Colocation Centers For Superior Solutions For Your IT Systems

A colocation center, also known as a colocation data center, is a secure facility where businesses can rent space for servers and/or network equipment. Companies of all sizes can benefit from the resources provided by colocation centers.

Here, we’ll discuss what colocation is, the benefits provided by these data centers, and their features.

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What is Colocation?

Colocation is the act of housing your business’s server or network equipment at an offsite, physical facility offering everything those servers need to run effectively even if there are natural disasters. Colocation centers are equipped with climate control, power supplies with reliable backup sources, high levels of security, and large capacity in terms of physical and virtual space. These data centers host multiple clients and the physical space is maintained and monitored by the colocation company. Offering services for multiple clients at a time makes for better pricing for all.

Typically with colocation, the hardware is owned by the businesses themselves and is simply stored by the data center. Some businesses may choose to have their equipment located at multiple data centers. This can be helpful for large businesses with multiple locations throughout the country.

Benefits of a Colocation Data Center

Colocation ensures that your critical IT infrastructure is performing at the best of its ability and online, no matter the circumstances. Businesses will experience a variety of benefits when using a colocation data center to store their equipment and servers. The following are some of the most significant:

Cost Efficient – There is no question that using a colocation service provider is lower cost than other options, such as building your own facility or retrofitting an existing building or part of an office to be as secure and well-maintained and monitored as a data center. Colocation no doubt provides the best possible environment for your equipment at a much lower cost than doing it yourself.
Less IT Staff Needed – When using a data center, you as the client typically do not need to have your own staff to run cables, manage the power, install equipment, or handle a variety of other IT processes. Typically, the support staff at the colocation center will handle all of that and sometimes even offer additional services such as performing reparative tasks on-site when needed. This can save time for your existing IT staff and save your business money since you won’t need to hire additional staff.
Unparalleled Reliability – Colocation centers are built for the purpose of redundancy, meaning they are created to ensure that equipment and servers are up and running at all times no matter the circumstances. From power outages, to natural disasters, to physical security threats, colocation can withstand it all.
Scalability – Whether your business is starting out fresh or in the middle of its journey, you never want your growth to be limited. With colocation, you have nearly endless opportunities to add new servers and equipment. Comparatively, when working out of your office, you might be limited as to how many servers you can add.

Building Features

Colocation data centers are fitted with a variety of features to ensure that your business’ technical systems are always running. They often feature:

Fire alarm and prevention systems, including smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, fire walls, and clean agent fire suppression systems
Ample rack space, including cabinet space, cages, and over or under cable trays
Climate control to ensure cabinets don’t overheat, including air conditioning, humidity control, and fans for cooling
Low-impedance electrical ground
Very few windows

Power

One of the most important features of a colocation center is power support. Colocation data centers make their money by ensuring their customers’ systems have generators in place in the event of a power failure. Often, these generators are fuel supported to ensure they can be run regardless of the power situation throughout the city. Other power supports offered by colo centers include battery backup systems. Most colocation facilities have multiple forms of power backup to ensure customer equipment never fails.

Security & Compliance

No matter what kind of business you have, security is likely a top priority. Colocation centers ensure that all security needs are met to keep equipment as safe from cyber crime and other threats as possible. Most colo facilities are equipped with extra security measures, both physically and virtually. For example, many have security officers, fencing, security camera surveillance, key card entry, locked cages, and more in place to control who has access to the facility.

Cybersecurity is always a concern, whether your data is stored on hardware or in the cloud. Ransomware can cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars and even penalties from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office if ransoms are paid. This is why, from installation to management, colocation centers prioritize all levels of security. This can also include being compliant with state and federal regulations regarding data storage. For example, certain industries such as health or finance must adhere to federal regulations regarding how public data is shared, handled, and stored. By working with a colo center, you pass that responsibility onto the hosting provider, freeing up your own IT employees to focus on other integral business operations.

Reliability

All in all, colocation comes down to one thing — reliability. From internet bandwidth, to cyber security, to power supply, working with a colocation center ensures maximum reliability for your network, data storage, servers, and other IT systems. Using a colocation system is a great solution for those who want the best possible performance and protection for their IT systems.

Colocation Center & The Benefits It Can Bring