Today, when it seems that everything has moved to the cloud, some companies still need to manage their own servers. In this article, we will tell you how colocation is useful and what to pay attention to when choosing such a solution.
What is colocation?
Colocation is the rental of space in a data center to host your own server equipment. You bring your servers, and the data center provides everything else: power, cooling, Internet connection, physical security and infrastructure.
This is an ideal solution for companies that need custom servers and a high level of control, but do not want to build and maintain their own data center.
Why do you need it if you have a cloud?
Before the advent of cloud technologies, companies placed servers right in offices. However, even then it was necessary to take into account power supply, cooling, and network infrastructure. Things have become even more complicated now — modern servers consume more energy, heat up more, and require a reliable connection to global networks.
Creating suitable conditions on your premises is difficult, expensive, and unsafe. That is why more and more companies are choosing colocation.
Advantages of colocation services
Individual infrastructure
You use your own, fully custom servers — something that is impossible to get in the cloud or as a ready-made service.Control and compliance
You are the only owner and user of the servers. This makes it easier to comply with standards such as ISO, SOC 2, HIPAA, and increases the level of data protection.Reduced costs
You do not build a data center and do not pay for its maintenance. Instead, you share the infrastructure (electricity, cooling, security) with other tenants, saving on scale.Physical security
Collocation centers are usually better protected than offices: 24/7 security, surveillance cameras, biometric access - and you pay only a fraction of the cost of these measures.High-speed Internet
Modern data centers are connected to several providers and cloud ecosystems, providing high speed, fault tolerance and low latency.Geography and expansion
Many providers have data centers in different countries. This makes it easier to expand your business to new regions without the hassle of local infrastructure.Flexibility and scalability
Growing? Just rent more space. Reducing the load? Reduce the rented capacity. No unnecessary costs.Reliability and reserve
Collocation centers are equipped with uninterruptible power supply systems, generators, cooling and sometimes even technicians on duty. All this guarantees stable operation of the equipment.Focus on business
When the provider takes care of the infrastructure, your team can focus on the tasks that bring profit - product development, customer service and company development.
Conclusion
Collocation is a modern and flexible solution for those who want to manage their infrastructure, but do not want to invest in the construction of a data center. It is the golden mean between full control and the convenience of renting.
Top comments (0)