HostSailor will help you know some of the tips to find the best colocation hosting provider. To know more, visit https://hostsailor.com/.

1. TIPS TO FIND
THE BEST
COLOCATION
HOSTING
PROVIDER

2. COLOCATION HOSTING
PROVIDER
Most businesses now own a hybrid data center
model.
It is an amalgamation of legacy, private cloud,
and public cloud infrastructures.
Owning a data center can be costly for any
business.
It is because the devices and equipment can be
expensive.
This is also why many businesses these days opt
to house their data in a colocation facility.
So, what the are important things to consider to
find a colocation hosting provider?.

3. WHAT TO DO BEFORE LOOKING
FOR A COLOCATION HOSTING
PROVIDER?
It can be a costly affair to select a colocation hosting
provider.
Then to move in and start operations.
If you later find that you have made the wrong
choice, it will be a problem.
The cost of moving out can be much more than that
of moving in.
Therefore, make sure to choose a colocation
provider with much care.

4. WHAT DO YOU WISH TO
ATTAIN?
Try to make an idea of not just the immediate
requirements of your business.
But also the long-term goals.
For instance, moving to the cloud is one.
Making use of managed hosting services is
next.
And next, moving to a high-density
environment.

5. WHAT ARE THE IT AND
BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS OF
YOUR ENTERPRISE?
Try to understand your business and IT
requirements.
Find if you need to archive or replicate your
business data.
Do your business needs more colocation data
center locations for data archiving?.

6. WHAT IS YOUR GROWTH PLAN?
The colocation provider of your choice should
allow you to scale in power and space.
With that, you will be able to move in various
directions in the future.

7. WHAT ARE THE THINGS TO
LOOK FOR IN A COLOCATION
HOSTING PROVIDER?
Usually, a colocation contract can extend from 3 to 5 years.
And a wholesale contract can range from 5 to 15 years.
Even if you are in a short-term contract, you will not wish to
bear all this.
The hassle, costs, and downtime related to switching data
centers every 3 years.
This is why it is important to select a provider that is capable of
meeting not just your current needs.
But also your future requirements.
The important things that you need to look for in a colocation
service provider are shared below.

8. THE POWER DENSITY TO
SUPPORT CURRENT AND
FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES
Power densities of data centers have been on a steady rise.
With newer technologies, many clients these days need up to 10 kW power per
cabinet.
However, there aren’t many providers offering power densities that are capable of
supporting future technologies.
Most of the data centers were made much before the density boom.
They are capable of supporting an average of 4 kW power per cabinet.
To support high-density environments, providers will have to make use of a
supplemental cooling system.
Otherwise, it will spread the load over a large footprint.
Both these approaches can address the issue of power density.
But, it can add up to the cost.

9. FLEXIBLE SERVICE LEVEL
AGREEMENTS (SLA) AND MASTER
SERVICE AGREEMENT (MSA)
Understand that contracts are set in place to protect the service
provider. Therefore, you need to be proactive.
Moreover, address the SLA and contractual items that are vital to your
business. Initial discussions will offer insight to service providers.
To the ones who are willing to revise verbiage so as to offer better
protection to the client.
A mistake that many people make is this.
They wait until the selection of the service provider to address SLA or
contractual issues.
The same could have been done by including them in the search criteria.

10. REDUNDANCY OF NETWORK
CARRIER
A business-owned facility will be limited to a small number of network
carriers.
Search for facilities that are carrier-neutral.
Also, one who has many network carriers offering connectivity in the facility.
Different network carrier options will let the provider offer competitive
pricing.
This can let cut down costs and offer the ability to integrate a redundant
network design.
In addition, you need to understand the providers offering their services via a
connection from a carrier hotel.
The carrier hotel will enhance the provider options to the client.
Lastly, understand the redundancy associated with the routing to and within
the facility.

11. LOCATION OF THE COLOCATION
HOSTING PROVIDER
Many businesses are now becoming “lights out” facilities.
So that, they will be able to manage everything remotely.
Make an idea of how far you can be from your data center.
Does the data center need to be located away from natural disasters?.
A “lights out” facility can be the most cost-effective option.
It also is a risk-averse option.
However, your networking costs will be high when you are far from your data
center.
Opting for a data center close to your business can make it easy to respond
to problems.
In addition, for quick recovery from a disaster, your replication center needs
to be located near.
That is, not more than fifty to a hundred miles from the primary data center.

12. COMPLIANCE
In case of compliance, many of the providers claim that they provide
certain Tier availability.
They may seem like Uptime-certified data centers.
However, that might not be the reality.
Make sure to verify the certification of your provider.
Verify it with Uptime Institute.
Moreover, be wary of false claims.
In addition, you need to verify that the facility is SSAE 16 compliant.

13. GOOD PHYSICAL SECURITY
An ideal data center should have different levels of physical
security.
Both inside and outside.
Enquire what perimeter and outside areas are covered by
cameras.
Also, make an idea of the security procedures of the vendor.
Know whether you can add your own security cameras inside
the space.

14. FUTURE GROWTH
With the fast changes in technology, it is impossible to know
where you will be in five years.
Therefore, make sure to find a provider who can allow you to
scale up in areas like space and power.
If you are considering extra services, you may need to know
one more thing.
Will your provider allow you to make changes to the service
agreement with the growth of your business?.

15. ENDNOTE ON CHOOSING YOUR
COLOCATION HOSTING PROVIDER
The physical characteristics of the facility are just the
beginning.
The way the facility is operated and the treatment to long-
term clients is also important.
Next, the level of flexibility offered by the facility.
Then, the cooling and power for clients to ensure growth.
These are all main considerations.
Also, try to find out the additional services offered by the
provider.
Once done, you can decide on the colocation service provider
for your business.

16. CONTACT US
Mailing Address
Suite No: 1605, Churchill Executive Tower,
Burj Khalifa Area, Dubai P.O. Box 98362,
United Arab Emirates
Phone Number
+971 7 222 1602
E-mail Address
hostsailorhosting@gmail.com