Co-location of your IT infrastructure is the utilization of space ranging from suites, cages, or cabinets for servers and other computing hardware at a Managed Services Provider’s (MSP) data centre. The MSP provides the building, cooling, power, bandwidth, physical security, and redundant systems, while the client provides the servers and storage.
Often companies turn to co-location services because they do not have a physical and logical facility to host their infrastructure nor the internal expertise to host their own systems. Businesses can reduce operating costs while improving the physical and logical security of their overall IT infrastructure by utilizing the co-location services provided within an established data centre.
Choosing the right co-location service provider is key to reaping the benefits, including improved security, compliance, availability, cost savings, IT Support, and scalability.
Improved Security
Co-location in a purpose-built data centre provides the right physical and logical security systems to ensure that systems, networks, applications, and data are secure. MSPs utilizing best practices have both detection and preventative controls. Detection controls are designed to identify and react appropriately to any potential threat. In the event of an attack, a detection control will automatically signal the ‘preventative’ controls to address the threat. Preventative controls strengthen the network by automatically sensing and quarantining potential threats before they enter the network. In addition, other preventive measures, such as two-factor authentication, ensure that only positively identified users are allowed access to your system while unauthorized users are blocked from entering.
Compliance
A vital component of choosing the right co-location services provider is ensuring they have the right processes in place that are audited by an independent third party to ensure compliance and regulatory requirements. An Information Security Management System (ISMS) strategy with clearly defined best practices, policies, and procedures is critical to protecting your organization’s data. Accreditations such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2 provide confidence in security controls that protect data against cyber-attacks and breaches while ensuring they realize compliance and regulatory requirements.
ISO 27001 Certification ensures that organizations realize legislative, regulatory, and contractual compliance requirements, helping to avoid costly fines, loss of reputation, or lost business. It is a benchmark for best security practices to ensure that information is secure throughout the organization.
SOC 2 Type II Audited data centres give clients confidence in security controls that protect data against cyber-attacks and breaches and ensure organizations realize compliance and regulatory requirements.
Data Centre Availability
Service Level Agreements are essential in ensuring availability. Data centre infrastructure includes separate and fully redundant high-speed network connections to increase network reliability and performance. They have multiple layers of redundancy (N+1) at every level, including physical, environmental and network specifications to keep your systems, network, applications, and data safe. From fire suppression systems, early warning detectors, cooling and humidification systems, and backup diesel generators, these data centre systems help to minimize downtime.
Cost Savings
Co-location with the right MSP allows businesses to host their IT infrastructure in a purpose-built data centre without prohibitive operating costs. The cost of building the appropriate IT infrastructure, from network bandwidth to redundant systems, to up-to-date security, is beyond the reach of many businesses, leaving their systems vulnerable. The nature of co-location is that IT infrastructure costs are shared by many organizations while maintaining their own IT hardware, giving them access to the best IT environment at a fraction of the cost.
IT Support
Co-location enables companies to benefit from access to a wide variety of expertise and onsite personnel for Rack & Stack and Hands & Eyes without hiring additional resources to manage their systems. Data centres operate 7/24/365, ensuring systems are continuously monitored, and issues are dealt with immediately. They also provide valuable insights into how best to expand an IT network as a business grows.
Scalability
As businesses grow, co-location services enable them to scale their IT infrastructure quickly, cost-effectively, and securely without negatively impacting the customer experience. An MSP offers the added benefit of additional service offerings, including Cloud Services, that will increase your computing power and storage capacity quickly and easily.
Co-location services can save organizations time and money, but as security risks continue to grow, they offer a more secure environment for a business’s IT infrastructure.
Cover-All Managed Cloud and IT Services provides cost-effective Co-Location Services. Discover how we can help you achieve positive business outcomes, call 1-833-268-3788