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For the private cloud services market, business is booming: it’s expected to be worth a global $183 billion by 2025. Businesses everywhere are reaping the benefits of private clouds that require data centre colocation, from lower costs to greater control over their data.

But keeping a private or hybrid cloud active requires infrastructure. Whatever the size and budget of your company, you need to know the most efficient ways to house your network equipment.

Data centre colocation offers a reliable and cost-effective way to store the hardware that supports your private cloud. It frees your business from the responsibility of managing its own data storage facility, without compromising on uptime for your institute. If you choose your service provider wisely, it can be a serious benefit to your company.

There are many benefits to data centre colocation, but is it right for your private cloud? Keep reading, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know about colocation.

What is a Colocated Data Centre?

Colocation allows businesses to rent space for their IT hardware in a data storage facility. Much as a landlord rents out housing to tenants, a colocation service provider rents out storage space to businesses. Multiple businesses can rent space in the same facility.

Colocated services offer secure spaces in carefully monitored environments. When you pay for colocation, you get all the following benefits:

  • Server rack space
  • Energy-efficient power
  • Internet connectivity
  • Climate control
  • Physical security on site

The service saves you money by sharing the costs of all these features with other businesses renting storage and networking space. And you can maintain your own servers and network connections, so you still have direct control.

Data Centre Colocation and the Cloud 

Colocation and the cloud are widely seen as two different ways to manage your business’s data storage needs. A colocation service provider offers physical space for your IT infrastructure, particularly server storage. The cloud offers virtual storage for your organisation’s data and files.

Most public cloud facilities don’t need you to provide the infrastructure. In that scenario, colocation would be redundant. 

But it’s increasingly common for colocation and the cloud to exist hand in hand. For example, a private cloud still needs physical infrastructure to stay functional. And for maximum security, that infrastructure should be owned and maintained by your business.

If it isn’t viable for you to maintain your own data storage facility, consider colocation instead. You can run your private cloud from an environment guaranteed to be reliable and secure.

Is Data Centre Colocation Right for You?

If you’re considering colocation, it’s important to think about whether it meets your business’s needs. Here are some things to consider as you decide how to manage your IT infrastructure.

Infrastructure Costs

Building a data storage facility requires both expertise and capital. Maintaining it, no matter how small it is, can also be a long-term drain on your business’s IT budget. Colocation can offer your business a way around both of these problems.

When you work with a colocation service provider, you won’t be liable for the full cost of maintaining and operating a data storage space. Instead, that cost is split between all the tenants renting space in a colocated facility. Your business only pays a fraction of the total cost, according to how much space its infrastructure uses.

Unless you have a genuine use case for an on-site, self-managed storage facility, colocation could save you money. Those savings can go right back into your computing budget!

Disaster Recovery

Many colocation services also offer disaster recovery services. If your business needs to store irreplaceable data, working with the right colocation service provider could be a great way to build your business’s resilience in the face of disaster.

Colocation facilities already provide most of what you need for successful disaster recovery. That includes a secure site, infrastructure redundancy, consistent power and cooling, and a dedicated support team.

What’s more, most colocation facilities will commit to a certain amount of uptime when you sign your lease. You can always rest assured that your colocation service provider will work to maintain your business continuity.

Long-Term Scalability

If you’re hoping to expand your business’s IT capabilities, colocation can set you up for long-term success. A colocation service provider will work with you to adjust your space and power allocation when you need it.

If you were responsible for your own data storage facility, expansion could become a real headache. You would need to find and pay for the extra space and equipment, as well as any additional security and cooling expenses. When working with a colocation service partner, the most you can expect to pay is a slight increase in your rent.

Talk to your potential colocation service provider in advance about the possibility of renting more space later on. The right partner will be willing to help your business grow from strength to strength.

How to Choose a Data Centre Colocation Service

When choosing your colocation service, you will need to balance your business’s needs against your budget.

Most colocation service providers will offer tiered service levels at different prices, so you can select the level that works best for you. Make sure you know and understand colocation data centre pricing models, so you can compare the cost-effectiveness of all your options.

You will also need to consider location. While a centre located elsewhere can be a benefit for disaster recovery, a centre closer to your business can offer lower latency and faster response times. Knowing your business’s priorities will help you to choose the colocation facility you need.

Your New IT Partner

For businesses in need of a digital transformation, ITility offers some of the best data centre colocation services in the UK. We offer prestige customer support to all our tenants, so no matter when you need us, we can always show up to help. Plus we’re based in Manchester, so in case of an attack against London, our secure site will stay online.

Get a quote today, and let’s save your business time, money and peace of mind.

Our Awards

An award-winning company, Itility has been recognised in the following ways:

Green I.T. Awards 2013 Finalist DatacenterDynamics Awards EMEA 2012 Finalist datacentre solutions awards 2013 winner

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