Data centers and colocation services providers are essential to all business operations worldwide today. If you know what to look for in a colocation services partner it will help you meet your organization’s current and future needs when you decide to scale. Here are 5 factors you need to consider.
1. Location
"First, ask the service provider
where their data center
footprint is."
A colocation services facility with favorable socioeconomic and environmental conditions can mean better efficiency and a reduction in overall operating risk. Proximity to outstanding industry partners, energy sources, and network connectivity within the same colocation facility is also critical.
First, ask the service provider where their data center footprint is. What are attributes for this location and how do the market conditions, climate (weather patterns, temperature, and natural disasters), energy, communication, and transportation affect data center operations?
For some organizations, losing access to data at a critical moment can be a devastating blow to their reputation and create lasting negative impact. A multi-data center strategy may be an excellent solution if your company may need access to more than one data center to get closer to customers, employees, and partners, or for disaster recovery/business continuity, and large IT deployments.
2. Reliability
Colocation services facilities and data centers provide communication systems and power that ensure steady connection. As a result, this ensures reliable connectivity and business continuity in the event of a disaster.
Organizations can invest in measures and equipment to implement similar systems in their company but doing so can require a significant amount of space and capex.
3. Redundant Power and Cooling
These systems essentially keep the lights on at a data center. One survey showed that a power outage – caused by complete power loss – can cost over $1 million.
Colocation services facilities also tend to run quite hot, so they must have ample cooling systems in place. Typically, a manifold path configuration is used to create redundancy so even if one system stops working altogether, the other can take over.
Ask the data center facility about their primary and backup sources of cooling and power. How do they establish and test the power redundancy? What are the peak and average load usage? In the event of a disaster, how long can the facility keep running with the backup power source?
4. Connectivity
Choose a colocation services provider that offers access to major cloud providers, network providers, and internet exchange facilities. If there are multiple cloud and connectivity options to choose from, it will be easier for you to create hybrid multi-cloud infrastructures to fend off vendor lock-in.
Don’t hesitate to ask the potential colocation partner what enterprises, clouds, and network carriers you would have access to. Could you bring in your own network carrier?
5. Security
Since data centers have become the heart of modern business, it has become crucial to protect the data and equipment within them. Pick a partner with advanced security measures such as surveillance systems, camera, biometric access, and layered security zones. The easiest way to evaluate a colocation services facility’s security standard is to determine how they handle getting a vendor onsite in case of emergencies.
Ask them how exactly they keep their data center secure. Do the major entrances have security cameras installed, and are those cameras monitored 24x7x365? What security procedures are in place for receiving deliveries and gaining access to the equipment?
A Colocation Services Partner Designed to Meet All Your Needs
Businesses continue to choose Evocative as their colocation and IT provider because of their state-of-the-art security, global facilities, and timely, expert-level support. With Evocative, you can seamlessly connect to your customers, speed up the launch of your services, and scale with agility to deliver world-class experience every single time.
More than 7,000 clients not only trust Evocative for their IT services but have also recommended us to their peers. To know more about how we help our clients accelerate their digital transformation, call us at (888) 365-2656 or reach us online.
