Do you know how much your data centers truly cost to operate? Is your IT team struggling to balance infrastructure management with its other responsibilities? Are you concerned about breaches or whether your data center is vulnerable to natural disasters, power grid issues or aging hardware failure?

At Compass Solutions, we can help you determine whether migrating to a colocation model is right for you.

What Is Colocation?

Colocation is either implementing your own IT infrastructure (servers, storage, routers/VPN devices, phone systems, etc.) or leasing those resources from a provider that has a facility specifically built for that purpose. Employees at any business location can then access the data via remote connections.

The colocation provider maintains the servers, provides power and cooling, and monitors the connections and bandwidth needed for data access.

Why Should I Consider Colocation?

Colocation can offer a lot of value if you’re looking for:

• Saving time and money. Instead of paying directly to power, cool, monitor, and repair/upgrade your data center servers, the costs are condensed in a single colocation bill. Your team no longer has to worry about time spent managing your equipment, and can turn its attention to the IT projects that are most important. The economies of scale typically give you a better environment at a lower overall cost of ownership than can be achieved on your own.
• Better data security. Your colocation provider specializes in protecting and monitoring your data. Since this is its business, it has resources that are 100% focused on protecting the environment. Most organizations don’t have a resource dedicated to that with such a level of experience.
• Improved scalability. Instead of guessing how much server space you’ll need, colocation allows you to add or reduce storage when your business needs it. It allows for rapid expansion and protects against over-spending on equipment.
• Centralized data access. If you have multiple locations, it can be difficult to make sure that all of your employees can reliably and consistently access necessary IT resources. Colocation makes it easier for end-users and locations to access the IT resources they need.
• Stronger business continuity. Colocation facilities are often located in weather-stable areas and are constructed to protect against fires, floods, blackouts, and other disasters. Geographical diversity is accomplished by utilizing multiple colocation facilities, and allows for immediate fail-over and load-balancing.
• Telecommunication options and redundancy: Colocation facilities typically have multiple telecom providers with diverse entry options that are On-Net — meaning they provide less expensive options and more reliable bandwidth.
• More uptime. Reliability and uptime are built into your service-level agreement (SLA) with your colocation provider. Many businesses see improved uptime compared to when their data was hosted on-premises.