subject: Choosing A Seattle Colocation To Meet Your Needs [print this page] It's easy to outgrow the limits of your Seattle colocation if you are hosting it yourself, even if your costs still seem comparatively high. The infrastructure involved in an ample colocation facility is considerable. Storing a company's key functioning databases is no easy task, especially when you consider how important they are. Any glitches or downtimes result in profit loss that can be quite costly, depending on the extent and duration of the technological malfunction.
There are good advantages to outsourcing your Seattle colocation, but you need to know what to look out for. Not all Seattle colocation locations are created equal. They vary widely in services. It's really not the cheapest provider that is likely to be the best deal, nor is it the most outrageously priced. Services that offer Seattle colocation outsourcing for dirt prices often cut their costs by offering inferior service, while companies that charge too much don't offer the value to legitimize the higher price.
So how do you choose a good Seattle colocation? Let's break down what to look out for. Take a look at these tips.
Beware of hidden fees
Get the low down on all maintenance costs for any Seattle colocation. There may be extra expenses they don't tell you about. If you need less than 1,000 servers for your IT infrastructure, a Seattle colocation makes sense. You get a secured data center with fully redundant network and power, as well as a 24/7 specialized staff to maintain it.
Some companies may charge extra for support help, or they may limit your server needs. See if they have extra fees for services and what your server limits might be.
Check out what you're buying
If it's at all possible, always check out your Seattle colocation in person. Meet personally with the support team and have a tour of their infrastructure. Look into what security their building offers and how much staff they have on hand to keep it up and running. Who has access to the building? Do you get your own private cage? What is the temperature between servers set at, and what emergency services do they have in place?
Know what you need
Do you have specialized needs that should be considered? Perhaps you'll need special cooling considerations and lots of hands on maintenance due to commodity software. Maybe your needs are as simple as a couple of servers on a rack. You may support a team of sales people who depend on a tight service, or you may be just storing a few web pages. Find the team that fits the size of the operation you need.
Stability
When choosing a Seattle colocation, it is critical that a provider understand your IT requirements and how it fits the goals of your business. Different rates of service are best for different levels of operations. You're looking for a partner, one you can rely on in the thick of an emergency. Choose a Seattle colocation that can deliver your needs for a cost effective price. Study the market, compare services and use the competitiveness of the field to your advantage.
