Data center colocation is a service that allows customers to store and manage their servers and other necessary hardware for daily operations. This service provides secure, shared spaces in cool, monitored environments, like warehouses, that also provide optimum bandwidth. A colocation data centre will also offer tiers of service that will meet a designated amount of uptime.
There are many reasons why businesses consider using colocation services. Reasons include:
- Uptime Benefits
- Risk Management Benefits
- Security Benefits
- Cost Benefits
- Scalability Benefits
It is due to these reasons that colocation is better than in-house server storage.
Uptime Benefits
If you are struggling to keep your website up and running due to server crashes, you should consider colocation services. A colocation data centre will offer different tiers of service that guarantee a certain amount of uptime.
There are 4 tiers available for uptime. Tier 1 must have at least 99.671% uptime per year. Tier 2 guarantees 99.741% uptime per year. Tier 3 guarantees 99.982% uptime per year. Tier 4 guarantees 99.995% uptime per year. Different tiers will vary in price, but the best part is you are guaranteed 99% uptime regardless which tier you choose.
Risk Management Benefits
When you use server colocation services, you will have the peace of mind that your servers won’t go down due to a natural disaster or power outage. Even if your area loses power, your website network traffic won’t be affected. The reason servers won’t go down at a colocation data centre is because of redundancy. Redundancy at data centres is more complex than most companies can afford in-house.
Security Benefits
Data centres should have the latest security technology to ensure they meet specific security requirements. You want to be sure your data is always secure and safe from cyber-attacks or breaches. Some colocation data centres offer private data suites that are managed, secure rooms for critical operations. You can avoid capital investments, compliance audits, and management costs of an in-house facility with a private data suite.
Another security benefit is that only the data centres representatives with the right credentials can access the hardware for your server. This means that not just anyone has access to your server, so your data is very secure.
Cost Benefits
Server colocation offers you your own operating system, application, firewall, security, backup management services, and technical support for a fraction of the cost of doing it in-house. This is a significant benefit to your business because it opens up funds for other parts of your business. All maintenance and management of your servers will be completed by the colocation data centre. You also won’t have to allocate funds for uninterrupted power sources, multiple backup generators, power grids, or cooling systems.
Instead, you can use your money for advertising, marketing, inventory, or business remodels. It is clear there are many cost benefits from using a colocation data centre.
Scalability Benefits
Your business is going to grow, so it makes sense that your data servers will grow, as well. Using a colocation data centre will provide scalability for your business. The data centre you choose will work with you to make sure your servers are able to keep up as your business grows.
Some of the adjustments your servers may need are:
- More space
- More power
- Extra support
- Tighter security
The colocation data centre you choose should have the expertise to determine what your growing business may need.
Why Colocation Centres are Better than In-House Centres
If the idea of handing your server over to people you don’t know, here are a few reasons colocation data centres are better than in-house data centres.
- You have control over your data.
While you won’t have access to your servers, you will still have control over your data. You will be able to access your data remotely at any time, and you can choose what information stays and what goes. It is still your server to do with what you please. You just aren’t responsible for the maintenance and management of the server, as the data centre team is trained to handle those responsibilities.
2. Data centres are flexible.
Data centres provide flexibility to their customers by making changes or upgrades at your request. The right data centre will also be transparent in their communication, so you know up front what is possible and not possible for your data servers
3. Significantly lower cost.
As we showed you above, there are many cost benefits that come with a colocation data centre. Colocation data centres are significantly cheaper than in-house data centres, and for that reason, they are better than in-house data centres.
Choosing a Data Centre
If you’re ready to choose a colocation data centre, you should consider a few things.
- Does the data centre meet your needs?
- Is the data centre in a good location?
- Is the data centre certified?
These three things are vital to know about the data centre you choose.
If you want to save yourself the trouble of searching online, visit the Pathway Communications website.
Pathway Communications is a Tier 3 colocation data centre in Toronto that offers dependable, secure, 24/7 colocation services for a fraction of in-house costs. We have both managed and unmanaged services, and offer complete privacy, portability, limitless growth, and much more. Our staff is available 24/7 to help you ensure operations are running smoothly. Contact us today for more information!
