Colocation services, also referred to as “colo” services, are a way for businesses to securely house their critical IT infrastructure, in a data center. This may include servers, networking equipment, and storage devices that need a home. Colocation services allow businesses to take advantage of a data center’s advanced infrastructure. Businesses can also take advantage of security, controlled atmosphere, high speed internet, and expertise. Colocation services include the following:

Secure Hosting Facilities

Colocation providers operate data centers. These data centers are locked down. They have security guards, surveillance cameras, access controls, locked doors, and more. These buildings are designed to protect and house IT equipment. The facility protects equipment from theft, unauthorized access, and environmental hazards. They have controlled atmospheres for equipment’s optimal performance. With colocation services, you are partially paying for real estate.

Reliable Infrastructure

Every piece of equipment needs to be on and always connected to the Internet. Data centers offer a highly reliable environment to keep equipment powered and connected. They have redundant power sources, backup generators, and sophisticated cooling systems. They ensure uninterrupted operation, even during power outages or extreme weather conditions. Most data centers strive to have no single point of failure. There is a secondary option for everything. Part of your colocation service is infrastructure.

Redundant Power

All equipment has to have power to stay turned on. After you pay for the real estate, you must pay to plug in. Power is a standard colocation service you will pay for. You may have 110v pulling 20 amps or 240v pulling 30 amps. Some equipment needs more power than others to run. The more equipment you have, the higher your power will be!

Connectivity

Once your equipment is in the colocated data center, you need to make sure it is connected. Another colocation service will be your internet connectivity. Data centers are connected to multiple high-speed internet connections. Therefore, you may have options or receive discounts since they buy in bulk. They will offer connection redundancies, ensuring you get a fast and dependable internet connection. You may also have to pay for cross-connection if you decide to go with your own carrier. Or, if you are connecting to other colocated servers. Cross-connections are connections to other parts of the data center. Cross-connections are physical wires and routing, so this is only required for physical connections.

Professional Support

Many colocation providers offer technical support and managed IT services. This service includes hardware maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting. This can be an especially valuable service if your business lacks an extensive in-house IT team.

Compliance and Certifications

Data centers often adhere to industry standards and certifications related to security and compliance. This can be essential if your business must meet specific regulatory requirements or adhere to security standards like HIPAA or SOC 2. While you are not paying additional money for this, it is included in your colocation services.

If you are looking for more information about colocation services, or just want to dive deeper our team is here to help.