Data Centers & Colocation
Your critical systems deserve a professional home.
A closet server room protects less than most owners assume. Colocation places your equipment in a facility built for power, cooling, security and connectivity. We help you define requirements and compare facilities and suppliers.
What to evaluate
Data Centers & Colocation, in practical terms.
- Colocation
- Rack and cage space
- Power and cooling requirements
- Data center connectivity
- Disaster recovery infrastructure
- Other supplier-delivered data center services
The right fit
Who should consider it?
- Businesses running critical on-premises servers
- Companies with compliance-driven hardware control needs
- Organizations needing a secondary recovery site
Business objectives
What a well-scoped solution can support.
- Equipment protected by redundant power and cooling
- Better connectivity options
- A defined recovery location
- Physical security appropriate to your data
These are evaluation objectives, not promised results. Scope and performance depend on supplier agreements and implementation.
Compare before committing
Alternatives & tradeoffs
| Approach | Often best for | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Colocation | Owned hardware, steady workloads | You still manage the hardware |
| Cloud | Variable workloads | Ongoing consumption costs |
| On-premises | Very small footprints | Power, cooling and physical risk stay with you |
Buying checklist
Questions worth asking.
- 01How much power does your equipment draw today and in three years?
- 02How far is the facility from your team, and is remote hands support needed?
- 03Which carriers are available in the facility?
- 04What are the contract term and expansion options?
Clear answers
Frequently asked questions
What is colocation?
Colocation means renting space, power, cooling and connectivity in a professional data center for equipment you own. The facility handles the building infrastructure; you or your IT provider manage the servers.
Practical buying guides
Explore the decision in depth.
Connected decisions
Related technology solutions
Connectivity & Networking
Internet, fiber, SD-WAN, SASE and failover for one site or hundreds.
Cloud Infrastructure
Cloud hosting, hybrid cloud, migration and managed cloud services.
Backup & Disaster Recovery
Managed backup, cloud backup, business continuity and DRaaS.
Technology guidance by Duncan Smith · Supplier-specific capabilities must be confirmed during evaluation.
Your next move
Discuss data center needs
Tell us what’s changing. We’ll help you evaluate what comes next.