INTRODUCTION
SECURE
Colocation in a data centre offers organisations a place to securely house their
IT equipment, as opposed to storing and running it on-site, which can be both
expensive and difficult to maintain to the levels of availability and scalability required
by modern businesses.
Unlike the average corporate headquarters, a data centre is purpose-built with security and resilience in mind. Colocation facilities provide a resilient power supply, including backup generators to protect against the risk of power outages.
Facilities also benefit from redundant network connections, providing resilient connectivity.
Colocation involves the
housing of IT infrastructure,
such as servers, storage or
networking equipment, in a
secure, external data centre.
Servers are mounted in purpose-built metal racks (or ‘cabinets’) in a facility with high-bandwidth connectivity. The defined vertical space within each colocation rack is measured in ‘U’, with each ‘U’ being 4.45cm. The vertical space available in a typical rack is 42U, or 1.87m.
WHAT IS COLOCATION?
1 ‘U’ = 4.45cm
The choice to colocate IT equipment in an external data centre is largely based on the
need to improve resilience and availability. Executed correctly, colocation can also lead
to significant cost-savings and increased productivity.
Colocation provides benefits
that would be difficult to replicate in an on-site data centre /comms room.
• Power availability – data centre providers can guarantee the required power availability
• Power resilience – providing at least N+1 backup generation with an N+1 UPS system
• Network – a data centre will have interconnects with leading telecommunications carriers and network providers
• Physical security – colocation gives you access to manned security, CCTV, ID access cards and man-trap security
• 24/7 monitoring and support • Fire suppression – using inert gas
to put out any fires, as well as monitoring for proactive prevention • HVAC (heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning) – maintaining a constant humidity and temperature level to keep equipment working at optimal levels
• Data protection assurances – ISO certification 27001 and 9001, as well as PCI compliance, ensures that your data is safe
• Green energy – data centres often use renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions
INCREASED AVAILABILITY
CHEAPER THAN RUNNING SERVERS AND EQUIPMENT ON-SITE SCALABILITY – ADDITIONAL RACKS CAN BE ADDED AS REQUIRED BUSINESS CONTINUITY & DISASTER RECOVERY
HIGH LEVEL OF SECURITY
BETTER CONNECTIVITY / LOWER COST BANDWIDTH IMPROVED NETWORK SECURITY
REDUNDANT POWER SUPPLY
SIMPLE TO MIGRATE TO THE CLOUD USE YOUR EXISTING HARDWARE
MAINTAIN CONTROL OF YOUR HARDWARE
DISADVANTAGES OF COLOCATION
YOU MUST PURCHASE ALL HARDWAREUPGRADE AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
COST OF COLOCATION
These are the costs
that you incur from
renting the floor space.
FOOTPRINT FEES
POWER FEES
These are based on
the amount of power
that your rack has
allocated and uses.
BANDWIDTH FEES
These are based
on how much data
is transferred.
There are a number of costs associated with colocated servers.
SELECTING A COLOCATION PROVIDER
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a colocation provider:
• WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
• HOW MUCH BANDWIDTH DO YOU REQUIRE?
• HOW MANY RACKS DO YOU NEED?
• WHAT CONNECTION SPEEDS WILL YOU REQUIRE?
• HOW OFTEN WILL YOU NEED TO ACCESS YOUR EQUIPMENT?
• WHAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT DO YOU NEED?
Cheapest is often not the best option when it comes to colocation. Companies who offer the cheapest rates often fail to provide sufficient support, which puts your company at risk of downtime.
You should list the best colocation providers in your area, and visit the facilities to get a feel for how they run their data centres. Compare their packages, pricing, and service level agreements.
QUESTIONS TO ASK A COLOCATION PROVIDER
Q. CARRIER NEUTRAL?
A carrier neutral data centre provides customers with interconnectivity to a range of carriers, ISPs, exchanges and other network service providers. Being independent of network, hardware and software gives you a better range to choose from.
Q. 24/7 SUPPORT?
A good support system which is always available with helpful and knowledgeable data centre staff is essential to your business if you decide to choose a colocation package.
Q. 24/7 ACCESS TO THE FACILITIES?
If you choose a colocation package and you need to get access to your servers, ask your potential data centre host about what access you have to your equipment.
Is it escorted access only, and if so, is there a related cost?
Q. SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS?
Ask your potential colocation
provider about what guarantees they have regarding the performance of the services. Make sure that their service levels meet the requirements of your business.
Q. TRACK RECORD?
Ask your data centre provider about their track record. How long have they been in the data centre business? Do they have case studies?
Q. REDUNDANCY?
In the event of a power cut, can the data centre keep their equipment online? Check with the provider what level of redundancy they have.
Ask about dual feeds and what backups they have in the event of a failure. Ask how often fail-over testing on full (not partial) load is completed, as this is a common reason for data centre failures. Also ask your data centre provider about major incident plans and escalation paths if you have an issue.
Q. OTHER SERVICES?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW MANY RACKS WILL I NEED?Due to newer technology you may not require the same number of racks you have previously used. Ask any potential colocation provider of historic hosting footprint reduction. They will be able to calculate the required number of colocation racks.
WHAT AMPERAGE WILL I NEED?
Your power requirements are dependent on the load, how much your system needs and how much the UPS will support. Ask your data centre provider for amperage that exceeds your total as a minimum.
HOW LONG WILL THE UPS WORK FOR?
A UPS will last for a short while to fill the time between the grid power and generator power going to your equipment. If your equipment uses 450VA and the UPS is rated at 450VA with a run-time of 6 minutes, the UPS will last 6 minutes. WILL THERE BE ANY DOWNTIME DURING MIGRATION?
With the correct planning you should expect no downtime during your migration. A data centre provider should have dedicated teams, from service delivery experts to project managers, and should be able to tailor migrations to individual objectives.
WHAT IS N+1?
N+1 redundant systems are used in data centres to ensure the systems continue running without interruption. N+1 refers to the components (N) having at least one independent backup component (+1), which means there is an additional component available if the first should fail.
WHAT ISO CERTIFICATIONS SHOULD A COLOCATION PROVIDER HAVE?
A colocation provider should at the very least have ISO 27001 & 9001 certifications.
6
CONTINUED
ISO 27001ISO 27001 formally specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under explicit management control. It focuses on the requirements for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving a documented Information Security Management System within the context of the organisation’s overall business risks. ISO 27001 certified organisations can be formally audited and certified compliant. The standard contains 12 main sections:
1. Risk assessment
2. Security policy – management direction
3. Organisation of information security and governance of information security
4. Asset management – inventory and classification of information assets 5. Human resources security
6. Physical and environmental security – protection of the computer facilities 7. Management of technical security
controls in systems and networks 8. Access control – restriction of access
to networks, systems, applications and data
9. Information systems acquisition,
development and maintenance 10. Information security incident
management
11. Business continuity management 12. Compliance – conformance with
information security policies, standards, laws and regulations
ISO 9001
COLOCATION HOSTING OPTIONS FROM REDCENTRIC
• Multiple UK data centres • 42U racks
• Up to 32 amp power per rack • Redundant power feeds • High bandwidth packages • 24/7 hands & eyes support • Renewable energy sources • Carrier neutral connectivity
• Multiple UK data centres • Secure, private hosting suites • Up to 32 amp power per rack • Secure access control
• CCTV
• 24/7 Hands & eyes support • Cold-aisle containment pods • Carrier neutral connectivity
• Diverse data centre locations • Hybrid virtual & colocation
hosting • Cloud hosting • Managed hosting • N3 hosting
• Bespoke hosting solutions • Business continuity services
COLOCATION RACKS
PRIVATE SUITES
COMPLEX HOSTING
CONTINUED
READING DATA CENTRE
This facility benefits from: • Cold aisle containment • N+1 architecture • ISO 27001 & 9001 • PCI DSS certified
LONDON DOCKLANDS DATA CENTRE
This facility benefits from: • 42U colocation racks • N+1 architecture • Green energy • Prime London location
HARROGATE DATA CENTRE
This facility benefits from: • 42U colocation racks • N+1 architecture • ISO 27001 & 9001 • PCI DSS certified
CAMBRIDGE DATA CENTRE
This facility benefits from: • N+1 UPS
• Backup generator • Air cooling systems
• Dedicated fire detection system
0800 983 2522
CALL
VISIT
www.redcentricplc.com/colocationREQUEST A FREE COLOCATION QUOTE OR PRIVATE DATA CENTRE TOUR:
LONDON READING
HARROGATE (HEAD OFFICE)
Central House Beckwith Knowle Harrogate HG3 1UGTHEALE
2 Commerce Park Brunel Road Theale, Reading Berkshire RG7 4ABCAMBRIDGE
Newton HouseCambridge Business Park Cowley Road Cambridge CB4 0WZ
READING
3-5 Worton Drive Reading Berkshire RG2 0TGLONDON
John Stow House 18 Bevis Marks London EC3A 7JB
INDIA
405-408 & 410-412
Block II, 4th Floor, White House Kundan Bagh, Begumpet Hyderabad 500016
