The Benefits of Using Carrier Neutral Colocation Services

Colocation services can be either carrier specific or carrier neutral. Enterprise data centers using carrier neutral protocols are more flexible and reliable than carrier specific centers.

Enterprise class data centers follow one of two connectivity models: carrier specific or carrier neutral. Carrier specific colocation services use a single  telecommunications  provider. Carrier neutral providers use  many providers, allowing their clients to choose which connection(s) to use. Carrier neutral data center facilities have a number of advantages over carrier specific data centers.
Flexibility
Carriers and Internet providers may seem alike on the surface, but each provider offers what they think are unique features which separate them from their competitors. Customers must compare different features and packages to decide which features are important to their operations and determine which carrier offering gives the organization the best value.
Not every company network has the same colocation needs. When using carrier specific enterprise data centers, IT operations are stuck with whatever features that carrier offers. Although the service might be perfectly satisfactory, it may not provide the best combination of attributes for that particular company's needs. The choice of carriers offered by carrier neutral colocation services allows clients to customize their service package by selecting the carrier which offers the right combination of services.
Stability
Carrier specific colocation services often use advertisements such as, "We only use a Big Reliable Company who has been a dependable internet provider for years." However, that is no guarantee of future stability. The news media regularly reports on how yesterday's Big Reliable Company is sometimes tomorrow's Bankrupt Financial Disaster. Changes in management, technology or regulations can negatively impact a single carrier's ability to provide quality connectivity.
When dealing with carrier neutral  data centers, clients can change carriers on very short notice. If a particular carrier becomes undependable or costs skyrocket, clients can switch to a more reliable connection service with the same data center provider rather than being forced to either ride out the fluctuating service, or relocate to a completely different data center and risk service disruption, data loss, or increased costs.
Redundancy
Downtime is simply not acceptable for most IT operations. Organizations which demand 100% uptime have learned that the best way to guarantee service is through redundancy. This applies to everything from  storage applications, multiple host servers to running diesel generators in case the electrical grid goes out. This practice can also apply to data center connectivity.

Carrier neutral colocation services are the clear choice over carrier specific providers, for today's enterprise data center customers. 

Article Tags: Carrier Neutral Colocation, Neutral Colocation Services, Using Carrier, Carrier Neutral, Neutral Colocation, Colocation Services, Carrier Specific, Data Center

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