subject: Information About Colocation Services [print this page] Are considering acquiring management and colocation services for your mission-critical business applications? This article will discuss basic information about colocation services. It will discuss the basic features of colocation services, information about the physical equipment of a colocation facility the benefits of colocation as well as what to look for in a colocation provider.
One of the least common and most unique forms of enterprise hosting is colocation hosting. If your business acquires colocation services, your server will be housed in a secure data storage facility. Data centers that host these servers are specifically designed for security and monitoring and are equipped to facilitate secure and stable enterprise hosting. At a colocation facility you store on your own server and the colocation service provider ensures optimum conditions. Here are some of the features of colocation services:
Bandwidth
Bandwidth at a colocation facility is shared among numerous servers, which ultimately results in a reduced cost for bandwidth.
Data Protection
Colocation facilities provide their customers with special measures to ensure data will not be lost or damaged during an emergency event such as extended power outages. Data protection makes colocation services an ideal solution for businesses that cannot afford to lose any of their mission-critical data.
Controlled Environment
Colocation facilities also offer customers a secure, fireproof facility that is environmentally controlled which ensures the prevention of physical damage to your server.
Colocation Cages
Providers of colocation services offer build-to-suit colocation cages, full cabinets and suites. They typically provide the cabinet enclosures and have options for customer-provided enclosures. Steel colocation cages are built to suite and designed specifically to the power density requirements that the customers' infrastructure requires in accordance with data center design.
Their colocation cages are commonly backed by a 100% Uptime SLA covering key infrastructure elements and service level objectives including data center power, temperature, humidity and access control.
Colocation Cabinets
Providers of colocation services offer individual full colocation cabinets, build-to-suit cages and suites. They typically provide the cabinet enclosures and have options for customer-provided enclosures. The standard cabinet provided is 42 RU, 24" wide and 42" deep.
Benefits of Colocation Services
Colocation experts offer business a number of benefits. Colocation customers bring their computer equipment and house them in the data center where they are in a secure and environmentally controlled place. Colocation services provide the following benefits:
- Improved uptime for mission critical applications
- Ability to scale without infrastructure concerns
- Reduced capital costs for facility infrastructure
- Reduce labor expenses associate with facility management
- State of the art facility to support our customers sales process
What to Look for in a Colocation Provider
Look for a colocation provider with a facility located in an ideal location for companies requiring additional capacity for power, data center space and redundant network access. Also look for a facility offering state-of-the-art data center services for colocation hosting and management of mission-critical business applications. Finally look for a service provider who has a strict process culture, world-class customer service, and places an importance on attention to detail. These are the providers who offer maximum reliability, security and stability to their customers.
