Must Have Colocation Facility Features
Servers are the heart of any internet-based business. Aside from the hardware, the facilities they are stored in is equally important. If you are considering making the transition to a colocation environment, there are a few elements you must have in the facility.
Dependable Power Supply
Power controls every vital aspect of a data center from plugging up the servers and connectivity to cooling systems and security mechanisms. The power system of a colocation facility demands more than the average setup. It requires uninterruptible power supply with enough capacity to support the facility when alternative sources are called upon. It must have transfer switches to go from the main power source to the backup generator or power station. In order to keep the operation thriving in the event of an outage, a colocation facility must be equipped with redundant power sources at every point. Research shows that approximately 3% of all colocation facilities have the appropriate power systems in place, essentially leaving them vulnerable to outages that result from system overloads and environmental conditions.
Fast, High-Performance Connectivity
Internet connectivity is a critical aspect of colocation as it has a major impact on daily performance. Connectivity affects how your site runs online, how fast visitors are able to access your content and much more. What several customers fail to overlook in regard to connectivity is the routing logic the colocation provider utilizes. Although most companies leverage connections from leading bandwidth providers like Cox, AT&T and MCI, it is the routing logic that ultimately determines how internet traffic flows. Assuming that your business demands a high-performance solution, you would likely require a facility equipped with performance-based routing. This provides better connectivity which results in lower latency, faster network speed and most importantly, increased uptime.
Cooling System and Climate Control
Heat is an element that has one of the biggest impacts on server performance. The higher the temperature in the facility, the more performance degrades. When server hardware overheats, it is then susceptible to failure or damage, leading to excessive downtime for your business. A reliable colocation provider maintains the temperature and humidity in its facility to ensure optimal server performance. This is ideally 72 to 76 degrees in temperature and 45% humidity.
Colocation providers manage interior climate with cooling systems known as chillers and CRAC units. Hence the name, chillers are systems that circulate chilled water through pipes to cool server rooms while CRAC (computer room air conditioning) units are air conditioning systems that perform constantly and never shut down. In addition to climate controls, a good facility should also be kept clean and free of dust to prevent overheating.
Put Your Business First
Internet business is centered around communication and the role of a colocation provider is to ensure its efficiency. Their facility must be designed in a manner that provides guaranteed speed and network uptime to improve the communication process from simple page loading to more demanding business services. When accessing the facility beforehand, you can better assure whether a particular company is able to meet these demands.
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