shutterstock_114059095As business needs expand and markets fluctuate, the benefits of colocation services are becoming widely recognized. Colocation services can offer businesses substantial cost savings in infrastructure development, as well as providing enhanced capabilities for companies with limited in-house IT personnel.
Yet, as advantageous as it is, occasionally a company can experience negative results when transitioning to a colocation provider. And although making the wrong colocation decision can be extremely frustrating and expensive, businesses can avoid such issues by employing a few simple guidelines before signing the contract.
Mistake #1: Lack of Proper Power Structure Planning
Business methodologies typically involve achieving the maximum amount of output from the smallest amount of resources. However, when power structure planning is involved, adhering to this type of philosophy can create problems. For example, many Windows-based servers will regularly reboot and all at the same time. The heightened power surge can trip breakers if the structure is only built to maintain normal usage, and this can shut down the system. The same surge may occur as soon as a technician attempts a restart, as well.
Businesses without personnel to accurately determine correct power structure requirements should rely on the expert advice of the colocation provider. Some minimum power source requirements include conditioning and redundancy, but a reliable provider can help ascertain any particular necessities.
Mistake #2: Inadequate Network Planning
Here again, if a company does not have the internal human resources to assist in the network set-up and colocation planning stages, request professional guidance for building an adequate infrastructure.

Best practices include:

  • An infrastructure network that can support rapid application growth
  • Increase as data storage requirements expand
  • Optimize server-processing resources
  • Secure critical data

Businesses should seek a colocation provider that maintains an operational test lab and employs expert IT staff who can help examine and isolate the needs of the organization.
Mistake #3: Lack of Monitoring
Regular system maintenance and monitoring is crucial for colocation success. Sporadic and untracked surges in bandwidth consumption can crash the system.
For example, if someone initiates an informal promotion of the business on a social media outlet or in a public forum, large amounts of user traffic can result. Without proper monitoring of bandwidth consumption, sites can crash. Likewise, a malicious or hacktivist attack to a system or site can spike bandwidth usage.
A reputable colocation provider should monitor bandwidth usage and provide additional cloud storage availability for immediate boosting capabilities when required. Businesses that ask the right questions and plan correctly can make moving infrastructure to a colocation provider a trouble-free process.