Data is the lifeblood of modern businesses – with its volume growing exponentially each day, staying on top of data handling and security can be tough. Costly and time-consuming data processes are preventing organisations from dedicating full attention to their core business activity too. Agree? Making decisions about managing the data workflow requires careful consideration: should you go with Cloud or Colocation?
Majority of organisations believe the Cloud is the best solution. That’s why we’ve witnessed a dramatic shift to host data and handle data workflow on the Cloud. Yes, this makes sense for service businesses handling lower volumes of data. Colocation, however, remains a popular choice for data heavy businesses.
Let’s explore the benefits of Colocation and the types of businesses Colocation is more suitable for. First of all, we’ll start by explaining what Colocation is.
What is Colocation?
Put simply it is the rental of space in a data centre for the physical aspects of your data hosting instead of hosting your servers, network and computing hardware on-premises.
At Consider IT we advise our data heavy clients to adopt Colocation as they can own their servers but won’t face the hassle of hosting and maintaining them on-site taking up premium office space.
Our top 5 benefits of Colocation
1 Long term cost savings
For starters, it’s often much cheaper than on-premises hosting, since companies don’t need to purchase expensive hardware or take the risk of hiring personnel for maintenance and repair services.
Additional inbuilt benefits that reduce cost include:
- Outsourced support to avoid costly compromised data, power outages or mismanaged equipment
- Reduced investment and maintenance costs by outsourcing power, cooling and connectivity infrastructure.
- Redundancy when needed that provides additional capacity for internet connectivity, cooling and power to ensure business continuity
Recently, the CTO of 37Signals – which operates project management platform Basecamp and other products – revealed an eyewatering saving of $3.2bn by moving data from the Cloud to Colocation.
2 Scalability
Colocation services allow for greater scalability than traditional in-house solutions, since companies can upgrade, expand or contract their services as needed without needing to invest in additional equipment or maintenance personnel. The inbuilt flexibility is essential for businesses adapting and pivoting in an unstable economy.
3 Security and Business Continuity
Colocation also offers enhanced security compared to traditional hosting solutions. With the help of experienced IT experts, businesses can be confident their data is secure in the provider’s facility and their business remains uninterrupted even during power outages or natural disasters. Furthermore, businesses can enjoy a heightened degree of control over their data by having direct access through private networking and full administrative rights over their servers.
4 Location
With a Colocation office close by, you can gain the assurance of physically accessing your data where it resides. With a Colocation service, you can literally walk into the datacentre and point to where your data resides. Many businesses are mistaken that the Cloud is a set and forget service. This is not true – the Cloud still requires active management and appropriate steps taken to ensure reliable operation and if required a redundant solution to add capacity.
5 Optimal Performance
Colocation improves overall efficiencies with faster internet connectivity by accessing multiple internet service providers. Additionally, the state-of-the-art infrastructure is housed in a meticulously maintained dust-free environment and maintained 24/7 for uninterrupted, optimal performance.
Are Colocation Services right for your business?
A word of caution. Before you jump off the Cloud to Colocation Services assess the type of data you handle. Not all businesses are suited for Colocation services; certain types of businesses such as those with highly sensitive information may be better off staying with an on-premises solution due to the added level of security offered by this type of setup.
Ultimately, Colocation allows you to safeguard a data heavy business while avoiding the hassle and cost of managing servers on-site. As long as you evaluate your requirements carefully you will experience all the benefits that come with employing Colocation Services.
Mini Case Study
One of our clients, a large skills body supporting government and UK workplaces, is data heavy. Moving the volume of data to the Cloud was prohibitively expensive. Instead, Consider IT fully assessed their requirements and advised the purchase of three servers in our data centre managed by our team was half the price of the cloud alternative – plus gained the added benefit of peace of mind!
Got any questions?
Any business considering Colocation Services should talk to experienced IT professionals.
Ask us any questions such as:
- How does Consider IT’s Colocation services adapt space and power to our expanding or contracting business requirements?
- What planning and implementation is required?
- Are hybrid options available?
- What ongoing support can Consider IT offer?
Read about Consider IT’s Colocation Services
