Colocation is having your data and network equipment, to include servers, routers and computers, co-located with those of others, in a location separate from your own business location. A colocation facility is a place well suited for housing your unique set of equipment, within a stable, protected and controlled environment, and allowing good access to redundant worldwide networks with Tier-1 providers and high bandwidth connectivity.
In the past, only big companies with very large budgets considered colocation. IT expenses were sizable, requiring big, heavy equipment, large racks to support it, and the need for 24/7 access, security and management all made costs prohibitive, at least for smaller companies and individuals. Today less space is required for what is now smaller equipment, and remote management and more capable trouble-shooting tools all make it much less costly than before.
Today colocation is not only affordable, it is essential for any size business. Most importantly, colocation allows companies to avoid the high cost of downtime (lost income, irreparably damaged reputation), and enjoy the benefits of high quality connectivity.
Colocation facilities must operate and deliver within demanding IT and carrier environments. Thus they are able to protect, secure, maintain and enhance your communications assets better than you would. Here are some specifics:
• No need to invest in/upgrade high quality equipment.
• No need to own/manage these complex facilities.
• You maximize your IT budget spending.
• You avoid the high expense of downtime.
• Power and bandwidth, security, environmental controls, fire protection and managed services all provided.
• Guarantee of continued functionality of your business network operations.
• Mission critical assets secured.
• Access to world-class high quality communications.
• State-of-the-art speed, reliability and security of your data transfers and connectivity.
• Fluctuations in power quality.
• Performance issues such as shutdowns due to overload.
• Running out of bandwidth.
• Slow service over multiple hops.