Data Centre Hosting Advice From One of the Top Global Colocation Providers

As technology rapidly evolves, the need for scalable infrastructure solutions is more pressing than ever. Colocation providers enable you to dynamically scale your hardware infrastructure with expertly crafted facilities that house and maintain your equipment on dedicated secure racks. 

As a leading colocation provider with data centres across Europe and North America, BSO is focused on high availability, enhanced security, and scalable infrastructure across all our facilities. Our services support you in offloading infrastructure storage and maintenance, as well as guaranteeing the safety and optimal operation of your equipment. 

In this article, we offer you an in-depth analysis of the colocation landscape and its intricacies. We will help you understand how to assess providers across a range of factors as well as advise you how to determine your own requirements for colocation. 

The evolving landscape of colocation data centres

The importance of colocation in modern business

Building a state-of-the-art data centre is far from the capabilities of most mid-sized web companies. It is exactly these businesses, however, that have the most pressing need for an infrastructure to support their server and hardware needs. Colocation centres are a clear and efficient solution that enables businesses to grow without investing valuable resources in building and housing their own data centre. 

The ability to place your own IT infrastructure in a third-party data centre facility allows you retain complete control over your servers as well as benefit from round the clock security, skilled personnel, and a robust infrastructure. 

Trends and innovations in colocation

More than just supporting growth, colocation providers are constantly at the forefront of innovation to meet the fast-paced demands of the industry. 

Recently, colocation providers have started deploying edge data centres closer to users in urban areas to meet growing demand for low-latency technology. Moreover, hyperscale data centre facilities are on the rise, designed to offer enterprises the flexibility to expand their IT infrastructure dynamically as their needs evolve.

At the same time, as sustainability drives change across a range of sectors, colocation providers are building new facilities with renewable energy and energy efficiency in mind. Recent AI trends and innovations are also being incorporated to improve maintenance and prevent equipment failure through predictive analysis. 

Colocation vs. traditional hosting solutions

What sets colocation hosting apart from its alternatives is the control it allows you to retain over your physical servers and infrastructure. Unlike cloud or shared hosting solutions, colocation allows you to rent a space specifically optimised for your physical equipment. The services colocation providers offer can differ slightly, but they all include three key components, each uniquely supporting your growth:

• Physical infrastructure - The physical infrastructure ensures rack space for your servers and guarantees they are in an optimal environment with advanced cooling systems and power supplies backed up by generators, redundant power feeds and UPS systems.
  
  
• Data centre security - Colocation facilities ensure safety through a mix of surveillance technology and on-site personnel as well as environment monitoring that maintains optimal conditions for the servers’ operation.
  
  
• Network connectivity - Multiple redundant connections ensure constant uninterrupted network connectivity to prevent operational risks and financial losses.

Factors to consider when choosing colocation providers

Assessing your colocation needs

Once you determine that colocation is a suitable solution for your needs, you will need to find a provider that fits your unique requirements. Before you explore the available colocation providers, our advice is to focus on 3 key questions:

• What support level do you need?

Determine early on what your support needs are and let them guide you. It is essential to find a provider that answers your monitoring, troubleshooting, and recovery needs. You may find that a managed service is a suitable option as it allows you to outsource operational work to the colocation provider. Offloading the responsibility for your servers’ maintenance and upkeep can free up a significant amount of your IT team’s time. 

• Does the colocation provider have experience in your industry?

Choosing a provider with experience in your industry is an efficient way to evaluate their abilities. You can request specific information on how relevant issues were handled in the past and draw conclusions from the experiences of others based on testimonials. Thanks to their experience in your industry, some colocation providers may be aware of potential threats you hadn’t considered and offer invaluable expertise in helping you find the best solution for your needs.  

• How can you ensure optimal reliability and uptime?

The first step to ensuring high reliability and uptime is evaluating the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) colocation providers offer. Certifications such as Tier lll or Tier IV are a powerful indicator that the colocation provider can manage disruption to services and outages with minimal downtime. If available, historical data and experience can also indicate the reliability of a provider.

The role of data centre location in colocation

Where your colocation provider’s data centres are located can have a significant impact on your servers’ operation. Important factors such as network latency, data transfer speeds, and overall user experience may be affected by the proximity to a major internet exchange point (IXP) or your end users’ location.

Most importantly, to ensure the safety of your servers, you need to evaluate the stability of the data centre’s geographic location. Look for facilities in an area with low risk of natural disasters and make sure your colocation provider has extensive disaster recovery measures in place should an accident occur. 

Don’t forget to also take your data protection needs into consideration. These may vary based on local regulations and affect your area of business.  

Cost-benefit analysis of colocation services

Whether colocation is a stepping stone or a permanent infrastructural decision for your business, cost is a key consideration in selecting a provider. To find an optimal solution for your budget, establish your needs early in the assessment process. This will help you perform a cost-benefit analysis when you are comparing providers and eliminate options that are not suitable.

Understanding what areas are a priority for you should guide your decision-making process. Compare those key areas with the plans offered by providers to determine viable options. In any case, make sure that you are not compromising on essentials such as security, compliance and quality. 

BSO’s unique approach to colocation

Tailored solutions for diverse needs

At BSO, our services are tailored to scaling businesses, giving you the freedom to grow at your own pace backed by our infrastructure and support. Our colocation facilities are based in Europe and North America and purpose-built to high specification with guaranteed 99.99% availability and consolidated SLAs.

The hosting options we provide seamlessly connect to your existing connectivity offerings to simplify managing vendors. Moreover, our colocation facilities can accommodate small footprint needs as well as larger ones, making BSO the perfect solution for businesses of any size. Our solutions come in three options – Standard, Proximity, and Remote Colocation to suit the needs of global and local businesses alike.

Advanced technology and infrastructure 

By employing cutting edge technology and infrastructure, BSO ensures impeccable performance and reliability. Our locations are built to minimise downtime and provide the availability required to maintain complex operations with dual-fed power and UPS backups to deliver full redundancy. The advanced security measures and limited access to your racks and partial racks pre-authorised by you ensure the safety and security of your equipment. 

We work tirelessly to create spaces fit for your dynamic needs - whether you need to scale or downsize your server infrastructure, our facilities will help you do so without the costs and risks associated with managing a data centre yourself. 

Comprehensive support and security

Perhaps the best testament to our success is our 98% retention rate that spans decades of successful partnerships. We worked hard to create a team that not only complements each other’s strengths, but the needs of clients from a range of countries and industries.

Thanks to our multicultural team, we are able to provide exceptional service in remote and unfamiliar areas. Our global insight allows us to tailor our support to the unique challenges and opportunities of each market. In addition to that, the agile business model we employ helps us, as well as our clients, stay at the forefront of new opportunities in dynamic emerging markets. 

Summary

Our time is one of technological advancement, marked by constant, dynamic shifts in markets and demand. For businesses in the tech and finance industries, this lack of stability and clarity can be as much or a challenge to overcome as it can be an opportunity to grasp before others. But to do either, you need the flexibility to adapt to your environment and scale swiftly. 

With this in mind, investing valuable resources into building a data centre puts your ability to dynamically scale and downsize at a significant risk. Colocation providers offer a viable alternative that prioritises flexibility without compromising on quality, security, and compliance. 

BSO is built on the principle of offering flexible solutions that meet our clients’ demands without delays or limitations. Our protected, highly-available global network is strategically built for handling large datasets at speed and we support your server infrastructure needs with state-of-the-art colocation centres.