Sharepoint Hosting Internal Vs. External
Microsoft's Sharepoint software allows corporations to create an intranet for internal company communications and an extranet for collaboration with associates outside the company. You can use your own servers for internal Sharepoint hosting or subscribe to a Web host for external hosting. By comparing the technical resources required for each hosting plan, you can decide which option is the right choice for your company.
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Equipment
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Internal hosting of Sharepoint requires your own server farm. This means you will need computer equipment to act as a server for Sharepoint files and applications and equipment for data backups in case your server crashes. Sharepoint external hosting is like renting space from a website hosting company. The Web host takes care of all equipment issues for you by installing Sharepoint on the host's own servers. Large corporations sometimes opt for internal hosting of Sharepoint because they have already purchased servers for their corporate websites, databases and other computer files. Small companies who do not have their own servers can choose from many Web hosts that specialize in external Sharepoint hosting. Examples include SharePointHosting, Rackspace and SherWeb.
Tech Issues
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With internal hosting, you are going to need either a tech team or expert on staff, or hire an outside firm to install and maintain Sharepoint. Large companies that have their own computer experts on staff have the resources for internal hosting. Smaller companies would have to consider the cost of hiring an employee or outside firm to assist in installation, configuration and troubleshooting issues. Consulting and tech fees vary greatly by provider, so you will have to contact individual firms to get a quote. External hosting providers generally provide tech support as part of the overall hosting package. However, you must ask about installation and any other special needs before purchasing a package. Some hosts may charge extra for installation or certain technical services. In that case, you may choose to hire an outside consultant to help you set up Sharepoint on the external host's servers.
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Price
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With internal hosting, you have to actually buy Sharepoint at the full purchase price in addition to any equipment purchases. The price varies based on your particular needs. At the time of publication, prices start at around $1,500 and can go over $20,000 for a full package of services. Use Bamboo Nation's SharePoint 2010 Price Calculator to get an estimate of what it will cost you. Conversely, external hosts have already purchased Sharepoint and deployed it on their own servers. They recoup this investment by charging you a monthly fee. Fees vary for external hosting, but the typical price starts at about $10 to $20 per month and increases based on storage requirements. For example, SharePointHosting charges approximately $25 per month extra for each additional gigabyte of storage. You sometimes get a discount for longer subscriptions.
Control
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One of the main benefits of internal hosting is more control over your personally hosted Sharepoint files. You lose some of that control when using external hosting. This could be problematic if you ever decide to switch hosts or your host goes out of business. Migrating from one host to another is very complicated and typically requires an expert. Hosts sometimes also limit access to certain server or Sharepoint features. If you already have tech experts on staff, internal hosting can alleviate these potential problems.
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