When looking to relocate or expand your data center, cost, operational reliability and, of course, security should be taken into consideration. With these in mind, more and more companies are discovering that colocation offers the best solution, without the burden of managing their own data center. But what exactly is colocation and what can you do with it? You can read about that here.
What is colocation?
Colocation, also known as 'colo' for short, is a service in which the customer places his own server in the server box of a hosting provider. This allows the customer to enjoy the benefits of a professional data center, without having to bear the burden. For a monthly fee, you can use a reliable network connection, the closet space, power consumption and any other facilities. The server space is usually purchased from a professional data center, but the hosting provider may also have this in-house. Unlike a dedicated server, with colocation the server is and remains the property of the customer. The customer remains responsible for the functioning of the hardware and software. The hosting provider and the data center (if any) are purely responsible for the optimal availability of the network. The amount of space you need in the server cabinet of the hosting provider depends on your needs. The server cabinet in this case is usually called rack space (literal translation: rack space) and the space in it is expressed in Rack Units (U). So the more servers you want to place with the hosting provider, the more Rack Units you will have to purchase.
Benefits of colocation
There are many benefits for businesses when using colocation. To decide if colocation is for you, we have listed the biggest benefits for you:
Lower costs
Unless your equipment requires a huge amount of space (Rack Units), the cost will be much lower when using a colocation option.
Exceptional reliability
Colocation data centers are typically built with the highest specifications for redundancy. This includes backup power generators, excellent physical security, multiple network connections and much more.
Geographic location
You can choose the location of your colocation data center so that it is near your users.
Predictable costs
You pay a fixed amount per month for colocation, making it easy to predict costs. Moreover, colocation agreements can be entered into for several years, so you know exactly how to budget your IT. So you will never be faced with any surprises.
Easy scalability
When your business grows, you can quickly add new servers or other equipment to a colocation. When you have equipment in your own server closet, it can be much more difficult to expand.
What are the different options for colocation?
You can use colocation in several ways. From small solutions, like 1/4th rack, to multiple Rack Units in a corridor, cage or suite. These are the following options:
- Rackspace: Don't to store a large server? Then you can rent rack space, or part of it (e.g. 1/2 or 1/4 rackspace). This gives you a safe, protected space to place your server in and you always have access to your own servers.
- Private corridor/cage/suite: Do you need more space? Then you can rent a private corridor, -cage or -suite. These contain multiple rack spaces and offer support for large IT infrastructures and optimal privacy.
- Twin-datacenter solution: Do you want to significantly reduce the risk of downtime? Then you can also house your IT-infrastructure in two geographically separate locations by means of a twin-datacenter solution. This way you stay with the same reliable party and obtain synchronous data replication and continuous backups.
Is colocatie suitable for you?
We realize that housing your IT-infrastructure and sensitive data can be a major step. Do you have more questions about colocation or would you like to see one of our colocation data centres before deciding whether colocation is for you? Then contact us without obligation, we would be more than willing to help! Call +31 (0)30 242 8720 or send an email to sales@eurofibercloudinfra.com.