What
is Colocation?
Colocation
is storing your server equipment in a purpose built facility
along with hundreds of other servers. The facility is managed
to provide reliable networking and power and security services.
All equipment is generally rack mounted for effective use
of space. If required you can access you machines by going
to the facility at any time during business hours or by
appointment after hours in the event of an emergency.
Co-location
facilities have the following properties not found in most
commercial offices:
- Multiple
links to the Internet.
- Backup
power supplies
- Climate
controlled air conditioning
- Raised
floors for cabling
- Electronic
security systems
Benefits
of Colocation
Colocation provides a very cost-effective means of accessing
a secure hosting environment.
- High
speed connections via multiple carriers to prevent downtime.
- Guaranteed
power supply incorporating battery UPS for short term combined
with an onsite diesel generator and sub-station for extended
outages.
- You
can deploy new machines within 24 hours and easily expand
as required.
- All
services are monitored by network engineers 24 x 7.
- Colocation
facility uses electronic access security & security
guards to protect your equipment.
- The
data centre is located in Penn.
Colocation vs In-house
The advantages of colocation in Australia become clear once
you recognize the cost and time delays associated with providing
the same services in an existing office or premises.
Costs
to allow for
- Server
racks for storage of equipment
- UPS
capable of supporting machine for at least 15 minutes
- Diesel
generator (most offices cannot accommodate such equipment)
- Router
to connect to incoming Internet connections.
- Network
switch to allow connection of multiple machines
- Firewall
to protect network from attacks
- At
least two DDS or ATM connections to the Internet
- Network
monitoring and paging equipment
- Climate
control air conditioning system
Delays to allow for
- Allow
at least 30 working days for provision or upgrade of Internet
connections
- High
speed connections might not be available at your location
- Install,
configure and load test your equipment
Even when all of these costs and time delays have been allowed
for, the chances are your connection to the Internet will
be substantially slower than that of a data centre's and limited
in expansion capacity, you'll need to invest further in new
routers if in future you need additional capacity. You probably
wont be able to install a diesel generator or afford to have
it tested on a monthly basis. Your data will be costing you
50% more because the volume is much lower and worst of all
when there's a problem at 3am on a Sunday morning YOU will
have to deal with it!
There
must be some benefits of having your equipment inhouse right?
Yes there are, you can access your machine at any time with
ease using a keyboard and monitor. A function quite comfortably
performed remotely using SSH or one of numerous free remote
control packages for Windows.
Is it
really worth spending thousands of dollars, loosing your weekends
and waiting for Internet connections to be installed when
you could be up and running on the same day from as little
as $242/month? (1RU server with power and 1GB of inbound data).
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