FEATURE : DATA CENTERS requirements should include 24 / 7 / 365 video surveillance , robust access restrictions and strong perimeter fencing .
4 . Scale
When an organization needs to scale-up its server infrastructure or connectivity , a good colocation venue should have options in place to seamlessly add capacity and / or performance . With high performance connectivity already in place , this is another situation where users can benefit from economies of scale .
5 . IT management
IT teams everywhere use Total Cost of Ownership ( TCO ) calculations to assess the value and impact of their technology spend . In most circumstances , colocation offers a better TCO over on-premises hosting , particularly around IT management where the colo provider is assuming some of the major responsibilities . As a result , in-house IT staff are also freed up to focus on more strategic tasks and objectives as they no longer have to focus on ‘ keeping the lights on ’.
6 . Service and support
While most companies still rely on their own IT staff to maintain their equipment in the colocation setting , it ’ s increasingly common to also build redundancy into the colocation infrastructure so technicians don ’ t have to travel to the data center for each and every component malfunction or failure . Some data centers also offer the option of on-site support to ease the maintenance , service and support burden on busy IT staff .
Hosting providers should also have further service redundancy built into their facilities . Priorities include energy connections that enter the building at different locations , additional Internet connections and effective communication channels with local authorities in case of possible disruptive excavation work . Business Continuity should also extend to protection from fire , flooding or other natural disasters . In addition , organizations should assess the quality and effectiveness of cooling systems so that ambient temperatures do not rise to levels that may damage their expensive and mission critical hardware .
3 . Security
In this context , data center security is focused on preventing physical access to hosted technology so that it ’ s kept safe from intruders . Minimum
For organizations that want to balance the availability of agile , high performance IT infrastructure with a manageable OPEX cost model , colocation can offer an ideal solution . In today ’ s mature data center market , providers are differentiating themselves by offering better services that are competitively priced and geared towards the needs of IT-centric businesses . The result can be a win-win for digital businesses focused on meeting the needs of their staff and customers alike . p
Lex Boost , CEO of Leaseweb USA
IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES , COLOCATION OFFERS A BETTER TCO OVER ON-
PREMISES HOSTING .
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