Monday, October 24, 2011

Simple Tips On How To Select Storage Capacity For Your Server Colocation

By Jean Bruller


It can be frustrating to have to choose between dedicated and shared hosting for many small and medium sized businesses. While the former comes with reliability and robustness of application options, it is on the main, prohibitively costly. On the other hand, shared hosting solutions are notoriously unreliable although they are usually priced within the budget capabilities of most small time operators. Server colo solutions are perfectly suited to provide a choice that to some degree affords clients the best of both worlds.

Also referred to as VPS (Virtual Private Server) solution model, server colo is renowned for being cheaply available and reliable in delivery. The cost savings are on both the client side and also for the host company mainly due to the innovative approach used in implementing the solutions. One host machine is compartmentalized to offer data storage for a number of clients in an approach known as multi-tenancy. It allows each of the clients to have full root access at a cost that is within most budget limits.

The most important factor to consider is the frequency and volume of backups that need to be carried out in a standard period of operation. The more exacting the specifications, the larger should the space needed. For organizations that need to outsource backup of much less mission critical data, then it may not be necessary to request for a robust solution.

There is also a choice to be made about the most preferred system by which data will be store. The choices open to potential clients are threefold as detailed here. They include Direct Access Storage (DAS), Network Access Storage as well as Storage Access Network (SAN). A frank assessment of what each method has to offer as well as its limitations will provide the necessary guidance to arrive at the most appropriate solution.

The DAS system is by far the most common deployment in the industry. This is mainly because of ease of implementation as it works analogously to normal local data disks. It fits in with the backup needs of most small businesses as it is compact and optimized for such demands. It can however slow down a system if both file store operations and application access are deployed simultaneously.

On the other hand, NAS is suited for more robust data backup and application launching systems. Here, the process of storing files is completely separate from the option that runs applications. This segregation means that both methods can run concurrently without affecting the effectiveness of either.

At the peak of this three tiered option pyramid is the method referred to as Storage Access network. It is packaged with a number of powerful options that are more often than not beyond the price range that most medium and small operators are ready to pay. With the rise of new applications riding on the mass popularity of Web 2.0 specification, it has become the method of choice for organizations running applications that are both data intensive and demand fast data delivery.

The decision on what is the most effective server colocation solution for a particular business is a complex process. However, following a systematic examination of the organization's needs not to mention the options on offer, it can be easy to arrive at the most ideal solution. It will not only help to keep in mind the prevailing conditions but too any future developments that can be foreseen.




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