Jan, 2016 : What is a Colocation Data Center and How Do I Choose One?
📅 - Colocation, also called co-location or shortened to “colo,” is the act of housing servers in a remote data center.
Using a colocation data center to house your business' servers can deliver big cost advantages, a more advanced company infrastructure, higher security levels, more bandwidth, and lower latency.
Additionally, the colocation data center you choose will determine your information's level of security, cost advantages, bandwidth, amount of space, and more.
So what specific factors should you keep in mind while you search for the right colocation center?
Network uptime
Network uptime really matters. When the network your server is connected to is down, you're down. When you're down, you're losing money. That's why it's so important to select a colocation center with a high uptime percentage and proof of that rate.
Location
The center's location doesn't necessarily need to be convenient to you, but in some cases, it should be. For example, if you're running a specialized application or game server, proximity to your administration or client base is important. You need to be able to access your information when needed, and being three states away isn't conducive to that.
Space
What will happen if your company needs to expand it's storage capabilities? Some data centers will keep the server rack next to yours open in the likely event you grow past your current capabilities, but if you're only using one server, they can't guarantee extra space when it's time for you to grow. Extra space for projected growth is something you'll need to ask your potential colocation data center about.
Bandwidth
You need to learn about different bandwidth providers in the data center you're considering. Bandwidth varies in importance according to who your customers are. Look into your clients' locations and the providers they're already using and use those. That's going to ensure you get access to your information quickly.
Colocation isn't as complicated as it seems. When you're choosing the right colocation data center, remember to keep the average network uptime, location, space, bandwidth in mind. Asking the right questions now will help you make an informed decision that will still be right for your business when it's time to grow.
Read next: You Get What You Pay for With Free Web Hosting
Using a colocation data center to house your business' servers can deliver big cost advantages, a more advanced company infrastructure, higher security levels, more bandwidth, and lower latency.
Additionally, the colocation data center you choose will determine your information's level of security, cost advantages, bandwidth, amount of space, and more.
So what specific factors should you keep in mind while you search for the right colocation center?
Network uptime
Network uptime really matters. When the network your server is connected to is down, you're down. When you're down, you're losing money. That's why it's so important to select a colocation center with a high uptime percentage and proof of that rate.
Location
The center's location doesn't necessarily need to be convenient to you, but in some cases, it should be. For example, if you're running a specialized application or game server, proximity to your administration or client base is important. You need to be able to access your information when needed, and being three states away isn't conducive to that.
Space
What will happen if your company needs to expand it's storage capabilities? Some data centers will keep the server rack next to yours open in the likely event you grow past your current capabilities, but if you're only using one server, they can't guarantee extra space when it's time for you to grow. Extra space for projected growth is something you'll need to ask your potential colocation data center about.
Bandwidth
You need to learn about different bandwidth providers in the data center you're considering. Bandwidth varies in importance according to who your customers are. Look into your clients' locations and the providers they're already using and use those. That's going to ensure you get access to your information quickly.
Colocation isn't as complicated as it seems. When you're choosing the right colocation data center, remember to keep the average network uptime, location, space, bandwidth in mind. Asking the right questions now will help you make an informed decision that will still be right for your business when it's time to grow.
Read next: You Get What You Pay for With Free Web Hosting
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