The changing global market conditions have intensified the need for colocation and external data center services. While data centers were in demand for the last few years, the dependence on them has increased due to the pandemic and employees working from home.
With the economy dipping, enterprises are finding it harder to manage in-house data centers. Building an exclusive data center for the business has always been cost-intensive. With various well known third-party service providers offering enterprises space to store their data in the colocation centers, enterprises are finding it convenient to use their services instead.
The IT department of the enterprise is facing countless challenges in managing, monitoring, and upgrading the IT infrastructure of the business, assisting employees, and completing their day to day work. Colocation services take some of their shoulders and let the IT department work efficiently. Choosing data center facilities is just another way of adopting the latest technology in the market and having a competitive edge over other enterprises.
Budget Limitations
We have talked about the budget required to build an in-house data center. But does the investment end there? No. Enterprises have to continue spending money to maintain the data center and ensure that it is protected and upgraded. This increases the budget of the IT department.
When enterprises are looking for ways to cut down the IT budget, they cannot afford to spend as much money on an in-house data center. Hiring space on a colocation (along with other enterprises) is definitely a feasible choice. The enterprise will have to pay only for the space allotted to it and for the maintenance services. This will be a fraction of what the enterprise would incur in the previous scenario.
Data Security
Cybersecurity is something no enterprise can ignore, not when hackers are targeting every business, be it a startup or a global enterprise. Colocation centers are said to have multiple security layers in place to prevent breaches. The focus is on both physical security and data security, including networks.
However, not all colocation centers are equally equipped to deal with security protocols. This has to be one of the primary factors to consider when choosing a colocation center. The leading data center service provider believes in stringent security systems and is compliant with the industry-wide standards. Enterprises can ask for additional security layers and a private server to further increase data security. The colocation centers also offer data recovery services between selected data center locations.
Maintenance Services
When maintaining an in-house data center is a herculean task, monitoring and upgrading a huge colocation center would be even more complicated. But service providers handle the task by following a comprehensive maintenance model.
They work round the clock to ensure that there are no issues with the servers, the network, the cooling systems, or the power supply. Colocation centers usually have multiple power supply connections so that if one source doesn’t work, the system automatically switches over to the other without causing disruptions in the connectivity. This allows continuous access to data stores in the servers.
Connectivity Services
The network is an essential part of colocation facilities. How else will the enterprises access the data in the servers far away from the office location? The well-known company offers network connectivity and data center services so that enterprises can use the same service provider.
This will put the onus on the service provider to ensure 100% connectivity and security at all times. The fiber optics network is said to be the best for colocation centers. The quality, speed, and sustainability of a fiber-optic network save time and money for the enterprises. The network also increases employee productivity.
Scalability and Flexibility
One of the biggest advantages of colocation centers is their flexibility. An enterprise can choose server space (or rack space) based on the existing business requirements. As the business expands, the enterprise will need more space to store the data. Colocation centers have enough servers to accommodate the increasing demands of the enterprises.
While it is true that all data center service providers are not capable of this, the leading companies make sure to expand the colocation in parallel to the businesses. That’s why the reputed service providers have multiple colocation centers and offer personalized colocation services to enterprises. Enterprises have the freedom to choose a center that is geographically close to their office location. This will make it easy to physically go to the centers whenever necessary.
Enterprises can contact the leading service provider in the region to request a tour of the colocation center and get a quote for personalized data center services. When the same service provider offers reputed internet and cloud connectivity services, wouldn’t it be a cost-effective deal for the enterprise?