Managing IT can be complicated and difficult. Picking the right solution for your business can be a lengthy process and decision. Just like a house that needs a strong foundation, an IT environment needs the right infrastructure in place to meet the ever-growing, ever-changing business (and technology) landscape. With several server options to choose from, it can be an intimidating task to choose the best server solution for your business. For many, colocation has emerged as a possible solution.
What is colocation?
Colocation (also known as ‘co-location’ or ‘colo’) refers to the rental of space in a data center facility for the purpose of storing servers and other hardware.
Colocation is reserved for long-term IT infrastructure requirements. You rent a secured space in a data center facility with power, cooling, and connectivity, while retaining full ownership and complete control of your equipment. This involves the largest capital expenditure because you would be purchasing and maintaining your own servers. In addition to space and power, many colocation providers offer a variety of managed services and hybrid cloud/colocation options.
4 key benefits
- Full flexibility when it comes to both your software and hardware within your space and power agreements
- Complete control of your equipment
- With remote hands, you are able to quickly respond to emergencies, reduce travel time to and from the data center, improve equipment uptime and reduce the cost of infrastructure management
- Fixed monthly costs
When is a good time to consider colocation?
Redundancy & Reliability
Colocation provides a secure, redundant environment to house your IT infrastructure. There are endless ways in which your critical information can be compromised. Office migration, power outages, security threats, mismanaged equipment, and natural disasters only scratch the surface – and as such, ensuring that data is stored in a protected environment with proactive support is essential.
Colocation providers will do everything in their power to ensure that your IT infrastructure is protected. Most data center facilities provide 24/7 on-site support availability. Additionally, facilities will have multiple generators and mechanical systems in place to back up data to guarantee that services are not interrupted — no matter the circumstance. The support staff regularly tests and monitors these systems, investing the time and energy necessary to ensure 100% uptime for business operations. Supporting your needs is the number ONE priority of a data center facility. Overseeing all these measures internally could prove to be time-consuming for your business and presents the risk of stalling business operations if not properly executed.
Scalability & Connectivity
Without a secure, reliable connection to its customers, you would be unable to deliver on your products and services. As such, connectivity within the data center is essential. Data centers provide access to high-speed, high-quality bandwidth. This ensures that sites are running at top speed, allowing for faster downloads and the ability to handle more traffic. If issues do arise, the support team is available 24/7 to troubleshoot and restore optimal performance quickly and efficiently.
As your business brings in more traffic and begins to expand, a colocation facility has the flexibility to expand as well. Much of the value of colocation rests within the customization of solutions to fit industry need. Not all businesses require all the features and functionalities a data center may offer. Instead of having to add or subtract equipment to maintain operations in-house, you can simply contact your colocation service provider to scale your solution as needed.
Colocation enables organizations to benefit from faster networking and resilient connectivity at a low price. Colocation providers specialize in data center and network services, so you can focus on your core business.
Make sure to check out our Colocation 101 E-book. This e-book will give you everything you want to know about colocation, how to select the best solution and provider for your business.
At ColoHouse, we consider each customer a business partner. Our goal is to support you and your business by providing solid infrastructure and services. We strive to be an extension of your staff. To learn more about our services or to get more information about our data centers please contact us on +1 305-731-2225 or use our contact form.
Ready to take the first step? Check out our Ultimate Colocation Buyer’s Guide to start.
