Preparing for colocation is very similar to the sort of checklist that you would prepare when moving to a new home – not surprising when you consider that your data center is like a new house for your infrastructure. Just like you would want to look at schools and traffic when looking into a new home, you will want to look into power and bandwidth when preparing to move into a new data center. There are other things that you need to look into however, such as the general services offered.
The first thing that you will want to do is to get a general idea of the services that you need. Data Centers sell colocation by space and power, so you will want to understand the amount of rack space (measured in 1U, 2U, etc.) required as well as the amount of power (measured in Amps). If you do not measure these things before getting involved in colocation, one of two things can happen. If you overestimate the resources you will need, you will be overpaying for what you need in the solution. Worse, if you underestimate the required resources, you will either be paying overage fees or the solution will temporarily not work – through no fault of the data center. At Vault Networks we will work with you to find the required resources for your solution to prevent this from occurring.
Internet is another consideration for businesses considering colocation. You need to make sure that you have the appropriate bandwidth for your applications – if you don’t order enough bandwidth you may have slow applications through no fault of your hardware. Having less bandwidth than you need is like trying to go the speed limit on the highway during rush hour – at best it is frustrating, and at worst it just won’t happen. An alternative to this would be a ‘burstable’ connection which allows you to temporarily go beyond what you have subscribed to. Vault Networks uses the philosophy of the 95th Percentile to determine billing in these cases, removing the top five percent of bandwidth usage in any given month. This enables you to burst your connectivity as needed, without the fear of excessive overage charges.
Hardware is another consideration, though in most cases you will simply be bringing in your existing hardware to the data center. However, depending on your growth needs, you may want to discuss expansion with your data center to see if they can assist you with technology procurement. Vault Networks works with industry leaders such as Fortinet and Dell to assist you in doing just that, so if you feel that you need more servers after starting your solution, don’t hesitate to have that conversation with your provider.
Finally, consider any additional services that exist when looking into a solution beyond these three. While you don’t have much if you don’t have power, space and internet, your particular needs may require additional consideration. For example, you may need backup services for regulation purposes, and you may also want redundant power and internet to ensure that your infrastructure is operational at all times. Be sure to discuss these services and more with us when discussing colocation, as Vault Networks does offer these services and more.
For a free consultation on what you may need before you collocate with a data center, please feel free to reach out to us for a free consultation. We will be more than happy to assist you in finding the best solution for your company. For more information about colocation services, be sure to reach out to us at sales@vaultnetworks.com or by calling (305) 735-8098 option 2.