Data centers provide selection and replication of data and needed documentation and, often, the generation of user tailored data products.

If you have outgrown your current virtual Web hosting account and you want greater control over your Web site, you may want to consider co-located or dedicated server services. Both provide greater control and flexibility but there are differences as well.

The primary difference between co-located or dedicated server services is that with co-location, you provide the hardware and the Web Host provides the facility, bandwidth, etc. With a dedicated server you lease or rent the hardware that is owned by the Web Host.

If you have an existing machine that will serve the needs of your Web site, then it may be most cost effective. The costs involved are usually $100-$500 per month, depending on the facility and bandwidth used. Leasing a dedicated server is usually more expensive than co-location but you receive the full package including hardware, software, bandwidth, etc. Leasing also allows you to easily upgrade as you Web server needs change. Costs vary widely but usually start at around $200 per month and can easily reach into thousands of dollars per month.

Co-location means that you rent specific space to house your servers along with the servers of other companies in a common physical location. Each company's equipment is physically secured inside a lockable wire cage or a cabinet. Co-location offers you the flexibility to upscale (or even downscale) your technology and requirements as your business grows (or slows down), without having to make repeated capital investments. When you enter into a co-location agreement with us, you pay a much lower annual fee and are assured of a high level of services without the bother.

Well the number one benefit of having your own dedicated server would be reliability. When you are on a shared Web hosting server, sometimes other people on the server can make life for you a little harder. Due to processes, scripts or other activities, your Web site might start coming up slower due to those other folks. With a dedicated Web hosting server, you are the only one on that server and you are not subject to such pesky activity. Well, unless you are the one causing it.

Having your own Web hosting server also provides you with a more cost effective way of hosting more than one domain. You can split that Web hosting server up as many times as you want, depending on how much space each Web site needs. True, you could do that with a Web hosting reseller account too. The only problem is a reseller account is still on a shared Web hosting server. As long as you are on a shared Web hosting server you are going to have reliability problems.

With that being said, you can also expect to see greater performance from your Web sites. Without sharing the server's resources with 10 to 100 other people, your pages will come up quicker, your scripts will run faster, and it will be as if your entire Web hosting experience was on steroids.

Security is another good reason to go with a dedicated Web hosting server. With a shared Web hosting server, some things on the server itself are more open to see. Within a dedicated Web hosting server though you can keep more things to yourself and locked down for only your eyes to see.