Colocation or cloud? It is a dilemma faced by many organizations looking for the best solution for IT infrastructure outsourcing. The internal operation of the infrastructure (servers, storage equipment, databases, etc.) requires skills and qualified human resources and generates high costs. Equipment needs systematic maintenance, permanent updates and periodic replacements depending on the life cycle. It also consumes electricity, takes up space and requires trained people to administer.
Alternatively, organizations can opt for colocation (actually moving their IT equipment to a professional data center) or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) with a cloud computing operator. Both options are IT infrastructure outsourcing approaches and can be a good choice depending on the specific requirements of each beneficiary.
What exactly does collocation mean?
Colocation allows organizations to move their IT equipment to a data center managed by a third-party provider, such as M247. Instead of managing their own server room on-premises, organizations can rent space, electricity, cooling facilities and connectivity from a colocation service provider. This approach allows organizations to focus on their core business while leaving the complexities of data center management in the hands of specialists.
Some of the benefits of colocation
Improved Reliability: Colocation facilities are designed to provide uninterrupted power, redundant cooling systems and multiple network connections. This level of redundancy minimizes the risk of outages and ensures that critical applications and services remain available to users.
Security and Compliance: Next-generation colocation service providers implement strict security measures to protect their customers’ hardware and data. These data centers comply with industry standards and regulations, providing security for companies handling confidential information.
Scalability: Colocation gives organizations the flexibility to expand their IT infrastructure at the pace of their growth. As your business expands, you can easily add more servers and storage space without incurring the costs and complexity associated with building and maintaining your own data center.
Cost-effectiveness: Adopting colocation can result in substantial savings compared to running an on-premises data center. By sharing resources with other customers, businesses can take advantage to reduce their costs.
Access to expertise: Colocation service providers have a team of skilled professionals specializing in data center management. This expertise ensures that IT equipment is well maintained and that any issues are resolved promptly, minimizing downtime or downtime.
Which companies are colocation services addressed to?
Colocation is a good choice for businesses that already own and operate a complex IT infrastructure and need to retain complete control over it. At the same time, these companies want a high level of availability and security for the IT equipment they own, conditions that they cannot meet in their own locations without considerable investment.
Many companies cannot meet the requirements of a demanding business continuity plan with their own resources, and therefore the only solution is to move equipment to a colocation center. These equipments will be under the continuous management of their own team, which implies the existence of certified persons for interventions or service contracts with certain suppliers.
What does IaaS mean?
IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, is a cloud computing model that provides on-demand access to resources such as servers, storage, networks and virtualization.
Migrating your organization’s infrastructure to an IaaS solution helps you reduce on-premises IT infrastructure maintenance, save money on hardware costs, and gain access to real-time domain expertise. IaaS solutions give you the flexibility to scale up or down your IT resources as needed. They also help you quickly deliver new applications and increase the reliability of your company’s core infrastructure.
In this model, the IT infrastructure can be dedicated or shared, and the customer only owns the applications, with no control over the hardware equipment. On the other hand, however, the client no longer has to purchase and manage their own equipment or spaces to host them, nor to ensure redundant power supply, air conditioning, service, etc. All of these responsibilities fall to the cloud provider and are paid for through a monthly subscription.
At the same time, migrating to IaaS allows for more diverse work scenarios, depending on needs or opportunities. M247’s recently released AI servers are one such example. These are equipment based on new technologies from Nvidia, which offer increased computing power, being designed specifically for AI and Machine Learning. Purchasing and configuring such a server would have been too complicated and expensive, both for on-premises and colocation use. However, using it as a service is quick and with zero initial investment.
Which companies are cloud infrastructure services aimed at?
Cloud services are aimed at companies that do not own their own hardware equipment, do not have the budget to invest in equipment, but have a quick need for processing power. IaaS is also the perfect option for businesses that need scalability, as it provides adjustable resources almost instantly. It is suitable for applications with seasonal load, adjusting the processing power automatically. IaaS is also a good choice for companies that do not have in-house IT teams to manage hardware infrastructure (installations, configurations, maintenance, upgrades or component changes, etc.).
M247 services for all requirements
Colocation and IaaS come with specific advantages and disadvantages, so the choice should be made according to the requirements of each organization. M247 supports this freedom of choice by offering customers public and private cloud, and colocation services. We invite you to contact the M247 team of experts to determine which is the best option for your business requirements.
For more information about commercial requests and how we can collaborate, contact us at office@m247.com
