The concept of hosted infrastructure isn’t a new one, but the advent of public cloud computing has made it a lot easier to buy offsite compute services. Not all hosted infrastructure is in the public cloud, however. The economies of cloud-based infrastructure have created a surge in the use of private colocation, or “colo,” facilities that let you host your own servers, switches, and routers, or lease dedicated hardware from the colo operator. It’s true that you can buy cloud computing in smaller increments, with zero capital investment. But in the long run, the cloud still costs more than owning your own hardware.