Colocation Hosting Provider – Know How To Find The Best
Most businesses now own a hybrid data center model. It is an amalgamation of legacy, private cloud, and public cloud infrastructures. Owning a data center can be costly for any business. It is because the devices and equipment can be expensive. This is also why many businesses these days opt to house their data in a colocation facility. So, what the are important things to consider to find a colocation hosting provider?. Read along to know.
What To Do Before Looking For A Colocation Hosting Provider?.
It can be a costly affair to select a colocation hosting provider. Then to move in and start operations. If you later find that you have made the wrong choice, it will be a problem. The cost of moving out can be much more than that of moving in. Therefore, make sure to choose a colocation provider with much care. Are you confused about your requirements?. The questions that are shared below will help you understand the same.
What Do You Wish To Attain?.
Try to make an idea of not just the immediate requirements of your business. But also the long-term goals. For instance, moving to the cloud is one. Making use of managed hosting services is next. And next, moving to a high-density environment.
What Are The IT And Business Requirements Of Your Enterprise?.
Try to understand your business and IT requirements. Find out if you need to archive or replicate your business data. Do your business needs more colocation data center locations for data archiving?.
What Is Your Growth Plan?.
The colocation provider of your choice should allow you to scale in power and space. With that, you will be able to move in various directions in the future.
What Are The Things To Look For In A Colocation Hosting Provider?.
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Colocation Hosting
Usually, a colocation contract can extend from 3 to 5 years. And a wholesale contract can range from 5 to 15 years. Even if you are in a short-term contract, you will not wish to bear all this. The hassle, costs, and downtime related to switching data centers every 3 years. This is why it is important to select a provider that is capable of meeting not just your current needs. But also your future requirements. The important things that you need to look for in a colocation service provider are shared below.
The Power Density To Support Current And Future Technologies
Power densities of data centers have been on a steady rise. With newer technologies, many clients these days need up to 10 kW power per cabinet. However, there aren’t many providers offering power densities that are capable of supporting future technologies. Most of the data centers were made much before the density boom. They are capable of supporting an average of 4 kW power per cabinet.
To support high-density environments, providers will have to make use of a supplemental cooling system. Otherwise, it will spread the load over a large footprint. Both these approaches can address the issue of power density. But, it can add up to the cost.
Flexible Service Level Agreements (SLA) And Master Service Agreement (MSA)
Understand that contracts are set in place to protect the service provider. Therefore, you need to be proactive. Moreover, address the SLA and contractual items that are vital to your business. Initial discussions will offer insight to service providers. To the ones who are willing to revise verbiage so as to offer better protection to the client. A mistake that many people make is this. They wait until the selection of the service provider to address SLA or contractual issues. The same could have been done by including them in the search criteria.
Redundancy Of Network CarrierA business-owned facility will be limited to a small number of network carriers. Search for facilities that are carrier-neutral. Also, one who has many network carriers offering connectivity in the facility. Different network carrier options will let the provider offer competitive pricing. This can let cut down costs and offer the ability to integrate a redundant network design. In addition, you need to understand the providers offering their services via a connection from a carrier hotel. The carrier hotel will enhance the provider options to the client. Lastly, understand the redundancy associated with the routing to and within the facility.
Location Of The Colocation Hosting ProviderMany businesses are now becoming “lights out” facilities. So that, they will be able to manage everything remotely. Make an idea of how far you can be from your data center. Does the data center need to be located away from natural disasters?. A “lights out” facility can be the most cost-effective option. It also is a risk-averse option. However, your networking costs will be high when you are far from your data center. Opting for a data center close to your business can make it easy to respond to problems. In addition, for quick recovery from a disaster, your replication center needs to be located near. That is, not more than fifty to a hundred miles from the primary data center.
ComplianceIn case of compliance, many of the providers claim that they provide certain Tier availability. They may seem like Uptime-certified data centers. However, that might not be the reality. Make sure to verify the certification of your provider. Verify it with Uptime Institute. Moreover, be wary of false claims. In addition, you need to verify that the facility is SSAE 16 compliant.
Good Physical SecurityAn ideal data center should have different levels of physical security. Both inside and outside. Enquire what perimeter and outside areas are covered by cameras. Also, make an idea of the security procedures of the vendor. Know whether you can add your own security cameras inside the space.
Future GrowthWith the fast changes in technology, it is impossible to know where you will be in five years. Therefore, make sure to find a provider who can allow you to scale up in areas like space and power. If you are considering extra services, you may need to know one more thing. Will your provider allow you to make changes to the service agreement with the growth of your business?.
EndNote on Choosing Your Colocation hosting provider
The physical characteristics of the facility are just the beginning. The way the facility is operated and the treatment of long-term clients are also important. Next, is the level of flexibility offered by the facility. Then, the cooling and power for clients to ensure growth. These are all main considerations. Also, try to find out the additional services offered by the provider. Once done, you can decide on the colocation service provider for your business.
Are you in search of a colocation hosting provider?. Want to own one as well?. Or want to migrate to ours?. Contact us today. HostSailor offers the best hosting options for you to choose from. Give us a call. Chat with our sales team. Or, you can also email us your queries. We are here to help. visit
www.hostsailor.com.
