Many organizations are now choosing to co-locate their data off premise at a secure data center or another location outside of their office. But what is colocation? And why are so many organizations choosing this service?

What is Colocation?

Before we can answer the why, we should probably understand what colocation is! Colocation is a service that allows an organization to rack their servers and other computing hardware in a cabinet in a secure, third-party data center. An easy way to understanding colocation is to think of it like a hotel but for servers and computers. Just like you would rent a room to stay in, a datacenter consists of cabinets that hold each individual server.

Now, why would an organization be interested in colocation? Well, that question can be answered in many ways depending on what the company is looking for. There are so many benefits to choosing colocation, but here are our top five.

Security

Data centers are highly secure and monitored at all times, and they usually have card access or biometric scanners to allow access into the facility. Also, depending on which tier of security the data center is, some even have security guards on the premises at all times. With such high-security measures, your data and hardware will always be safe.

Stability

If there is a power outage or disaster strikes, your data will be secure and uninterrupted if you chose to co-locate in a data center.  Most companies choose colocation as a part of their disaster recovery plans to improve their business continuity. You could even choose to co-locate because you are looking to relocate your office at some point and by having your servers in a data center instead of in a closet in your office, you reduce the risk of losing data in the move.

Read More: Disaster Recovery Plans and Why Your Business Needs One

Connectivity

Data centers keep your servers in climate controlled areas with high bandwidth speeds and excellent redundancy for network connections. And you won't have to pay the cost to buy and maintain this kind of infrastructure in your own office.

Availability 

Since data centers are monitored 24 x 7, there are always experienced technicians available to help answer all of your questions and address your concerns. They also keep an eye out on your servers and alert you when something is not running properly or at all and can help you work to solve the problem.

Safety

Data centers are not only extremely secure from human threats, they are also very safe when it comes to environmental issues. For example, fire supression systems and raised floors help mitigate damage from fire and flood.

From these benefits, you can see why colocation is extremely useful to many organizations. It not only provides them with the comfort of knowing their data is always secure but also gives them the advantage of having IT professionals watching over their servers at all times.

Do you have any colocation success stories?