Colocation is the secret behind many great businesses. After all not many companies, have the space and resources to host their own data centre. Physical space, bandwidth and the cost of maintaining a secure technological service is a specialised business that is otherwise unrelated to the day-to-day running of a business network. No wonder many large businesses have chosen to use a datacentre for their server and IT support.

Choosing to store data at a specialised data centre offers a professional cost effective solution that will support your business. The colocation business is booming because it is an essential part of the IT world. A specialised data centre only focuses on the safe storage of your vital information. By contrast, the attention of a health , insurance or retail business for example is focused on business and NOT focused on the maintenance of the data centre.

A big business choosing to keep their data centre in house is rather like a prestigious car manufacturer getting involved in road building. After all, without the roads, the cars would not be able to drive anywhere but it is not their area of expertise, no matter how many experts they hire! However, with the first explosion of the IT world, this was the only option for major companies who had to evolve and change in order to take their place on the world stage of business. They had no choice but to establish their own data centres in order to keep their servers running.

Today things have changed. The advent of colocation has freed business from the need to install and maintain expensive equipment in their own premises. Instead data centres have sprung up all over the world and provide exactly the same specialised care for your valuable information from a remote location. A level of service that was previously only obtained by the biggest companies who could afford it.

A data centre will offer state of the art facilities plus a wide choice of connectivity options all for a fixed monthly investment. This means that your company will not have to pay for vital and technological upgrades. In addition, in these times of economic recession and reduced budgets a data centre will save money, a valuable consideration for all businesses.

One of the major centres of excellence in colocation is London. Here you will find numerous companies offering data center support whether you need a rack, several racks or a suite. Typically serviced by multiple fibre optic connections and uninterruptible power supplies you will be able to maintain a stable connection with virtually zero downtime guaranteed. Your equipment is stored in racks and is protected by 24hr security plus it is placed in the perfect environment for performance and safety. Your servers are kept at an even optimum temperature and the premises are flood and fire proof, ensuring that your data centre will keep your information 100% secure.

Whether you are based in the UK, Europe, America or Asia save time and money and help your business flourish with colocation.

Whatever your type of business, the truth is that as your business expands, so the amount of data and information held by your company grows as well. Today all businesses rely on their servers in order to maintain a stable internet connection and to enable constant access to their data  for up to the minute information.

As everybody knows, if your server goes down, it not only costs you time and money but may lose you valuable customers and online orders as well.

If this is a problem that affects you and your business, perhaps you should think about using a data centre to store your information. That way you can leave the upkeep and safe running of your server to highly trained qualified professionals and get on with running your business and making money without distraction or hassle.

Colocation is a solution that suits all sizes of businesses, whether large multi million corporations or small local operations.  A datacenter will ensure that you get uninterrupted service and also has many advantages over using your own in house server for data centre storage. Although you may currently house your server in your office premises without any problems, have you considered what would happen in the case of a fire, power cut or natural disaster? Is your vital information backed up elsewhere? Do you have sufficiently trained staff to deal with any problems?

It seems remarkable but many companies simply leave their server running in their premises unsupervised at weekends and overnight in all types of office environments. Considering that all your company’s information is stored on your server, any unforeseen accident could wipe out your business!

Considering these real risks, it is no wonder that colocation is a rapidly growing business. More and more companies are turning to using a data centre to protect their information, attracted by the benefits, safety issues, security, peace of mind and server efficiency.

Using a colocation service is not just for multimillion companies. Small businesses can keep their costs down and streamline their operation by renting data centre space. It also negates the need for designated in house computer staff so may even save you money.

All equipment in a data centre is stored in secure lockable cabinets called racks and cages. You can rent as little as one quarter of a rack or if you need more space ,as much as a complete suite. If you rent several racks, all your equipment will be stored together in a secure wire cage so it  is convenient to access when you need to.

Whatever size of rack space, your server will be monitored around the clock 24/7. It is kept at the optimum temperature for best performance by a sophisticated cooling system and is stored in an ultra secure dust free environment. that is fire proof and flood proof, a professional data centre provides safe storage premises for your business and ensures that your valuable information will always be safe.

Data centres are situated all over the world but some of the best technology can be found in data centres situated in London making it extremely convenient for UK based business to use.

As with every other industry, the world of colocation has massively different prices wherever you look. Some companies will offer what seems to be an unbeatable price, while others will offer prices that seem to be higher than you could ever have possibly expected. Choosing a colocation company isn’t simply a case of finding the cheapest and then going with them though – you first have to consider what services you want the colocation provider to offer. Only once you have decided this can you begin to plan on how much you want to spend on the service…

There are a few things that you should expect from a colocation provider and should they not have them, you should avoid them, regardless of the price that they offer. Environmental controls in the rooms the servers are stored in are essential, as these will make sure that the servers are operating to their maximum efficiency and that they aren’t being damaged by external factors. They should also offer robust procedures for preventing fire and flood damage as, as you might expect, these would be
disastrous if they affected your server. All colocation companies should also be happy to grant you access to your server whenever you want, so that you can know that your colocation server is working okay and is being treated correctly by the company housing it.

When you have established that a company has all of the basic and essential features, you can then decide whether they have the other features required to meet your needs. One thing that you must
consider is the amount of colocation space they have. This is important as you might want to expand your business and therefore need another server installed to cope – therefore meaning that you want a colocation company that can deal with your need to expand in the future. After all, you don’t want to have to remove the colocation server in the future and transport it to another colocation space, usually at significant cost to you.

Another aspect that you will want to think about is the knowledge that the staff in the colocation business have – do they have formal qualifications in maintaining servers and are they educated enough
in the subject to be trusted with what is essentially the key to your business? If you simply want a place to sit your server then this is not a problem, but if you want your server to be monitored and looked after, then this is a question worth asking. The more experience and knowledge they have, the higher
the price is likely to be though.

Once you have found some businesses that meet all of the criteria that you have laid down, you can then start to contact them and try to negotiate on price, before then deciding on the company that offers the best deal. Never compromise on your requirements though in order to get a slightly cheaper price – after all, this is often your whole business that you are dealing with!

Data centres are something that many people haven’t heard of, but they are actually the secret behind many large companies’ and governments’ success. They are basically businesses that provide storage
space for servers and other important electronic items, with the goal being to have them stored in an area that not only has the space to accommodate them, but also the skills and expertise to maintain them and monitor them. It is effectively a process of outsourcing these servers to an outside organization, while still retaining ownership of them and therefore full control over how they are used. It is possible to find a suitable data centre wherever you are in the UK, from London to Glasgow and from Belfast to Cardiff.

Thanks to the many advantages they bring to a business or organization, data centres are used by a huge amount of different groups. Perhaps the largest sector of users though is businesses and other groups that store an absolutely huge amount of data – data that wouldn’t be able to be stored within the confines of their own premises. These types of businesses could include banks, credit card companies, major international retail groups and even governments, although the latter would be more likely to
have their own system in place.

Another type of company that will need to use a data center is the companies that have sensitive data stored on their servers and therefore need to ensure that it is safe and secure from any unwelcome prying eyes. Data centres offer a great choice in this regard because it allows the organization to use a dedicated server, instead of having to use a server that is vulnerable due to being shared with other companies. Businesses in this boat include, once again, banks and credit cards companies, but also include organisations storing medical records and other highly personal data.

The final type of company that is regularly seen using a data centre is the type of company that relies heavily on its website to generate income – which is most companies in the world nowadays. Larger companies though, with daily turnovers of millions of pounds, would obviously lose a massive amount of money even if the site went down for just a few hours, so they can’t entrust their server requirements to a regular hosting company. By using a data centre they can be sure that there are professionals on hand at all times to maintain the servers and also to remedy any problems in a fast and effective manner, therefore keeping any disruption on the site down to a minimum.

As can be seen, a data centre is something that every business that cares about security, business continuity and saving money should think about. Searching for them on the internet will bring up a huge number in the UK – just make sure that you compare them first before choosing a specific one, as you could save a lot of money by simply taking a bit of time over your choice.

Every single business online today needs to know that they have web hosting that can provide them with perfect service, as it is the host that ultimately decides how much access people can have to a
site. If the hosting is unreliable, people will not be able to access the site and lots of money will be lost thanks to these missed opportunitity.

Most large businesses get around this problem by having their own servers and therefore ensuring that they are the ones who are responsible for the way that they work and how reliable they are. For smaller businesses though, this is simply not possible – it would cost far too much money in storage space and in terms of employing people to look after them. For this reasons, most small businesses turn to colocation as the best option. Colocation servers are basically servers that are owned entirely by the
company, but they are stored in a private building and are maintained by the colocation company, therefore meaning that they don’t have to deal with the aforementioned expenses.

Using a colocation server is an advantage in more ways than just financially though, as it also gives the business far more control over the way that their server is set up and therefore how their site is accessed and maintained. For example, with your own server it is possible to choose how the software on there is configured and even what software to use in the first place – something that is taken out of your hands
if you use a hosting company. Business continuity can also be assured, as many colocation companies are able to back data up on virtual servers to ensure that, should your server break down, you can continue working as normal.

Security is also much higher when using a colocation company, as they will have a human presence on the site at all times, unlike if you had the server in your office, which would probably mean it would be left alone overnight and at weekends. In addition to this the fact that staff are always present reduces the risk of fire or flooding damaging the server and therefore affecting the way that your business operates. To further increase your sense of security, you will be able to visit the location that your server is stored in and check that everything is working okay first hand.

The final piece of basic information that you should know about colocation is that it is a great way to protect your website from being accessed by unauthorized personnel, due to the fact that your site will be the only site on the server. When using hosting companies, you will find that you share a server with a number of other people and that therefore the server can be vulnerable – vulnerability that people could exploit and damage your site with. When your website is the key to all of your income, this is obviously something that can’t happen.

Data centres are being used more and more by businesses and other organisations and the chances are, if you run a small to medium sized online business, you have thought about using one at some point too. They can be an invaluable tool when trying to ensure that your data stays secure and that you website continues to function as it should do, which might not be the case if you looked after your servers onsite. So how do you go about making sure that you pick the best data center for you?

The first thing you will be tempted to do is look at the prices of the different packages that are available, but you should really resist this temptation. Instead, first ensure that you pick a data centre that meets the individual needs of your business. The first of these should be to make sure that the security arrangements of the data centre meet your expectations. By security, there are two different aspects to look at – the physical security of the building that the servers will be stored in, and the security of the information that it stored on the servers that you place in the data center. This may be a data center like Vital Group London datacentres who have State of the Art, biometric security systems designed to protect your investment and data assets!

When it comes to the physical security of the data centre, it is quite simple to assess how good it is. Ask them if they have an alarm system installed, who is authorized to enter into the storage area, whether their fire procedures are robust and whether they have members of staff onsite at all times. The security of the data on your server is more difficult to ascertain; just try to understand whether the people working there have a good grasp of this subject and also ask them what procedures they have implemented to guarantee the security of the servers inside their data centre. Generally data centres with an A1 rating are the most secure, while A3 corresponds to the lowest amount of security.

Although the next point is not as much of an issue, it is still important to a number of people, and this point is the location of the data centre in relation to the location of their business. Seeing is believing, as they say, so it is nice to be able to go to where your server is and make sure that it is being maintained properly and that the data centre is living up to its promises. If you can’t find a data centre close to you – this shouldn’t be a problem – then it is not a major issue if the one you choose is further away than you would like. Vital Group has Data Centres in Docklands, London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong and other parts of the globe serving their clients.

Once you have decided on the amount of security that you require for your server(s) and the location that you would like it to be in, you can then get to work on finding the data centre that offers the best price as well as the different prerequisites that you have decided on. Never compromise on any of these prerequisites for a cheaper price, otherwise you might end up regretting it later on!

The technology available in today’s world is truly breathtaking, however unless you understand it well then it can be incredibly hard to maintain and use to its full potential. One of the main ways in which companies operate nowadays is online and this has led to the need for many companies to invest in their own servers, so that they can keep on top of all of the necessary components and so that they don’t have to use a hosting company – which can be unreliable and also cost money.

The thing about servers though is that they are both large and also require an incredible amount of technical knowledge in order to maintain and look after. That is why many people do not host their server on site, but instead choose to use data centres to host their server for them. This basically means that the company places their own private server in the data centre and then pays a small fee, which covers the security granted to the server and also any upkeep that it requires. There are a number of different benefits to using data centres, many of which are described below…

The first – and most important – benefit of using data centres is that they are incredibly cost effective, which is extremely important in today’s tough economic times. Using a data centre means that you do not have to employ the necessary staff to look after the server, you don’t need to build the facility that will house the server and you also don’t need to provide the special environmental needs that are required. If you were to do all of these then the bill would run into tens of thousands of pounds, whereas using data centres will cost a small fraction of this amount.

Another advantage is the fact that there is always going to be a specialist expert onsite to remedy any problems that a server might develop. A with all aspects of technology, servers do develop problems and they can be extremely tough to fix. Many data centres also have staff working 24 hours a day, which means that problems can be resolved at any time. After all, the server doesn’t care whether it breaks down at 2pm or 2am!

Servers can be very sensitive to different environmental conditions, which means that the area that they are stored in has to be extremely well controlled and regulated. Factors such as the temperature of the room and the amount of dust in the room will affect the way in which the server works and therefore it is essential to keep the room in a perfect state. This will be handled by a data centre and therefore there is a much lower chances of problems developing when using them.

As can be seen, there are a number of different advantages to using data centres to look after your servers – in fact, those mentioned above are a fraction of them! There are a number of different packages usually offered as well, meaning that there is something for everyone to choose from!

Choosing the correct colocation provider is something that is an incredibly important decision; a decision that could change the way that your business works, either for the better or the worse. For this reason, it is incredibly important to choose wisely when deciding on who to using – something that is often confusing for those not used to the colocation world. So what should you be looking for when trying to find someone to use for colocation? Read on to find out…

The first thing that you want to know is that they are a name who are well regarded within the industry; a name with a long list of clients and a company that can offer you references from happy customers. In fact, it is often a good idea to contact other businesses and find out where they get their colocation services from, so that you know straight away that the company you are approaching is reputable. Obviously still shop around though, as there is more than one good colocation company for you to place your server in!

The price is also something that you should take into account, as there are a number of colocation companies who charge much more than the others. While often those with higher prices offer more in terms of services, the extras often don’t justify the increase in the price that they charge. Work out exactly what you want from a colocation provider and try not to deviate from your initial goals, unless the deal is too good to turn down. After all, you know what they say about prior planning…

The location of the provider that you use should also be taken into consideration. Now you might think that the point of using colocation is that the server is away from your business premises, and you would be right. However, it makes no sense to have the server that you own hundreds of miles away from you. There could well be times when you want to go and see it for various reasons, so it is best to keep it local. For example, if you live in London (See Vital Group Data Centre), then having a server in Edinburgh would be highly impractical!

It is also important to always check the facilities of the colocation company before you choose who to go with, as the environment that the server is kept in plays an extremely vital role in the way that it works. The temperature should maintain a constant and correct level in the room, and there should be a lack of dust so that the machines don’t get affected. If a company is unable to provide you with details of how they maintain the environment, then it is probably best to choose a different provider!

These are just a few things to consider when choosing a colocation provider, but there are so many more as well. The main thing is to shop around though, as that way you will get a great overview of the business as a whole.

Let’s face it – not a lot of people have heard of data centres, and of those that have, even less actually understand what they are made up of and how they operate exactly. Therefore, this article is designed to give you a little bit of insight into how data centres go about their business and the different considerations that the owners of these data centres have to make in order to ensure that they can offer the best service possible. So, read on to find out more about this often misunderstood world…

So the first thing that we should clear up is the question of what data centres are exactly. Well, basically they are a facility that can be used by various organizations to store servers, as well as other equipment like power supplies, security devices and data communication systems. Basically, they are designed to be a safe and secure location for businesses to store their various technological devices, so that their business can run smoothly and in a cost effective way. The most common use is to store servers though, as they can be monitored on a 24 hour basis by staff at the data centre and any problems can therefore be resolved quickly – which makes sure that the business does not suffer any financial loos through problems with equipment.

So, we have established that the main object of a data centre is to protect the valuable equipment that a company owns, both in physical terms and also by ensuring that data is kept secure from people like hackers and other possible problem sources. They also maintain the system to ensure that no money is lost. But what does the data centre have to consider in order to ensure that these promises are met?

Well, the first thing that they always do is to ensure that they have the highest quality of staff working for them – staff with an excellent knowledge of the various systems that are housed there. As you can imagine, servers are not simple pieces of kit and anyone working on them needs to be thoroughly skilled. All good data centres will have experienced and educated staff, and they will have a lot of them too! In fact, it is not uncommon for those educated to university level in technological subjects to find employment in this type of work.

Another consideration that all data centres must think about is the environment that they keep the machinery in. This is important because servers and other technology are very sensitive to things like dust, temperature and even light, therefore meaning that constant environmental levels must always be kept. Most centres manage this by having state of the art equipment to monitor the environment constantly, so that the optimum state is always maintained.

Without doubt the most important parts of any data centre are the staff and the environment, but there are hundreds of other aspects to the running of a data centre as well though. If a company can provide the aspects mentioned though, then you can be pretty sure that they will be good enough to host your precious server.

People are using colocation services more and more as the months wear on, as the cost of them is dropping and people are therefore more inclined to take the plunge and protect their servers in a much more robust way. For those who are still undecided about whether to go ahead with the move to colocation though, below are five facts that could well change your mind…

It is Cost Effective

Businesses are all about making money, and one of the ways that they can ensure that their profits are maximized is to minimize their expenditure. By using a colocation service, a business will not only protect themselves from massive bandwidth fees, but will also protect against any accidental damage to the server, as well as negate the need to set aside a certain floor space within the business to house the server – space that can be used for other, more profitable, processes. So, although colocation does cost money, it doesn’t cost as much as you would have to spend it you didn’t use it!

They are Resilient

Imagine the scenario – your server is hosted in your place of work and the power goes out. What are you going to do? Suddenly your whole online presence has disappeared and you are losing money by the minute, as well as customer loyalty and reputation. If you use colocation though, the company will have backup measures in order to protect against power failure, so your site stays online still and the money keeps coming in. In fact, many data centres actually have contracts with other data centres, which agree to help each other out in the event of an emergency.

Business Continuity

Business continuity has become a popular phrase in recent years and therefore people have started to become irritated by the concept of it. It is, however, an extremely important thing to think about. If your office catches fire or gets broken into, you will want to be able to keep making money – something that you can do if your server is housed in a different location. If it had been in the same location as your office, then it would have been damaged or destroyed, meaning months of work to get it back up and running again.

Lots of Support

A server in your office is, in most cases, simply a large piece of equipment that nobody really knows much about, therefore meaning that if the server breaks, you have to call someone to fix it and lose money until they do. If you use colocation hosting though, there will be someone there to fix the server instantly, thus minimizing the amount of problems. Should you have any problems, there is always someone on the end of the phone as well for advice.

It’s Flexible

The chances are that you want your business to grow and expand, which means that you will often have to find room for more servers and other equipment. Using a colocation service means that you don’t need to worry about finding a place for a new server in your office – you simply give them a ring and arrange for another to be installed in their location!