What Is Colocation?
Colocation (colo) hosting means placing your own server hardware in a professionally managed data centre. You own and maintain the physical servers. The data centre provides the facility: power (including redundant UPS and generator), cooling, physical security, and high-speed internet connectivity. You get data centre reliability for your own hardware without the cost of building or operating your own data centre facility.
Colocation is fundamentally different from VPS or cloud hosting: in colocation, you own the hardware; in VPS hosting, the provider owns the hardware and you rent compute resources. Both are hosted in data centres.
Who Uses Colocation?
Colocation makes sense for businesses that:
- Already own server hardware worth protecting with data centre infrastructure — hardware too valuable to leave in an office but not worth replacing with cloud VPS
- Have in-house IT staff who manage server configuration, OS, security, and applications — the technical management responsibility stays with the business
- Need data centre reliability without cloud migration — business continuity reasons, compliance requirements, or application compatibility concerns
- Run high-density workloads that require more power or cooling than an office can provide
Colocation is typically not the right choice for businesses without in-house IT staff — the hardware management responsibility remains entirely with the business owner. This is the key distinction from managed VPS hosting, where the provider handles OS, security, patching, and backups.
Colocation vs Cloud VPS: The Right Comparison
| Factor | Colocation | Managed Cloud VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware ownership | You own the servers | Provider owns infrastructure |
| Hardware management | Your responsibility | Provider's responsibility |
| OS and security management | Your responsibility | Provider's responsibility (fully managed) |
| Data centre reliability | Full data centre infrastructure | Full data centre infrastructure |
| Upfront cost | High — server hardware | Zero upfront |
| Monthly cost (similar workload) | ₹5,000–₹15,000 rack space + staff | ₹3,500–₹7,000 all-inclusive |
| Scalability | Hardware procurement required | Resize in hours |
| Best for | Businesses with existing HW + IT staff | Most Indian SMEs |
M A Global Network Colocation Services
M A Global Network provides carrier-neutral rack colocation in professionally managed Indian data centres. Key features:
- Biometric-secured, CCTV-monitored facility access
- Redundant power — UPS and diesel generator backup
- Precision cooling
- Multiple carrier internet uplinks — carrier-neutral peering
- Remote hands services — for hardware tasks you cannot perform locally
- 24/7 facility monitoring and access
Colocation pricing is based on rack unit (U) space required, power draw, and bandwidth requirements. Contact M A Global Network for a colocation quote specific to your hardware and connectivity requirements. 18% GST applies on all colocation services.
When Cloud Migration Makes More Sense Than Colocation
If your current hardware is more than 3 years old, approaching end of life, or already causing reliability problems, colocation preserves the hardware's remaining useful life in a better facility but does not address the underlying aging hardware issue. In this scenario, migrating to cloud VPS is typically more economical over the next 3 years than colocating aging hardware that will need replacement within 12–18 months.
The 7-day risk-free guarantee applies to M A Global Network's managed VPS and Tally/Busy hosting — evaluate cloud hosting risk-free before making a long-term colocation commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Remote hands service allows M A Global Network's data centre staff to perform physical tasks on your colocated hardware — rebooting servers, swapping drives, connecting cables, installing components — without you needing to travel to the facility. Remote hands is available as a paid service, typically billed per incident or on a retained basis. For businesses colocating hardware in cities other than their office location, remote hands is often essential.
Colocation or Cloud — We Have Both
Carrier-neutral colocation for your hardware. Managed cloud VPS for everything else. 7-day risk-free on cloud hosting. Contact us for colocation quotes.