As the cost of running and maintaining on-premises data centers increases. Organizations are evaluating their infrastructure and trying to reduce the size of the on-premises data center. Colocation data centers are growing in popularity. As they offer consumers a convenient and affordable alternative to building and maintaining their data centers. According to the data, there are currently 1,585 colocation facilities in the US, and this number is expected to continue to grow.
When considering hiring a colocation provider, choosing the best provider for your data center needs can be a difficult decision that requires careful consideration of a variety of factors. With a typical colocation contract lasting three to five years, choose a provider that meets your needs now and in the future. Is critical to avoiding the hassle, expense, and downtime associated with moving connected data centers. Every few years
To make the best decision for your business, consider the following factors when choosing a colocation data center.
Evaluate your needs
You can narrow down potential backup data centers by understanding what you need. Determine your short-term and long-term goals, your technology and business needs, and your expected rate of expansion.
Start with what you already have, plan your scalability needs, and determine what services you need to find the best colocation data center. If you’re not sure where to start, consider hiring a consultant or meeting with industry experts to help you assess your needs.
Location
When deciding on a colocation data center, consider whether its location is a better fit for your business. Choosing a colocation facility close to your internal IT department makes maintenance and disaster recovery easier. Accessing remote locations can be difficult for IT professionals and may require external or remote assistance. To further reduce network latency, it is ideal for organizations to place their IT resources near their workloads.
Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and storms are also more common in one place than another. Data centers in disaster-prone areas are built to the highest structural safety requirements and equipped with disaster protection technology.
Make sure they have a contingency plan
While certain areas may be more prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes, all colocation data centers should have a disaster recovery strategy in place to avoid costly downtime or data loss.
To ensure your service is not interrupted, review the colocation facility’s policies for backing up equipment, restoring service, backing up data, and emergency drills.
Scalability
A lap’s service provider must be able to meet your current needs and accommodate future growth. The scalability offered by colocation data centers is one of their key benefits, as it eliminates the exorbitant cost of developing and maintaining additional data center space.
As you grow in your colocation, you simply need to purchase additional capacity, but make sure your provider can handle your planned expansion.
Security
When looking for a colocation data center, it’s essential to consider both physical and cyber security. Physical security measures may include a walled or fenced area, a single point of entry, strict facility access requirements, security guards, cameras, locked cabinets with RFID card access, etc.
If your business operates in a highly regulated space. You review all governance and compliance requirements to ensure you protect your assets and data to industry standards. Decide what level of security you need for your devices and data. And see if your colocation service provider can provide it.
Sustainability
Understanding how committed a potential colocation data center is to sustainable practices is critical for organizations looking to make a positive impact on the environment. Find out if the data centers you are considering using green methods to reduce energy consumption.
Managed services
A colocation data center doesn’t have its on-site staff, so you have to rely on the managed services or remote services they provide. Some level of care is usually included in the placement costs. However, special or emergency services may incur additional charges or be limited to certain times or days. To find the best match, identify the services you need and ask if the potential colo data center will provide them.
Conclusion
Moving to a colocation data center has many benefits, including B. A stable and manageable cost structure, increased space availability, performance, and capacity. Simplified management in the face of accelerated business transformation, and a secure environment for storing data. Many companies find co-location an attractive option, but it’s important to make an informed decision when selecting a provider.
