Businesses rely on their information systems for every part of their operations, so it can seem daunting to place these systems in someone else’s hands. However, storing your hardware in colocation facilities gives companies several additional layers of security, making it the smart option for businesses of all sizes. If you are considering colocation, you should carefully weigh the functionalities offered by a facility to ensure that you can rest assured your data will be safe and well taken care of.
Finding a Colocation Center That Meets Your Needs
Colocation solutions offers a variety of services depending on the provider. Generally, a colocation facility will lease space in its data center for customers to install their servers and hardware equipment into racks. In the leased space customers will be provided sufficient optimal power, cooling, and connectivity required to run the system, along with any optional services that the customer has selected. While businesses often choose their colocation provider based on their budget and current needs, it is important to make a selection that will allow your information technology operations to be flexible, reliable, and have the scalability to expand months or years into the future.
Key features & solutions to look for in a colocation provider include:
- Hardware. Although many customers own their own servers, some colocation centers rent out servers and hardware necessary to run daily operations. Leasing hardware is a great option for businesses who would like to eliminate the cost of ongoing hardware refreshes.
- Storage Options. Using a colocation facility, you have the ability to scale as you grow or compress your hardware. In a data center, hardware and other equipment is mounted in a frame called a rack, and the storage space in the rack is measured by rack unit (U)—one U measures 1.75 inches. A standard rack is 42U, and depending on the space you require, you have the option to use a quarter, half, or full rack to mount your hardware.
- Power and cooling. Your preferred colocation facility should be dedicated to protecting your critical hardware and systems. ATI’s data center is 2N allowing our customer’s the safety of mind knowing we have redundancy in all aspects of cooling, power, and connectivity requirements for keeping their critical systems running optimally.
- Security. Your facility should offer multi-level security for your hardware and software. Our colocation facilities have security surveillance, which is monitored and checked around the clock all year, as well as multi-factor access control with biometrics, PIN, and card readers.
- Disaster recovery. In the event of a natural disaster or cyber-attack, your data center should be able to provide whatever you need to get back up and running. Our business continuity services include high-availability computing and an optional workspace for your staff should an emergency arise.
- Professional support and maintenance. Network latency can cost your customers, so it is vital that your data center has experienced staff available 24/7. At ATI, our knowledge of mission-critical environments will help to ensure that your information systems are continually operating at peak performance.
As business needs change from day to day, it is vital for companies to choose a flexible colocation plan that focuses on the specific needs of their operations. ATI Solutions offers all the power, connectivity, protection, and security you need in two convenient locations in the DC-area, and our technicians are available 24/7 to offer support. As a family-owned company, you become a part of our family when you become a client of ATI.
Our Colocation Center Can Provide Your Business With The IT Solutions You Need
No matter what your data center or colocation requirements are, we are confident we can meet and even exceed your expectations. Contact us to get more information about how our data centers can serve the needs of your small to medium-sized business.
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