Data gathering is not just another buzzword to chase with resources; it is the real deal. Businesses worldwide now make smart decisions that help scale their clientele with the help of big data. Proxies are at the center of all this activity, ensuring your data gathering is seamless and relevant.
Although owning a private proxy service has a certain allure to it, most businesses might not need this, according to research. Shared Datacenter proxies could also be as effective if your team carefully assesses the situation and talks to experts about your situation.
Today, we will briefly explain what proxies are. In the same breath, we will explore some of the main features of a proxy while outlining what makes a shared datacenter proxy stand out. Finally, use cases where these proxies would be more valuable will also be discussed.
What Are Proxies?
Proxies sit between your computer and the server you are requesting data from. As the middleman, the proxy server collects the requests from your computer and forwards them to the target server. The server sends its response to the proxy, which then routes it back to your computer. All while upholding your anonymity.
Apart from keeping you anonymous while surfing the internet by hiding your internet protocol (IP) address, they also give you access to data that has been blocked in your location.
Main Features Of A Proxy
- Each proxy possesses its own dedicated IP address.
- Enhances your online privacy.
- Provides an extra layer of security.
- Could be used to deliver geo-targeted adverts.
What Features Set Shared Datacenter Proxies Apart?
Apart from the main features above that it shares with private and residential proxies, it has the following distinct features:
- No affiliation with Internet Service Providers(ISPs)
Residential proxies are often sourced from the IP pool of willing users, which masks your requests to seem like they are coming from organic users. Instead, datacenter proxies come from cloud (remote) servers. This gives them the edge of high speed and a stable connection. If this is what your business seeks, you should probably explore this.
- Available to multiple users
While private proxies are often reserved for only a single user, shared proxies are made available to multiple users simultaneously. However, you should consider a shared datacenter proxy as they are considerably cheaper.
- IP addresses could be tracked to the company that owns the datacenter
Unlike a residential proxy that routes your requests through an actual user’s residential proxy that belongs to an Internet Service Provider, a datacenter proxy could be tracked to a company. However, they are still the cheapest option for data scraping and are sufficient for most use cases.
Some Possible Use Cases:
After internalizing the technical differences between the types Datacenter proxies, outlined below are some of the use cases for shared Datacenter proxies.Â
- Review Monitoring: Tracking and responding to customers’ reviews improves your brand’s online reputation. Not only that, but the search engine algorithm also picks up on that and improves your search engine ranking. All these could bring you closer to your annual marketing goals.
- Price Monitoring:  Recent reports by the Guardian have highlighted the numerous times a product’s price changes daily. Staying on top of the price changes affords you the opportunity to stay a step ahead of the completion. This will involve a lot of data scraping which calls for a cheaper proxy. This is what the ever-dynamic shared proxies offer.
- Market research: Business analysis involves a ton of data. Using a tool built on proxies gives you an edge; you can easily avoid the problems posed by IP blocks, CAPTCHAs, and geo-restrictions. Shared Datacenter proxies provide this at a reasonable price.
- Monitor website changes: With proxy-powered web scraping tools, you can keep an eye on your competitor’s website. Alternatively, you can go 180° and decide to check your website for errors and defacements.
Conclusion
Your business stands to gain a lot from using a shared datacenter proxy. First, you are getting the best value for money. You can get more done with little resources. Also, you could easily move onto a private or residential proxy for those special use cases requiring more privacy or tighter control over your location.
