3 Reasons Why Your Business Should Use A Colocation Facility Instead Of An Onsite Data Room
Do you own or run a business that has a significant level of data needs? Are you trying to decide the best way to manage the servers, routers, cables, and other data-related hardware? Many businesses choose to host all this equipment onsite in a dedicated data room in their building. They may do this because they feel it gives them more control over the hardware and any data or connectivity issues that arise. However, onsite data management could lead to a number of risks. A better option may be to use a colocation facility, which is a third-party, offsite building in which you can rent space for your data hardware. Here are three reasons why a colocation facility could be the right choice for your business:
It's designed for data. Servers, routers, and other pieces of hardware are sensitive to their surroundings, especially when it comes to airflow and temperature. If they get too hot, they may slow down or stop working altogether. Data centers and colocation facilities are designed specifically to manage these needs. They are kept perfect the temperature for hardware operation and their designed so that all hardware pieces have access to enough ventilation and airflow.
Also, most facilities are manned 24 hours a day by hardware experts. They're also usually backed up by high-powered generators. That means you'll have experts monitoring your hardware, even when you're not in operation.
It gives you an emergency "Plan B." One of the biggest risks to having your data hardware onsite is that your data is then vulnerable to any damage that your building may suffer. If there is a major power outage, your data will be down along with the rest of the power in your building. If your building is involved in an emergency like a fire or a natural disaster, your data could be at risk.
By keeping your data stored separately, you diversify your risk. Even if your building suffers damage, your data could still be safe. That means your business may be able to keep running remotely even while your facility is out of commission.
You can scale up easily. Think about all of the effort involved in designing your data room and getting the hardware into the room. What happens if your business grows and you need to double your data space? Could you allocate another room in your building to servers and routers?
With a colocation facility, you don't need to worry about growth. You can easily expand by simply renting more hardware space from the facility. They allocate more server space to you and you scale up in a matter of days. That allows you to maximize your onsite space for the work you do best.
For more information, contact a colocation facility (such as Cologix) in your area. They can help you decide whether colocation is right for you.
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