colocation with one exception. The provider is responsible for everything except the software and applications. It provides more support than the previous solutions; however it also offers a limited amount of control. A business is more restricted by what changes provider will and won’t allow to its equipment. The primary benefit of managed hosting is the business has a greater opportunity to focus on its core mission. It can focus on its business operations rather than its IT management.
Complete Outsourcing
The final option on the hosting spectrum is complete outsourcing. The customer has no control over any aspect of its infrastructure. In most cases, the provider will even restrict businesses from having administrative access to anything, including the applications. All changes must be requested by the business, and then fulfilled by the provider. While this is the simplest solution, it is also the most expensive and restrictive.
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