Data Center Colocation: Is It Right for Medium-Sized Businesses?

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?

• Everyday more and more businesses make data
  center colocation part of their IT strategy.
• The enormous cost and time investments required
  to build complex facilities are causing even the
  largest enterprises to re-think data center
  ownership.
• Rather than operating their own data centers,
  these companies trust their mission-critical
  systems to third-party providers.
• But what would be the best strategy for
  medium-sized businesses?
• Would an in-house operation or data center
  colocation make better sense?
• Medium-sized businesses are often in a tough spot
  when it comes to finding the right internal IT
  solution.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?

• Its financially impractical to build an off-site
  data center. And, creating an in-house operation
  gets quite pricey.
• Challenges include attracting and retaining the
  best talent, maintaining the latest technologies,
  supporting the user base, and quickly and
  affordably scaling operations as the business
  grows.
• In a data center colocation model, companies
  basically lease data center space.
• Businesses typically pay a regular fee for the
  space, power, cooling, connectivity, security and
  other data center features they use.
• Companies provide and manage their own equipment,
  although the colocation provider may offer 24/7
  on-site support, as well as other services.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
MAJOR BONUSES FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

• Data center colocation provides top-of-the-line
  infrastructures.
• A purpose-built, colocation facility integrates
  multiple layers of redundancy and provides
  unmatched reliability.
• Multiple power sources, sophisticated backup
  systems, efficient cooling and filtration
  systems, multiple Internet connections and more
  provide the necessary safeguards against failures
  and ensure continuous uptime.
•  
• They dont have to worry about infrastructure
  components like cooling, backup, power, routers,
  firewalls and more.
• The data center provider has to monitor and
  manage all supporting infrastructure and systems.
  Dedicated staff maintains these systems
  around-the-clock.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
MAJOR BONUSES FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

• Data center colocation offers a secure
  environment.
• Colocation facilities protect business equipment
  and information assets.
• Numerous leading-edge security systems are
  installed in colocation facilities, including
  fire suppression, video surveillance, controlled
  entry, security personnel and more.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
MAJOR BONUSES FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

• Data center colocation providers have
  relationships with major carriers.
• By colocating in a quality data center,
  medium-sized businesses immediately gain access
  to numerous carrier networks.
• These networks provide exceptionally fast
  connections to the Internet and trained in-house
  experts make sure they operate at peak
  performance.
• With so many carrier networks available in one
  place, medium-sized businesses benefit from a
  more competitive landscape and typically enjoy
  lower bandwidth prices.
• Multiple carriers also allow medium-sized
  businesses to switch providers easily when
  outages occur.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
MAJOR BONUSES FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

• Data center colocation makes support experts
  available.
• Building an in-house IT support staff similar to
  what a colocation provider could offer would be
  almost impossible for a medium-sized business.
• A reputable colocation provider will staff and
  train hard-to-find technical resources.
• These resources will be available to support
  colocation customers 24/7.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?
MAJOR BONUSES FOR MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES

• Data center colocation provides the maximum value
  at the lowest cost.
• By far, cost and value are the major reasons
  medium-sized businesses adopt a colocation model.
  
• Companies of all sizes can improve the
  reliability of their IT infrastructure at the
  same time they lower operating costs.
• A medium-sized business can lease only the space
  it needs and scale as the business grows.
• In addition, energy consumption, and in turn
  energy costs, are typically lower because of
  greater efficiency in colocation facilities.

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DATA CENTER COLOCATION IS IT RIGHT FOR
MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES?

• Data center colocation is one of the best choices
  for medium-sized businesses.
• In fact, no other alternative can match the level
  of benefits colocation provides.
• As a result, the colocation market has seen major
  growth over the past few years and is expected to
  continue growing in the near future.
•  
• CyrusOne currently provides more than 1,000,000
  square feet of colocated floor space in top tier
  data centers across the nation.
• The company operates colocation facilities in
  various centers of business including Houston,
  Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Chicago,
  London and Singapore.
• CyrusOne serves enterprise clients in many
  industries, including energy, oil and gas,
  medical, technology, finance and consumer goods
  and services.

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About the author
Nicole Aguillard is the marketing director for
CyrusOne, a global enterprise colocation provider
operating 23 highly secure data centers across
the United States, London and Singapore. Learn
more about Data Center Colocation by visiting
http//www.cyrusone.com.