What is colocation - and more importantly - what colocation features and benefits will most positively impact your company?
If you ever put important material from your home or office into a rented storage space, you "co-located" it. In the high-tech world, a company uses "colocation" when it puts its servers in a secure data center like the ones VISI operates throughout the Midwest.
Colocation is when you place your network, server and storage gear in a cabinet at a data center operated by another company. By sharing the facility, you receive the capabilities of a large IT department without having to build and manage your own data center. You continue to own the servers, routers and other hardware and maintain the gear with your own employees. So how can this help you keep your company on track?
- Security. Access to data centers – and the servers they house – is strictly controlled. Most facilities have security staff on-site 24/7 and require badges, passwords, or even bio-based identification for entry.
- A Server-Friendly Environment. Specially designed cabinets and sophisticated environmental and ventilation controls optimize the performance and longevity of servers.
- Connectivity. Data centers have extensive backup systems to ensure connectivity and continued environmental control during power outages.
- Compliance. The security and environmental controls at most data centers enable compliance with PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and other protocols.
- Service. Data centers generally offer several different service options to colocating customers, from work that essentially replaces an IT staff to a storage-only option.
- Access. A company’s IT staff has 24/7 access to servers that are co-located. Most facilities also offer connectivity services when servers are being serviced.
- Flexibility and Scalability. Having servers off-site frees companies to move or expand without having to worry about connectivity or the complications of relocating servers with sensitive data, while also making it easy for companies to add servers or use hosting services as their computing needs grow.
- Cost-Savings. It’s not cheap to maintain a secure, environmentally-controlled space for servers and an IT team to manage it. Colocation frees up space, time, and capital for more productive, growth-oriented pursuits.
Learn more about colocation features and benefits by contacting
Minnesota-based VISI for a consultation, colocation quote, or to schedule a tour of one of our
Midwestern data centers.