If you’ve followed our blog for any length of time, you’ve probably heard us mention colocation. While it may not be a household word yet, colocation is becoming more and more popular for small businesses that want a larger IT department, but at a lower cost.
Most small businesses don’t have an entire team of IT professionals on staff to manage their infrastructure, and they probably don’t have the facilities to host their own servers either. That’s where colocation comes in.
What is Colocation?
It’s a big word, but it’s pretty basic. Colocation is simply a hosting option that allows companies to house their own servers at a data center and share the provider’s bandwidth. The company still owns the equipment – it just physically lives with the colocation provider. The provider delivers power, bandwidth and an IP. Accessing it is similar to using a hosting provider’s website.
So, what do you need to know about colocation?
It’s Safe.
A colocation provider should have backup power and generators for any potential disaster so your business can stay online. What’s more, your equipment is locked and monitored in a completely secure facility and kept separate from other servers. Colocation providers can also offer security patches and firewalls in addition to the facility’s physical security.
It’s Reliable.
With redundant power, cooling, and bandwidth, you don’t have to worry about your server’s physical environment. Colocation providers are always up and running with personnel onsite 24/7/365. Some even provide various levels of monitoring, patch management, and help desk services.
It’s Cost-Effective.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of colocation is the money your company can save on bandwidth. You can get a lot more “bang for your buck” in terms of bandwidth by using a colocation provider rather than purchasing your own internet access. Scaling up and back is easily accomplished as your business needs change.
What Colocation Isn’t…
It’s important to understand that colocation is not the same thing as managed web hosting. With web hosting, the HTML codes for your company’s sites are located on someone else’s server. With colocation, your websites live on your server, which is physically located in someone else’s data center.
With managed hosting, you rent space on a server; with colocation you own the server and have complete control over it.
Here at CyberTrails, we’ve been serving small to medium sized businesses in the Phoenix area for 17 years. We know what’s important when it comes to colocation services; faster connections, lower costs, and security just to name a few.
At our data center in Phoenix, AZ we provide the following features:
- 24 x 7 x 365 onsite operations personnel
- Redundant power, cooling, and network access
- Biometric Access and Card access to building
- CCTV monitoring
- SSAE16 SOC 2 Type 2 Audited data center
- Power for full cabinets ranging from 20 amps (1.9 kw) to 60 amps (5.7 kw)
- Secure suites available with solid core doors adding another layer of protection
There are many different options for companies looking into professional IT services – we can help you decide on the right fit for your IT needs.
Image sources: http://solisdatacom.com/index.cfm/hostingcollocation.html, http://www.ait.com/article/ensuring-your-dedicated-server-is-secure/
