#cage colocation

Cage colocation refers to customizable solutions which will let businesses lease secure facilities from third parties for data center purposes. When you can choose a reputed and reliable cage colocation provider, you will get their full cooperation and guidance in the process, starting from designing the layout to guaranteeing the on-time delivery of power supplies. Colocation hosting solutions have therefore emerged as the most stable environment for storing and maintaining digital assets. Businesses can enjoy the advantages of a superior infrastructure without having to shell out a fortune. However, before you make a final choice of a colocation provider, there are some important factors that you need to look into.

How to find a reliable cage colocation provider for your business:

Before finalizing a cage colocation hosting provider, you must find out the numbers of data centers they own and their respective locations. This will help you understand whether you can keep your critical data in their facilities.

When you choose a facility for co-locating the servers, you must ensure that it is not too far away from your office. You may have to send staff to carry out maintenance work, perform upgrades and repairs. So, if the distance is too much, you will be forced to incur high transportation costs. You need a provider which has strategic locations in various parts of the nation.

You must also find out from the provider if these various facilities are well connected to one another. This is beneficial as it guarantees redundancy in times of emergencies and natural calamities. In case there is a manmade or natural disaster, data is replicated in other data center locations and your workers will be able to carry on their work without disruptions.

When choosing a cage colocation provider, you must also make sure that there are proper security certifications. The provider should ideally meet all security standards and compliance requirements. Some examples of such certifications include the PCI DSS for safeguarding credit or debit card information, SSAE-18 Type II for stricter controls over customer financial information, HIPAA for privacy of medical records etc.

You must also find out in advance how flexible the infrastructure is and whether you can add large cages or scale up the number of racks as and when needed. So, to use colocation to your advantage, you must first assess your business needs, both existing and future needs. Then, you can understand whether the provider is in a position to satisfy these. You r provider will offer you racks depending on the number of equipments you own. It will also decide whether your security needs demand locked cages or not.

Besides physical needs, you must also clearly outline your power needs. There are times when a company’s power needs exceed those which a data center provider can offer. These differences become greater when you get cages. So, you need to make a proper list of all your existing and possible future needs to see which solutions will work best for you.

Before signing up with a cage colocation provider you must also investigate its security measures. You must review the property which is outside the facility, the actual building structure and whether it has cameras for round-the-clock monitoring, security at the entry and lobby areas for the building, identifications you will need for accessing the cabinets and cages.

The server colocation hosting provider should not only have sufficient security measures for building protection; it should also have dedicated networks so that clients can work separate from one another. The provider must also be in a position to offer round-the-clock monitoring and supports for clients. While some providers can guarantee good quality customer service where knowledgeable representatives take client calls, others may not be as efficient. Some facilities have on-site staff to handle crisis situations while others have off-site support where the staff can reach the facility when needed.