If you run a business that relies on a lot of computing hardware and software, there’s a chance you might have heard of the term ‘colocation’ But what is colocation? Colocation services are a reliable and scalable business hardware solution for data management.
As one of our premier offerings, we’ve created this blog to teach you all about the world of colocation. We hope it will give you the knowledge needed to decide whether you need to implement this important hardware solution into your organisation.
If you’ve already decided you’d like to hire M247 for our colocation services, we’ll be happy to help – just make your enquiry here.
Colocation: Explained
So, what is colocation?
Sometimes referred to as ‘colo’, colocation is a service provided by data centres, enabling businesses to rent space to house their servers and other important computing hardware.
A colocation data centre allows an organisation to place their equipment in a colocation business hosting facility, instead of maintaining their own data management services. Whilst you’ll have to pay a fee to use a colocation data centre, it may be more cost-effective than renting or purchasing your own premises for such a purpose.
Most colocation data centres also have a robust infrastructure, providing electricity, cooling equipment and round-the-clock security, adding another benefit to using them. You’ll usually share space with other tenants, sharing the cost of this infrastructure and making it much more cost-effective in the long run.
How Does Colocation Work?
When using dedicated colocation services, businesses will typically bring their own hardware to the data centre facility in person, although some companies may provide a collection service for an extra fee.
All the necessary infrastructure required will be provided by the colocation hosting company, including:
- Electricity and power
- Cabinets, cable trays, and racks
- Cooling systems and air conditioning
- Network connectivity
- Security services
You’ll still own and manage your business equipment, but your colocation provider will ensure that your computing hardware has a stable and secure environment, removing this stress from your hands. However, you’ll still need to shoulder the costs of managing your hardware, which may mean increased travel costs and time for your engineers, should a problem arise.
How Does Colocation Compare to Using the Cloud?
To those uninitiated in the world of network connectivity, colocation may seem similar to the cloud at first. Both colocation and cloud services offer a tangible alternative to more conventional on-premises data centres, although both solutions are rather different from one another.
Cloud services and solutions utilise virtual resources to store data and software. However, colocation instead refers to your physical hardware, which clearly cannot be stored in a private cloud. Cloud computing is more suited to businesses looking for flexibility and on-demand resources. However, colocation may be preferable for organisations wanting to store their physical hardware in a privately owned or tenanted data centre.
Many businesses actually choose to incorporate both the cloud and colocation services into their day to day operations, covering both bases.
What Are the Benefits of Using Our Colocation Services?
Colocation services can be extremely advantageous to your organisation if used correctly, as managed data centres can provide a multitude of key business benefits.
Let’s take a look at some of the main advantages you can expect when using a colocation provider for your computing hardware:
- Colocation is cost-effective – One of the main reasons businesses often choose to use a colocation provider is that it can be more cost-effective than building or renting your own private facility. Building and maintaining an in-house hardware centre can be expensive, due to the costs associated with building a facility, as well as your electricity, cooling systems and security. These infrastructure costs will instead be shared with the other tenants using your colocation centre, reducing the overall price.
- An enhanced security system – Maintaining the security of your hardware is extremely important – particularly if you have a lot of expensive equipment to store. Most colocation facilities are specifically designed with security in mind – both in terms of managed cyber security and physical threats. Common security measures include 24/7 surveillance, biometric controls, and disaster recovery business protocols, ensuring your data and hardware are kept safe at all times.
- Scalable opportunities – Another important benefit of using a colocation facility to store your hardware is the fact that you’ll usually have the opportunity to scale your equipment if required. If you need to install new dedicated servers or you’d like to expand your storage capacity, your colocation provider can make these changes – this factor is particularly beneficial if your business is growing quickly.
- A reliable service – Full-service colocation data centres can provide you with a reliable storage solution, able to minimise downtime risks and ensure uninterrupted access to your data and applications. For example, colocation services will usually have backup generators, redundant network connections, and multiple power sources. This approach means your servers will be continuously operated on the off-chance that a fault arises.
As you can see, colocation facilities can be extremely beneficial to modern businesses if used correctly.
Discover M247’s Powerful Colocation Services
By now, we hope your question of ‘what is colocation?’ has been answered sufficiently in this blog. Colocation is a powerful and versatile solution for modern organisations searching for ways in which they can improve and optimise their IT infrastructure.
We’re pleased to announce that we have our very own global colocation service, with several facilities located around the world. We also offer 24/7 support to all our clients, ensuring your hardware and data will be kept safe from prying eyes, should the unthinkable happen.
Regardless of whether you’re a large enterprise seeking scalable growth, or a smaller organisation needing a strong data solution, our colocation data centres offer a unique opportunity for all businesses.
To get started, all you need to do is contact us, and we’ll get the process started in no time.
