John Tourloukis

Advantages of Colocation in Data Center Facilities

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.

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

• 24x7 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.

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