The Various Packages Of Colocation Hosting On Offer To Website Owners

By Angelique Hoffman


Colo services are currently among the preferred options. An increase in the number of data centers around the world has created a need for clients to better understand the services and options offered by these organizations. Each business will have its own unique server colo service needs. For some, bandwidth is the main concern while others will have their focus more on the amount of rack space available. Most data centers will have several colo packages though others may specialize on one or two types.

In most cases the server collocation types will be based on bandwidth options. Of the many different reasons that cause businesses to seek out collocation services, bandwidth and power supply are usually among the top three. For a server that requires 100% uptime, bandwidth presents a significant cost. Packaging the server collocation as per bandwidth is therefore the only logical option. Data centers around the world will normally offer four common server collocation packages. The four packages are Cross Connecting, Total Transfer, Rate Limited and 95th Percentile. Each package is meant to meet the needs of a certain group of clientele that have shared requirements.

Total Transfer server collocation has no cap on the speed of data transfer. These are determined by the capacity of the port. The bandwidth access here is incredible though there is a limit on the duration of heavy data transfers. The amount payable for this kind of server colocation is fixed and does not vary according to usage.

Rate Limited collocation hosting will operate with a pre set bandwidth cap. There is no time at which your bandwidth speeds can possibly exceed the limit set by the service provider. Those who need to transfer huge volumes of data as well as those who are looking for top speeds should not go for this package. However, this option is suitable for those who are working with lower quantities of data. It also has the advantage of coming at a fixed price which makes budgeting easier.

The 95th Percentile server collocation services are the most popular among the four. Similar to the Total Transfer, data speeds are limited by the port capacity. The name of the package is derived from the fact that 5% of the highest bandwidth consumed is not included when billing the client. This allows for access to higher bandwidth as well as high speed transfers for limited periods. The variable billing is however not the best especially for those in charge of financial planning and control.

Cross Connecting collocation services are a preferred option among the bigger customers. The arrangement here is to give the customer a direct connection with a bandwidth provider. The data center in this situation will be charging a cross connect fee to the customer. Cross connect fees are paid to cater for the direct connection to bandwidth providers. Bandwidth charges are paid directly to the bandwidth provider. Facilitation is the main role played by the data center in this case.




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