In today’s fiercely competitive environment, any business - small, medium or large - can succeed only if it maintains business continuity, which in turn, is mostly dependent on automated data handling systems. In the wake of recent natural and other calamities, companies have increased their investments in highly secure storage and retrieval systems for their data.
For companies whose core business is not IT, it makes better business sense to outsource the storage and maintenance of these systems. This strategy allows them to save time and money while harnessing the power of IT as a force multiplier for their core business.
What is a data center?
A data center is simply a room that facilitates the storage and management, of servers and other computing equipment of any company in a precision-controlled environment. But for small and medium businesses, an in-house data center is an expensive proposition in many ways:
- High initial investment in space and equipment
- High day-to-day
management costs
- Hiring and retaining personnel to maintain
the data center
- High cost of upgrading technology and acquiring
newer services
In this scenario, it becomes far more economical to outsource this service to a colocation data center.
What is colocation?
A colocation (also known less popularly as ‘co-location’) data center is a facility where the servers and other computing equipment belonging to different companies share space. Each company’s equipment is physically secured in a wire cage or cabinet with high security locking systems.
Why colocation?
Colocation offers businesses several advantages with regard to time and money.
- You don’t have to worry about recurring capital costs if you
are upgrading since you can rent more space (or give up space if you are
downsizing)
- You are saved the expense of hiring and training
your own personnel to operate and maintain your systems. If you have to
upgrade, having your own personnel means additional training costs or paying
outside consultants.
Who uses colocation data centers?
The answer is: almost any company whose business continuity is dependent on smooth access to flow of data and for whom system downtime is not an option.
- Web-based e-commerce companies use the colocation data center facilities
to ensure a safe environment for their equipment, plus economical and redundant
connections to the Internet
- Major non-IT entrepreneurs use the facility for economic data storage and
management, as well as safety from disasters
- Telecommunication companies use colocation data center facilities to exchange
traffic with other telcos and also to provide reliable access to potential
clients
Facilities at Colocation Data Centers
Colocation data centers offer physical space on lease to customers for housing their servers and other computing devices. You install your servers and/or other telecommunication equipment in the physical space leased from the data center. The leased space is typically comprised of either full cabinets or portions of a cabinet measured in Rack Units or RU (1RU corresponds to 1.75 vertical inches of space). Much larger spaces, like a caged section of a room or complete private rooms or suites, are also available depending on your requirements.
All leased space is supported by:
- Precision-controlled air-conditioning systems
with incorporated redundancy
- 24×7 power back-up systems for all equipment to
ensure zero downtime or minimal disruption in operations due to power failure
- High-capacity, reliable power generators
- State-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems to guard against
potential losses due to fire
- Sophisticated onsite security through surveillance cameras and advanced
biometric systems to prevent unauthorized entry
- Networking equipment including state-of-the-art, fully redundant high-end
switches and routers, BGP4 routing for optimal path selection and full redundancy,
etc
Most colocation centers also offer SLAs (service level agreements) to support a host of computer and networking services like server reboots, software updates, hardware repairs / replacements, disaster recovery, etc.
Advantages of colocation
- Financial Gains: Small and medium companies have a lot
to gain by opting for colocation. For one, there is an enormous amount of
money to be saved (between 25%-75%) on infrastructure, technology and human
resources. This leaves them free to concentrate on their core business areas.
- Better Connectivity: Acquiring and maintaining a T1 line
or a fiber optic line to connect your networks is an expensive proposition.
Moreover, if your ISP turns out to be unreliable, you could lose valuable
business. Provisioning a T1 or fiber optic line at a colocation data center
is economical and most centers support multiple ISPs through fiber optic
lines or VSAT. Also, colocating mission critical servers at data centers
with fully redundant network connections ensures that business critical applications
will always run smoothly.
- Easy disaster recovery: Data centers also create disaster
recovery sites. In the event of a snag with the primary server, the entire
network automatically switches to an alternate mirrored site within a few
minutes. So outsourcing disaster recovery also costs much less than what
it would to set it up in-house.
- Improved Network security: Most data centers offer state-of-the-art
network security, including fully updated firewalls / IDS applications to
detect and prevent unauthorized intrusions into their clients’ systems. They
employ qualified technical personnel with certifications like CCNA and MCSE
to monitor the networks 24X7 and alert clients of any potential trouble.
In the wake of disasters like 9/11 and other natural disasters, depending on a single office to keep business-critical applications running is risky. Most companies are now taking steps to plan for such events by implementing a disaster recovery plans that include colocation facilities inside internet data centers. Data centers provide the best data management, system maintenance and up-to-date security services without the issues that accompany owning and operating a similar facility.
By utilizing collocation services in a data center facility, you will realize an immediate benefit in terms of costs saving and improved redundancy.
John Tourloukis is the founder of Fast PC Networks, we provide Colocation and Disaster Recovery Services
