Depending on the scale of your business operations, your data needs could be massive. This means, your company would need large servers and hardware to store all the information. In IT, it is not always feasible to provide the infrastructure for your own data. It is expensive and requires a large sum investment.
For this reason, colocation is a popular practice in the industry. Instead of spending money on your own servers, you use a third party provider to store and utilize your data. You rent the other party’s hardware and servers to run your own operations.
The biggest advantage of colocation is that it shares the burden of achieving results with the partnering company. However, you are still the sole owner of all the data and information. You also have the authority over the hardware.
Selecting the Right Partner
When looking for the right partner for colocation, you must bear some important factors in mind.
Gauge the total power your partner can provide
When speaking to a prospective partner, be clear on your power requirements. Let them know how much power you need to run your operations, whether in megawatts or kilowatts. Be upfront about the requirements for cooling the server hardware. If your company runs on high power density then your colocation partner should match your needs. Otherwise, a massive surcharge could upset your system.
Assess the amount of floor space you will get
It is important to note that more floor space does not equal improved performance. You need to balance rack consolidation with the rent of floor space. There are many companies which prefer to space out the hardware instead of increasing the floor space. This is how they manage to support their power density with proper cooling and weight distribution. Look for a colocation provider that can place more hardware into smaller spaces. In this manner, you will save money on floor space costs.
Prioritize carrier neutrality
Your colocation host should offer options in network carriers for connectivity. In general, the colocation provider is not responsible for telecommunications cost. You will have to shell out the cost for network connectivity from your own pocket.
Flexibility in SLA and contract
Before selecting a colocation host, request the potential provider to share their SLA (service-level agreement) and contracts immediately. Bring your team of IT experts, legal advisers and company execs to discuss the terms and conditions. Ensure that your standards for scalability, availability and response time are met. In case of concerns, bring it up with the colocation provider before signing the deal. Prevention is always better than cure.
Study the location site
Where, and how far should the colocation site be? You must discuss this within your team based on the purpose of the servers. For instance, assume that the colocation servers are meant for Disaster Recovery. In that case the site of colocation should be safely away from the main server, but within 100 miles of it. If a disaster like fire or flood strike, your back-up server will be a safe distance away. However, you must also keep accessibility in mind. For upgrades or emergency repairs your team of engineers should be able to reach the site on time.
Evaluate your security concerns
Colocation servers store your valuable data. Your provider should therefore provide top tier security against theft, accidents and disasters. If unsure, run a background check and speak to other clients. Always discuss your concerns with the colocation provider and try to reach satisfactory solutions.
Looking for a reliable colocation server but don’t know where to start? RCN Networks has the solution. To know more, fill out the Free Security Network Risk Assessment form or call the company at 866-GO-RCN-NOW (866-467-2666).