If you’re weighing up how to future-proof your infrastructure, there’s a good chance you’ve landed on two familiar options: cloud computing and colocation. On the surface, they both let you move beyond traditional, in-house IT setups – but they take very different paths to get there.
One offers speed, flexibility, and pay-as-you-go ease. The other gives you full control over your own kit, just housed in a more secure, better-connected environment. So, which one fits your business best?
Here’s a straightforward look at both options, the key differences, and how to decide which model fits your business needs best – or whether a hybrid infrastructure might be the smarter move.
Put simply, cloud computing is like renting IT resources instead of owning them. You get access to cloud resources – storage, servers, and software – delivered over your internet connection by a cloud hosting provider like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure.
You don’t need to install anything on-site or maintain hardware. You just log in and go. It’s quick, scalable, and perfect for businesses that want to move fast without major upfront investment.
Common public cloud services and cloud hosting use cases include – and despite some persistent cloud lies about security or loss of control, the flexibility is often game-changing:
If you need to launch quickly or deal with unpredictable demand, cloud is a solid option.
Colocation is often mistaken as simply basic infrastructure, but it’s far more than that. It’s not just about housing equipment – it’s about building out reliable, scalable network infrastructure that supports performance and resilience.
Colocation is a bit different. Instead of renting the tech, you bring your own – your servers, storage, and networking devices – and place them in a specialist colocation data centre.
You still own and manage your infrastructure, but it lives in a facility that’s designed for performance and uptime. Think redundant power supply, industrial-grade cooling systems, round-the-clock physical security, and lightning-fast network connectivity.
It’s a great fit for businesses that:
When it comes to cloud and colocation, here’s how cloud stacks up:
Pros:
Cons:
From control to compliance, colocation services offer real advantages – especially when managing sensitive data, disaster recovery, or workloads hosted in highly regulated or performance-critical environments.
Pros:
Cons:
It depends on how your business operates.
If speed, flexibility, and rapid deployment are top of your list – especially for short-term or fast-changing workloads – the cloud gives you the tools without the setup delay.
If you need full control, better performance, or have long-term infrastructure needs that don’t change often, colocation might be the more cost-effective and reliable route.
And for a lot of businesses? It’s not one or the other. Both colocation and cloud have a place depending on what you’re running, where, and why. A hybrid cloud setup – cloud for some services, colocation facilities for others – gives you flexibility and control, balancing innovation with stability. – combining the agility of cloud with the performance and control of managed colocation.
At Asanti, we help businesses cut through the noise and make infrastructure choices that actually suit their day-to-day.
Whether you’re leaning into cloud and colocation, comparing public cloud providers, or need a trusted colocation provider to support your existing setup, we offer:
Let’s find the right balance for your infrastructure. Talk to our team and we’ll help you get it right.
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Asanti House, 4 Lister Way, Blantyre
Glasgow, G72 0FT
Asanti House, 4 Lister Way, Blantyre, Glasgow, G72 0FT
