What Colocation is and how it can help your company
Information security and data availability are two factors that companies must take great care of in the current climate. One way for a company to be better prepared for the challenges of digital transformation, guaranteeing security and availability, is to understand what Colocation is.
An idea of how the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure should be set up is a very important step in avoiding any issues related to the corporate website being unavailable due to a large number of hits in a given period, for example.
In this article we’ve prepared for you, we’re going to cover various factors on how a company can adopt Colocation to manage information. Check it out!
What is Colocation?
Also known as housing, Colocation is considered a way of outsourcing data centers. In other words, a company allocates the purchased servers to storing and processing data on the supplier’s premises.
Colocation can be acquired in various ways. One way of doing this involves renting premises where only a single company’s servers will be located. This area will be separate from the other parts of the supplier’s infrastructure.
This is done with great care, so that customers have a space that is completely dedicated to the demands of data storage and security.
To help you understand what Colocation is, it’s worth mentioning that this model of structure can be deployed using a rack, located in an area shared with other clients.
Even so, it’s worth noting that the level of safety and care taken with the equipment is quite high. This means that only the IT team of the client company has access to the servers and other resources installed in the environment.
Why should your company use Colocation?
A good way to grasp what Colocation is involves understanding how it can benefit your business. One of them is ensuring a high level of security for the equipment and the information stored on it.
Another positive is the space savings for a company. Good server performance requires a suitable location. However, not all corporations have an area for the equipment to be properly accommodated.
This factor contributes greatly to the adoption of Colocation, as it is a way for servers and other devices to stay in a data center with all the resources they need to continue functioning fully and securely.
Costs
Investing in a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure is not easy, especially for small and medium-sized companies. This makes Colocation an excellent alternative, because it allows you to reduce costs with connection, internet bandwidth, electricity and other necessities.
In a scenario of economic instability, it is crucial that companies make rational use of their financial resources to invest in what is most strategic in order to win customers and increase sales.
There’s no point in having a data center that follows the best practices in the IT sector if the company can’t, for example, afford to buy software and train employees to achieve more significant performance.
Control
Another important item to understand about Colocation involves the complete and physical control of the information hosted on the equipment. Even though the infrastructure is under the responsibility of the provider, the company has complete management of the machines with a high level of security.
The redundancy of the electrical system, the efficient temperature and humidity control structure and the high level of connectivity are other factors that justify betting on this IT infrastructure model. After all, many companies don’t want to get rid of their data storage equipment, but they may have a strategy of adhering to a hybrid environment, with the viability of a fast connection to the main cloud computing providers.
Colocation is also an interesting option for corporations that don’t have a highly efficient energy system, as well as qualified teams to monitor and manage the systems 24x7x365. Many devices need a good power supply to deliver outstanding performance, as well as effective and efficient management.
How Colocation can help your company
Having an adequate IT infrastructure is one of the factors that help organizations to be better prepared, for example, for the increased demand for digital services.
Depending on the Colocation contract, a company can choose to use more equipment to store, process and make information available.
The possibility of expanding services quickly is one of the factors influencing many companies’ decision to adopt this model of structure.
Another point that favors choosing Colocation is the redundancy of the power supply for the equipment.
Data centers can rely on UPS units, stabilizers and power generators. This means that the room can be kept running even if there is a prolonged power outage.
In addition, the IT infrastructure provider offers highly qualified support around the clock. In other words, there will always be a team available to provide assistance if there are any problems with the performance of the equipment.
It is very expensive to have an IT team available 24X7 to solve any problems. This shows how interesting it is for many corporations to bet on the Colocation solution.
Resources
An IT infrastructure also requires a great deal of effort to set up and manage. It is a service that must be carried out by highly trained professionals who are aware of the main needs of the market.
Companies are not always able to rely on high-level resources (equipment, personnel, etc.) to adopt the best information technology practices. This must be taken into account when determining that outsourcing IT services is a fully viable and necessary alternative.
You should know what Colocation is before you can make a proper decision about a good provider. This way, infrastructure needs can be mapped more strategically and intelligently.
It’s an action that should be taken with great care, because it allows for more professional management of technological resources.
Want to know more about Colocation and how Ascenty can help you implement this solution in your company? Talk to one of our consultants.
