How To Choose The Right Colocation Provider: A colocation facility is one of the few options for your business’ workload hosting needs. But not every colocation provider on the market is a good choice for your business’s particular needs. This makes selecting a reliable colocation provider that’s also suitable for your needs a challenge.
And that’s what we’re going to simplify for you with this guide!
Keep reading to find out what the must-check factors are when selecting a colocation provider for your business.
With colocation facilities, the client is in charge of configuring their servers, not the provider. This means the company will need to access the facility regularly, so it helps to consider a facility that’s close to your company.
In addition, the facility should be located in a secure location that has easy access to power and network connectivity. It shouldn’t be in an area that is prone to natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and storms.
You can evaluate a colocation provider’s network connectivity in a variety of ways to gauge its quality and strength. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key factors to consider here.
Uptime refers to the time that the colocation facility remains in operation. It is an important factor to consider for companies with business-critical applications and services that will fail in the event of downtime.
Most top data center providers guarantee 99% uptime, but some industries, such as finance and healthcare, might need 99.99% uptime guarantees or higher.
Redundancy refers to having enough backup to ensure higher uptime. It ensures the facility has enough redundant power sources to deliver an uninterrupted power supply to all of its security, cooling, and other maintenance systems.
You can check this separately by taking a look at the provider’s redundancy level, connectivity options, and carrier diversity.
The uptime guarantee must be supported by a strong redundancy such as 2N+1 level, which is the strongest. But you can also opt for lower tiers such as 2N, N+2, or N+1 based on your needs.
Having connectivity options and carrier diversity helps providers deliver uninterrupted services even if one of the carriers goes down.
Colocation security involves safeguarding the facility, servers, and network from both physical and digital vulnerabilities.
Some of the best security measures you want to look for are,
In addition, clients must also check whether the provider uses internal security personnel or outsources the work to a third party.
No matter how small or big your business, you are probably going to need to upsize or downsize your network at some point due to changes in business requirements. This also means you will need to increase the number of servers or reduce them.
To make this process smooth and quick, you want to work with a colocation provider that supports scalability. Confirm whether they offer scalability for both the space and the infrastructure needed.
Another factor that’s as important as scalability is the deployment efficiency of the colocation provider. Deployment efficiency refers to how quickly the provider can deliver the infrastructure you need and get it running. You can gauge your provider’s capabilities by asking them for clear deployment timelines.
Data centers are required to follow various industry-standard guidelines to ensure their operations comply with governmental regulatory demands—especially if they’re supporting regulated industries.
While keeping up with these regulatory demands is the task of the data center, it is the client that needs to verify the certifications and check whether requirements are being met.
Some businesses might also want to confirm whether the provider supports third-party audits for validation.
Cooling and power seem like obvious services, so you might overlook their details when choosing a colocation provider. However, going with a provider that doesn’t implement cooling and power systems properly can result in equipment failures.
Not to mention the losses incurred due to the downtime.
To avoid such a risk, make sure to confirm what systems the provider is using and ensure they meet the standard ranges. Also, check whether the provider employs real-time air quality monitoring for additional security.
There are a few ways to ensure a colocation provider is reliable. One way is by checking customer reviews, staff certifications, press releases, financial reports, and the financial history of the provider. These should tell you how stable the provider’s company is and whether you can trust it to tide you through events for the length of the contract.
Another option to check reliability is to check how many data center providers are in the vicinity. A good region with easy access to power and connectivity should have a good number of colocation providers.
Choosing a provider that offers the best quality of services at a reasonable cost is a key factor when choosing among a list of providers. Make sure you check the fees you’re being charged for hosting your equipment and servers, as well as any additional fees for installation and setup. Also, confirm the cost of adding any additional services to those already in the contract.
Finding the right colocation provider for your business requirements is easy once you know your priorities and understand the offerings of the provider. With this guide, you now know what to look for and how to analyze offerings better to make better decisions for your business.
Related Resources:
Colocation 101: A Complete Guide [What it is, Types, Features, How it Works, Benefits]
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