Colocation vs. Hyperscale Data Centers: What's the Difference?

Introduction

The world of data is dependent on data centers for management. There are over 10,000 data centers around the world, and 10% of them are hyperscale. Hyperscale is the latest technology when it comes to different types of data centers. On the other hand, data centers have different modes for hosting the data, and colocation is one of the most used methods.?

Our article will display a variety of details regarding a hyperscale data center and colocation service. You can discover the basic concepts of these two terms. Here, we will impart knowledge regarding the working of these server houses and how a method like colocation benefits the users.?

Colocation Data Centers: Overview

Colocation is similar to a building that has quite a number of flats. These flats are rented out with all the amenities to a variety of clients. These people don't own the resources of the building's flat such as fridge, bed, and so on. They use each of the amenities to the fullest extent possible as per their requirement. A colocation service is similar to the concept of renting a flat in a building. The user of a colocation service is relieved from maintaining an in-house server as it uses a server house on rent. The user gets to use the bandwidth, server space, RAM, and everything else. So, this was the basic concept of colocation, now let's check out how this system works in a real scenario.

How do Colocation Data Centers work?

A colocation data center serves large spaces for individuals who desire to have their own space on the server. The configuration is set as per the wish of the individual and not pre fixed like that in a VPS or dedicated setting. Let's check out each step of the process through which a colocation service works.

1. Renting space:?

The very first thing is the identification of a data center that offers a colocation service. Today, mostly every other server house facilitates this service.

2. Setting up equipment:?

The next part of the service is related to the arrangement of the network equipment. It is like picking different materials available with a craft house and making your own unique masterpiece. Here, the user picks the switches, routers, and so on to fill up the empty server space.

3. Connectivity:?

The next thing in the row is to access the connectivity as per the requirement. A colocation data centers offer high-speed internet connectivity, allowing businesses to connect their equipment to the internet and other networks.?

4. Power and Cooling:?

With a colocation service, the data center offers power and cooling facilities as well. The user will keep check of the equipment and space for proper cooling to avoid overheating and downtime. It is like taking care of your property.

5. Security:?

The colocation data center allows the user to have choices regarding monitoring tools and software in order to maintain server security. While the security of the premises is the responsibility of the colocation data center owners. It includes surveillance cameras, access controls, biometric scanners, and security personnel to protect the facility.

Hyperscale Data Centers: Overview

As the name suggests, hyperscale data centers are massive and serve big data operations. These are associated with a single organization. A great example of an organization adopting hyper-scale server houses could be Google, Amazon, or Microsoft. The companies that operate hyperscale data centers are called hyperscalers. These server houses store a huge number of servers at a single location. Such data centers are designed to handle high volumes of data processing and storage. When it comes to efficiency and energy optimization, a hyperscale server house proves to be cost-effective in regards to handling massive datasets. Now, enough with the basic concept, let's focus on the working of a hyperscale data center.

How do Hyperscale Data Centers Work?

These giant server houses rely on a variety of factors to ensure smooth working. We have labeled each critical factor as a separate point; take a look below.?

1. Massive Scale:?

First of all, these server houses are very big compared to enterprise data centers. If you think the comparison is only with the physical size, then you might be wrong. A hyperscale is bigger than an enterprise data center in terms of the availability of infrastructure, resources, racks, and so on. It offers space to manage large volumes of data processing and storage, supporting the needs of internet services, cloud computing, social media platforms, and other digital applications.

2. Efficient Design:?

These server houses boast great server and network efficiency through their design. The innovative infrastructure, space utilization, cooling systems, etc., offer much greater efficiency than any other type of data center.

3. Redundancy and High Availability:?

As already mentioned, such data centers are meant to handle huge data demands; this creates the requirement for high availability and redundancy. A hyper-scale server house perfectly delivers this requirement by facilitating low downtime and uninterrupted operations.?

4. Scalability:?

The fact that such data centers are the property of individual organizations makes them flexible. The organization can easily use them in whichever way they like in regard to their services and business model.?

5. Automation and Orchestration:?

With flexibility and scalability comes the power to automate certain tasks. For example, Google's hyperscale data center uses the topmost technologies to automate tasks like server configuration, track visitor traffic, balance workloads, and so on.

6. Security Measures:?

If you want the topmost security to protect your business data, then nothing can be superior to a hyperscale data center. The security measure is a major part of the working of these server houses. Such data centers employ a multi-layered approach to security, encompassing physical security measures such as access controls, surveillance cameras, and security personnel.

Conclusion

Both colocation and hyperscale data centers play important roles when it comes to data management. A colocation data center allows the renting of server space as per the client's wish. A hyperscale data center facilitates premium data handling and security for a single organization. Through this article, we discussed the workings of both services in detail.

If you want a safe server space where you can deploy all your desired resources as per the need, then a colocation might serve you better. On the other hand, if you have massive data at hand that is growing rapidly and needs the best secrecy and security, then a hyperscale data center can cater to your needs. Hyperscalers such as Google and Amazon use this model of the data center to house their data acquired from across the globe. In monetary terms, a hyperscale server house is hugely expensive and needs a big team of experts. Through this article, you get a wide-angle view of hyperscale and colocation data centers and how they work.