Customers, not the ISP, often own the software licenses. In all cases, these servers are connected into the ISP LAN environment for external connectivity. Other features, such as network security and access control, also may be part of the service. Many colo facilities allow physical access, although it may be limited to certain times of day or specific days of the week. Remote access to collocated servers normally is achieved through various security provisions.
Fees can range from a few hundred dollars per month to many thousands.
Hosting, on the other hand, is the provision of server cycles from a shared environment. Customers may share the same server or access to a common set of applications. Many organizations that do not need a large stand-alone serving environment will use a hosting service. An emerging area is referred to as applications hosting. Enterprises of all sizes are beginning to recognize that they cannot find, keep or afford trained personnel to manage these functions so they look to outside organizations for assistance.