Think of colocation like leasing prime office space for your business. Instead of building and maintaining your own data center, you place your hardware in a provider's colocation facility. They manage power, cooling, security, and support, similar to how a premier commercial building handles utilities. This saves you costs and complexity while ensuring smooth operations.
Choosing the right facility is an important decision since relocating can be complicated and costly once your equipment is up and running. To help you make an informed decision, we've put together a checklist of key factors to consider when evaluating colocation providers.
- Location:?Take into account the geographical location and associated risks, such as natural disasters. If the facility is situated in an area prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods, it is crucial to ensure that it features a reinforced concrete structure designed to withstand extreme geological and weather events.
- Connectivity:?Ensure the facility provides high-speed, redundant internet connections from multiple providers to enhance reliability for cloud connectivity. Choose carrier-neutral colocation facilities for flexibility and redundancy, and avoid providers that lock you into a single carrier.
- Power:?The data center should have redundant power sources and backup generators to handle power outages effectively. It's also important to discuss power density to ensure the colocation facility meets your rack power requirements. To minimize downtime, you should look for diverse A/B power feeds with flexible configurations.
- Cooling:?Ensure the facility has redundant cooling solutions, such as CRAC units and hot/cold aisles, to prevent overheating. Additionally, check how they manage hot spots within the center.
- Scalability:?Consider your future growth plans and make sure the provider can accommodate your expanding needs. Ask about their available space and power capacity and if they have flexible options for upsizing or downsizing as needed.
- Physical Security:?Find out about 24/7 security measures and protocols, such as CCTV surveillance and access control.
- Fire Suppression: Verify that the facility has fire suppression systems in place, such as early warning smoke detection and pre-action sprinkler systems. Also, discuss their disaster recovery plan in case of a fire.
- Remote Hands Support: The facility should have 24/7 on-site support for maintenance tasks or troubleshooting issues. This can save you time and resources by not having to send your own staff to the facility for routine tasks.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Look for providers with SLAs that guarantee uptime, response times, and other key performance metrics. This provides assurance that the provider is committed to meeting a certain level of service.
- Cage Options:?Choose a facility that offers flexible space options. Depending on your needs, you may want rack space, cabinets, cages, halls, or private suites.
- Interconnections: Consider the facility's interconnection options with other providers and networks. This can improve connectivity and reduce latency for your applications.
- Compliance: Look for facilities that are Tier 3 compliant. Depending on your industry, you may also need to comply with HIPAA or other regulations, so you will want to make sure the colocation provider can meet your compliance needs.
- Customer Support: Evaluate the provider's customer support team. Are they responsive, knowledgeable, and available 24/7.
These are some factors to consider when evaluating a colocation facility. Be sure to research customer reviews and ask for references from current clients to understand their experiences with the colocation provider. Finding the right colocation partner can enhance your business operations and provide peace of mind in managing your data center needs. With this checklist and careful thought, you can confidently choose a reliable and efficient colocation facility for your business.
GTA owns and operates colocation data centers in Guam. Purpose-built for high-performance computing, our data centers are Tier 3 compliant with fully redundant power systems and direct access to Guam's subsea cable systems.
GTA data centers are carrier-neutral. We offer diverse connectivity options while ensuring maximum uptime and data protection through advanced facilities, a strong uptime SLA, and 24/7 security. Our highly trained technicians are available 24/7 to be a physical extension of your organization to deploy, maintain, troubleshoot, and turn down your infrastructure.
Contact us to discuss your colocation facility needs or to request a data center tour.
