All About Colocation CentresServer hosting Colocation
Only the most progressive visionaries would have anticipated the appearance of the so-called carrier hotels that have been sprouting up all over the world. More popularly known as colocation data centres or retail data centres, these basically house and manage the private servers and other networking equipment of different companies in a single site in order to save on cost and skilled manpower.
The savings generated by renting the space and subscribing to the services of colocation centres is rooted in the pooling of resources. Consider this: to maintain your company’s data center, you would need the server, the cable connections, the server racks or cabinets, the cooling equipment, the ventilation system, the backup power supply or generators, the physical space plus a team of IT engineers to manage everything to ensure that everything is running smoothly at all times. In addition, since data centers are central to your business success, you would also need to implement safeguarding measures against fires, natural disasters, and security concerns may come your way. If you take the time to calculate the total cost, you’ll realize that it is actually pretty expensive to set up and maintain an onsite data center, sometimes even unfavorably so. ServerSpace and others colocation service providers would come in for this aspects. They have already chosen a site which is structurally stable and ideally located, have all the requisite equipment and systems in place, and on top of that, an excellent team of highly qualified IT specialists on hand to manage your all of your data center’s issues. Since all the best resources are pooled in a single location that caters not only to one but multiple data centers of companies from different areas, the cost-effectiveness of the concept cannot be denied. Features of Colocation Services
For a quick rundown of just some of the features of excellent colocation services, ask your potential providers about the following amenities.
1. Storage facilities There are different types of server hardware available, from desktop to compact blade servers and even rack-mounted servers. Since servers must be stored so that there is enough space around them to facilitate cooling and ventilation, you should ask the colocations centre if they have the facilities to store your particular server optimally. 2. Cooling system Servers and other ancillary hardware need to be kept at a particular temperature to promote efficiency and make sure they last long. Hence, the colocation sevice provider must have the equipment and set up to cool them adequately. This is the reason why colocation centres can often times be distinguished by the number external cooling equipment such as air conditioners that are affixed to their structure in addition to the internal cooling system. 3. Fire detection and suppression systems To keep your valuable equipment safe, you can use the colocation centre’s fire detection and suppression system as one criterion for selecting a provider. What kind of fire alarm system do they have set in place? What kind of fire suppression are they using, water-based or gas-based? The importance they place in this facility can be reflective of the actual service you will be receiving once you enlist their services. 4. Power supply options You can also ask the colocation centre how many backup generators they use in the event of power outages that can cause significant server downtime otherwise. In this case, more is definitely better. 5. Security measures Security is always a crucial factor to consider in any business, especially when you are considering shipping off your actual servers for colocation. How are the server racks and cabinets secured? Do they implement varying levels of security for their staff so that only the IT specialist gets access into the actual server rooms? Is their company outfitted with a real-time surveillance system operated by professional security personnel 24/7? When you choose the right colocation centre you will not only appreciate the sizeable sum of money you will have saved your business, but also gain peace of mind that your servers and equipment are being managed by extraordinarily qualified experts in the most ideal setting possible. Proper due diligence before making the final decision will ultimately save you a lot of time, effort, and money in the future. |