This article is all about the detailed description of colocation centre and why you should care about knowing them.
The world of communications and information technology is always awash with buzzwords and jargon – much of it with a very real and important meaning.
However, it is easy to get swept away with enthusiasm amid talk of cloud computing and colocation among business colleagues, without ever really finding out the core concepts involved.
Colocation centres are becoming an increasingly important part of how IT operates in both the public and private sectors, and it is useful to have a firm grasp of what exactly they are.
In a nutshell, a colocation centre is a dedicated facility that allows for all of an organization’s manifold internet servers to be operated and maintained in a single location operated by a third party provider, thus keeping overheads to a minimum and reducing operational costs by cutting or even eliminating maintenance costs, which are undertaken by the provider.
Colocation centres are highly secure and specialized environments with well-trained on-site maintenance staff – all vital features if the organization handing over their IT responsibilities is to feel confident in the colocation process.
Temperature and environmental conditions tend to be very well-regulated, ensuring that server stacks are kept cool and free of humidity, while security measures include CCTV cameras for the facility itself, plus many cases thermographic imaging devices; both to heighten security and keep a constant eye on the performance of the servers themselves.
Other facilities may demand that visiting clients are escorted to ‘their’ section of the colocation centre by a staff member, or that individual clients’ server stacks are kept in securely locked cages or cabinets. Another option is to issue clients with their own electronic or biometric keycards which enable them only to access the facility entrance and their own sections within it.
Power supply is of course vital to the smooth and constant running of computer servers, so colocation centres also utilise heavy-duty power generators set up to begin running in the event of outside power failures – with battery backups as a failsafe designed to prevent any power interruption. There are many other ways that this essential failsafe can be organised, but you can be sure that a reputable colocation centre will be using one of them.
