Cross-Connect Blog

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Colocation Data Center

November 05, 2015

Hostirian Colocation SolutionWhen it comes to choosing a data center colocation facility, whether it be your primary site or part of your disaster recovery plan, there are several factors to consider. The selection of such a facility is a strategic one and very important for your business and data operations.

Factors to consider for your primary or secondary colocation site include ensuring the site is easily accessible by your IT staff, according to Mission Critical Magazine.

However, when searching for a colocation site for your disaster recovery plans, it is important to have plenty of distance between that site and your primary data center. During times of disaster, if there is a power outage or worse, the distance will help ensure your data is safe, stays online and won’t affect business operations.

Other factors to consider when selecting a colocation center include:

  • Power – How many backup generators are available, does the location have reliable access to power, including overall access to the power grid?
  • Security – What type of security does the location have to keep unauthorized personnel away from the data center?
  • Geographic stability – Is the data center capable of withstanding climate and seismic activity, or is the site in a stable location?

Securing Your IT Equipment is Critical

In addition to considering the location of your data center, you must also think about how you will store and protect your IT assets and maintain uptime.

Chatsworth Products (CPI) has colocation cabinets to protect equipment, as well as containment strategies for colocation centers.

Wire Cage Enclosures from CPI 

Our Wire Cage Enclosures create a security partition around your equipment in shared facility spaces. These wire cage enclosures feature an open design made from a woven wire mesh that allows airflow to equipment, while providing physical security. All cage assembly hardware is inside the cage, so panels cannot be tampered with from the outside. Features include:

  • Support posts have welded base plates that allow direct floor anchoring. Panels bolt directly to support posts, utilizing the heaviest assembly hardware in the industry. 
  • The open 2” x 1” rectangular mesh design allows free circulation of air to support the existing cooling system, lighting design and the fire suppression system within the secured area.
  • Available in Glacier White finish to match your F-Series TeraFrame® Gen 3 Cabinets, N-Series TeraFrame® Gen 3 Network Cabinets and GF-Series GlobalFrame® Gen 2 Cabinets.
Custom Colocation Cabinets

CPI offers both standard and custom cabinets for colocation applications. We recently created custom 2-bay cabinets to meet the needs of colocation provider, Hostirian. The cabinets were used in conjuction with CPI's Cold Aisle Containment Solution (show in photo above). When asked about CPI's products and solutions, Ken Cox, Vice President of Operations of Hostirian said, "I couldn’t be happier with the overall solution. The racks feel more solid—we asked for locking half cabinets, and we got it. We wanted a specific size, and we got that. It was a reasonable price for a custom job. Everybody I’ve talked to has said this is the nicest data center they’ve seen and the nicest one in town.”

CJ Castillo, Technology Writer

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