Co-Location (Continued)

What is co-location?

Simply put, co-location (also known as "collocation" or "co-location") is a service that provides physical storage space and Internet or network connections for computer servers and associated systems. There is much more to it than that, however. A good co-location facility does more than simply "warehouse" servers - it provides a secure, controlled environment that protects the client's physical equipment and data from any number of hazards, including theft, fire, overheating, hackers, power surges/outages, etc. In short, co-location is like putting your assets in a safety deposit box; all the property in the box is yours, but you rely on the bank (which owns the box and vault) to provide a safe environment for your property.

Thus, a company or an individual with computer equipment at their place of business might decide that they are not providing the best "home" for their equipment and data, and would look to outsource the housing of their equipment to a co-location facility, such as ComteqUSA. Perhaps the cost of maintaining a high-speed Internet connection or staffing to support the equipment has become too high, or the company has outgrown their current server room or simply doesn't have one. These reasons and many others lead to the decision to co-locate equipment outside of one's business.

Why co-locate?

Co-location facilities like ComteqUSA offer the best solution for clients who are looking for a sensible way to ensure their equipment and data are well cared for. A good co-location facility provides things that would be too expensive for all but the largest companies to afford to put on-site in their offices. Co-location can also provide for "data mirroring"- an offsite backup location for in-house data and systems.

Let's say, for example, that you were a mid-sized company with an assortment of many servers that handled your company's file storage needs for various departments (like HR records), your e-mail systems, company Intranet; and you also hosted an e-commerce Web site that needed to be up 24/7. The cost of building and maintaining a server room to keep all these systems running smoothly, as well as providing high-bandwidth connectivity to the Internet can be prohibitive. And, what happens if your Internet connection goes down? Or the power goes out? Or your air conditioning unit dies and the equipment begins to overheat? For small companies, these worries are compounded by the fact that many can't even afford to have an adequate server room to start with.

Enter Co-location. For a cost that is many times less than doing it yourself, you can co-locate your servers and let the facility worry about all those headaches about power and air and connectivity. By co-locating your servers at ComteqUSA, they gain dedicated access to the Internet, plus all the security and stability for your peace of mind, without a large investment in infrastructure, hardware, and staff. Our redundant systems, including Internet connectivity from multiple providers, environmental (temp/humidity) controls, power conditioning and backup, security, and on-site technical staff ensure that your systems will be up 24/7, and safe from harm.

Co-location also puts you in control of your systems and budget. Unlike a traditional ISP (Internet Service Provider) who might put you on any old server or charge you for services you don't need, you own your equipment so you can decide when and how to change or upgrade your equipment, and perform maintenance and backups.

Ultimately, co-location is a wise choice for companies and individuals who wish to maximize the R.O.I. (return on investment) on the money they spend for their Information Technology, computer hardware, and data storage needs.

Contact us for more information about how the ComteqUSA can meet all of your co-location needs.