Colocation and server housing: your own hardware in a data centre

Colocation, housing, hosting: the difference

The terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things:

• Colocation / server housing: The customer brings their own hardware. The provider supplies rack space, power, cooling, connectivity and access control – nothing more. Operating system and software remain the customer's responsibility.
• Managed housing: the same, plus monitoring and care of the installed equipment by the provider.
• Hosting: The provider also supplies the hardware and usually the operating system. The customer rents capacity, not space.

"Server homing" and "co-location" are older names for the same arrangement.

What the data centre provides

Data centres are usually connected to the fibre optic network, which guarantees a high data transfer rate. The rooms are purpose-built: because the hardware gives off considerable heat, air conditioning runs around the clock. Alarm systems and video monitoring protect against disruption and sabotage, and in the event of fire, gas extinguishing systems act without damaging the equipment.

A multiply secured power supply with uninterruptible systems and emergency generators protects against fluctuations and outages in the grid. Qualified technicians are on site around the clock, so hardware faults can be dealt with immediately.

What companies save

Anyone using colocation does not need to build and maintain air-conditioned server rooms of their own. Fire protection and emergency power systems, access control, redundant network connections and the on-call duty for something failing at night all fall away.

Building your own data centre is expensive and complex; later adjustments and expansions usually are too. Colocation turns a large one-off investment into a predictable monthly item – and a fixed floor area into one that grows with demand.

From a single rack unit to your own room

Offerings scale with what you need:

1. A single rack unit (U): for one or a few devices, the usual entry point.
2. Several rack units: a section within a shared rack.
3. A full rack or several racks: an enclosed area with its own access.
4. Your own server room: for very large data volumes and special requirements.

With managed housing the provider additionally monitors the installed servers; many providers add support services for the connected systems.

What to weigh up

• Power costs: Data centres are large consumers, and the price per kilowatt hour is often above the local average for the customer. Billing is based on connected load or actual consumption depending on the provider; device type and utilisation also determine how much cooling is required.
• Physical access: Your own hardware in someone else's building means that hands-on work requires a trip or a remote hands booking.
• Contract terms: Rack space is usually committed for longer than cloud resources.
• Your responsibility: Operating system, updates, backups and hardening stay with the customer unless a managed model is agreed.

Why companies choose colocation

For many companies, trouble-free server operation is business critical. Colocation delivers conditions that are hard to reproduce economically in-house: connectivity, redundancy and physical security at data centre level.

The decisive difference from hosting: full control over your own machine configuration stays with the company. That matters wherever special hardware, your own licence models or regulatory requirements are involved.

Colocation at centron

centron operates its own data centre in Hallstadt near Bamberg, certified to ISO 27001 on the basis of IT-Grundschutz. It offers redundant power supply, fibre connectivity and round-the-clock technical staff – from a single rack unit through to a dedicated room.

More on this topic

• Colocation & Server Housing in Bavaria – from €10 per U
• Data centre – our own data centre in Hallstadt
• IT Outsourcing: Benefits and Expertise
• Data centre: the central computing facility of a business

Secure colocation and server housing

With our colocation services you benefit from housing your servers securely in a state-of-the-art data centre. We offer comprehensive solutions for professional server housing and reliable operation.