What is colocation? You own the server; the data centre owns the space

Colocation is when a server and equipment is stored and set up in a third party data centre. Sometimes companies or people with servers don’t have the space or a safe location to store a server, due to the size of the equipment and the temperatures it can reach. Because of the amount of work they do, servers can overheat, which could cause serious problems leading to equipment failure. Colocation allows a company or person to own their server but rent the location they store it in. Data centres that have colocation areas where equipment can be installed are able to provide power, network and cooling. They get the servers up and running then maintain them at a suitable temperature.

Now that we’ve answered the question, “What is colocation?”, let’s discover its advantages.

Backup Power

Data centres provide backup power sources to help prevent an outage should there be a power failure. If there were a fault with a power supply, the stored servers would automatically switch to a secondary power source. This helps keep the server online and accessible, something a business may not be able to do in their own office. There is a more reliable network setup at data centres, to protect against network outages and provide potential backup connections. If an issue were to arise there are members of staff that work on site who would be able to check equipment and run tests. They are easily contactable in an emergency, helping to reduce the impact on a server owner.

Security

A data centre also provides a lot more security to server owners than they may be able to provide themselves. If a server is being stored in an office then is the office secure? Data centres provide CCTV on site and have dedicated members of staff to monitor them. They can also provide onsite security to help prevent against damage or theft of equipment. When renting a location for your server – whether it be a rack or a cabinet – you’re able to lock the cabinet to prevent other visitors accessing your equipment. When someone visits a data centre their details are checked against a database to see if they own a server at the site or are a named visitor for a particular company. Data centres use detection and suppression systems to protect against fires.

Bespoke Service

Customers are often able to pick a bespoke option for their servers. Some may hold vital data required on a day-to-day basis, while others may use their server infrequently and only hold personal data. Customers are unlikely to want to invest a lot of money if they only have a server holding personal data, so they can pick the deal that best suits them.

This all helps to ensure that the server is maintained correctly should any issues occur and at an affordable rate.