Ownership and purpose.
ENTERPRISE
Built and operated by one organisation for its own use.
COLOCATION
A facility providing space, power, cooling and connectivity, where customers install their own equipment.
MANAGED HOSTING
The provider owns the equipment and manages it for you.
CLOUD
The provider owns everything, and you consume services rather than machines.
EDGE
Smaller facilities placed close to users, to reduce latency.
WHAT DIFFERS BETWEEN THEM
Who owns the equipment Who maintains it How much control you have What you pay for
WHAT A SMALL BUSINESS USES
Hosting, which sits within managed or cloud arrangements.
WHAT A GROWING BUSINESS MIGHT CONSIDER
Colocation, where it owns specialist equipment Dedicated servers, where it needs control without ownership
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE CHOOSING
Who is responsible for the hardware Who is responsible for the software What happens when something fails
