subject: How To Recognize A World-class Colocation Center [print this page] There are plenty of colocation data center facilities located throughout the United States. However, there is a huge difference between a data center and a world-class data center. A world-class data center (WCDC) is a colocation facility that provides your company with these four key elements:
Security
Scalability
Flexibility
Reliability
A Purpose-Built Facility
A colocation center that is world-class is built for the sole purpose of colocation. Unlike traditional centers that may be retrofitted from warehouses, these centers were built specifically to house mission-critical infrastructure for a multitude of industries. Furthermore, these facilities are disaster-resilient against hurricanes, tornadoes and other forms of natural disaster.
Utility and Facility Infrastructure
A colocation center requires reliable utilities in order to run efficiently just like your business. A world-class colocation center should have fully redundant utilities and ensure that it has no single point of failure within any of its systems. It should have true dual electric and water feeds, each of which come from diverse sources. Telecom entry points should be diverse as well to prevent network interruption.
Capable of High Performance Computing
Not all colocation centers can handle high performance computing, especially since extensive cooling is required for a high performance computing environment. A world-class colocation center will utilize an effective HPC management system that includes:
Chilled-water cooling system
Raised floors
Perforated tiles and grates for air circulation
Cabinet spacing
Rear door heat exchangers
Chimneys
Hold/cold aisle containment zones
High Class Equipment
Colocation centers utilize state-of-the-art equipment that includes backup generators, chillers, dry pipe multi-zone systems, 24x7 on-site staff, and state-of-the-art cooling systems. Equipment should be regularly maintained, and there should never be outdated equipment within the facility. Outdated equipment runs a high risk of failure, data loss and outages that can be devastating to a business.
Human Controls
A world-class colocation center eliminates the chance of human error by using highly skilled, trained professionals who are on-site 24/7/365. These individuals perform monitoring, maintenance and even repairs to fix any issues that arise within minutes not hours.
World-class facilities also provide your staff with amenities that include showers, break room areas, workplace areas and other comfort factors to ensure that they work efficiently, stay productive and have easy access to what they need in order to get their job done effectively.
A world-class colocation center may cost more annually, but the risks of downtime in a colocation center that is so far advanced are considerably lower. When it comes to your business and critical data, choose a colocation center that is listed as a world-class data center.
