Questions to Ask Colocation Providers
IT industry is on the boom for the past two decades and the same trend is forecasted to continue in the industry in coming years as well. Some years back only big companies were investing in the IT industry as the initial setup cost was unaffordable.
However, following the IT infrastructure being offered at lower prices, small companies too chose to try their luck in the industry. At the present, many small companies have started offering services in the sector of information technology and such companies are always exploring ways to control the cost of IT infrastructure.
Although there are several strategies to help reduce the overall cost spent on infrastructure but outsourcing the requirements to colo data center has become a fashion all over the world.
Valuable Features Of A Colocation Data Center
A colocation data center is a facility bedecked with necessary features from power backup, equipment space, bandwidth to some others which can be used by customers by paying a fair amount of rent. Truth be told, a data center is a facility that allows several customers to use its services by paying some monthly fee just like builders give their space to offices on rental basis.
Means, if you are aiming to reduce the setup cost without compromising on the quality of services, it is smart to rely on colocation centers located in places all over the world.
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Basically, one colocation center provides for a number of clients at the same time and most of the clients are worried about data security. Well, reliable colocation providers take special measures to ensure that security of clients is not breached. You’ll always find many clients sharing resources but everything is set up in a special way so that security is not compromised at any time.
Asides from this, arrangements of physical security are also put in place at data centers. All of the colocation centers are fitted out with CCTVs so that no unauthorized individual can access the client data.
When planning a place to colocate your servers, apparent features like geographic location, redundancy level, and colocation pricing are the drivers. However, do ask about the services that can make the colocating your servers more effective and secure. Sometimes small things can make all the difference.
What Type of Backup Alternatives or IT Disaster Recovery are Offered?
Although you have implemented a backup plan on your servers, it is worthwhile to determine what options your colocation providers have to offer. An electronic, off-site backup alternative, that is vetted to validate successful completion and re-run-in case of an interruption or other failure can give a whole new level of security if something goes wrong.
Make the most of the infrastructure already in place between providers with many data centers. Some offer physical space where makeshift offices can be established if the main work location becomes unavailable.
What type of backup or remote access hands-and-eyes service alternatives are offered?
If your main technical resources are placed an hour or more from your data center, it is good to have remote access alternatives such as remote power strip reboot or remote KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) alternative to save drive time in case of an emergency.
Working with a provider who can offer hands-and-eyes support like a real human is useful when remote options can reset the issue and experienced troubleshooting is necessary.
What documented processes are at hand that you and your own employees will want to know and follow? Is there some proof that the processes are followed by everyone there?
High-end colo data center will come with well documented processes, reviewed by a 3rd party to validate that they are followed by each staff member. The SAS 70 audit assures this level of compliance, that will shortly be replaced by the SSAE 16 audit.
This level of commitment to quality impacts all aspects of function, from initial requirements gathering to initial installation, and continuing maintenance. It gives you a level of assurance that persistent protocols are in place and followed which have been thoroughly reviewed at the highest level of the organization for the benefit of all clients and employees.
Expect to be asked to do your bit to help maintain these processes like being asked to refresh the list of authorized colo data center users regularly and follow the set up security protocols.
Does the Colocation Provider Offer Remote Rack-and-Stack Services?
No matter it is an initial move to colocation providers, or an addition of new equipment over time, resources are saved if your data center provider provides a rack-and-stack services. This helps you to move your hardware directly to the data center for installation.
Apart from saving the time and effort to have an employee of your company drive to the data center personally, the data center staff are better equipped to cross-connect high-availability systems properly to their power and networks.
Sum Up
These are some of the main questions to ask your colo provider before using their services.