As the field of data management continues to expand, the amount of information required is growing, so many companies are shifting this task to colocation services.
This is a special type of data center consisting of specialized equipment and high bandwidth, the functions of which can be rented by customers. Today, colocation services are the optimal practical solution for outsourcing, among other things.
Such data center solutions can be integrated into the operating system of any company, regardless of size, status, or industry. Next, let’s look at the essence of the concept of colocation, its main features, advantages, and role in information security.
What Are Colocation Services?
The colocation definition is as follows: it is a service of data center colocation and the necessary IT equipment that provides cost-effective hosting. In essence, it is a large building that uses a scalable infrastructure environment to house and properly utilize (including running) servers and other equipment.
The data center is designed to provide customers with server racks or cabinets with network equipment for rent. In this case, the main business benefits are not only in information storage and competent data management but also in technological aspects. After all, the colocation team will take care of the issues of uninterrupted operation, proper maintenance, and monitoring.
Key Features of Colocation Services
The Wikipedia information portal noted that “Colocation facilities provide space, power, cooling, and physical security for the server, storage, and networking equipment of other firms…”. This means that such a service will be multifaceted. The company takes full control of the environment, meaning it is responsible for cooling systems, monitoring, and others.
In addition, the data management solution will have other features:
● Physical security of information;
● Possibility of redundant power supply (due to additional generators or batteries);
● Technical equipment;
● Connectivity;
● Availability due to uptime guaranteed by the supplier, and so on.
The data center security is guaranteed by compliance with the relevant standards and certificates. It can be ISO, Tier, etc. The main thing is that the provider can back up the security of its services with evidence.
Benefits of Colocation Services
Users turn to the services of edge data centers, which can offer:
● Cost savings: the company pays only a fixed amount for using the data center service.
● Scalability: as the company grows, its requirements for IT space also change. A colocation center can offer these capacities.
● Enhanced security: compliance standards determine the level of security offered by the company.
In addition, the quality and bandwidth offered by the vendor allow for a higher level of service delivery.
Why Choose Colocation over In-House Data Centers?
In-house data centers require large financial investments in construction and technical supervision. It is quite difficult, time-consuming, and expensive, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
A colocation center will provide all the necessary functionality and increase work efficiency. In addition, the monthly price of some providers’ services will not have a major negative impact on business cost-effectiveness.
Colocation Services for Business Continuity
Colocation center facilities allow businesses to operate efficiently at all times. This business continuity is ensured by network redundancy and special power supplies.
The latter, in turn, is especially useful in emergencies. Disaster recovery, on the other hand, allows users to return all the necessary documents in time and not lose them forever.
If you take into account the increased number of possible external threats or active load on the system, data backup tools will provide additional protection against complete loss of information.
Colocation Services for Data Security
Colocation centers provide a special level of data security in compliance with the relevant certifications. And additional local processing centers provide the necessary levels of protection against DDoS attacks. These and other security measures are important because they directly affect the confidentiality and protection of all customer information from third-party manipulation.
To summarize, the use of colocation services can bring additional benefits to a data-driven client company. Security, scalability, space, and financial savings are just the main factors. Using separate data centers allows you to set up a high-quality business landscape.