WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COLOCATE MY SERVERS?

Colocation, often referred to as "colo" or "colocated data", is the practice of housing privately owned servers and networking equipment in a third-party data centre. This means you can enable your business to enjoy the benefits of a secure and professionally managed facility, without the need to build and maintain your own infrastructure.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF COLOCATION OVER IN-HOUSE HOSTING?

Colocation offers several benefits to your business, including enhanced security, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. By colocating your servers, you can achieve greater control over your IT infrastructure while reducing operational costs associated with maintaining your own facility.

If you do want on-premise storage to access locally, we work with customers to achieve this while also backing up their data in our data centre. Just watch our case study with Oxford Products to see it in action!

HOW CAN I BE SURE MY DATA IS SECURE IN A COLOCATION FACILITY?

Colocation data centres are known for more stringent security measures, which can include guards, access controls, and surveillance systems. Your data is housed in a secured facility with safeguards in place so you can rest assured that its confidentiality and integrity are protected.

When it comes to our Tier 3 data centres, all access to the building is controlled. Data centre access is via a biometric access control system, protected by an alarm and monitored by CCTV. We archive events from the alarm, CCTV footage and access control systems for a minimum of three months and they can be accessed on request.

If you're interested in coming on a tour to preview them beforehand, simply contact our team with your query.

CAN I EASILY SCALE MY IT INFRASTRUCTURE WITH COLOCATION SERVICES?

Absolutely. Colocation allows your business to scale its IT resources as needed. Whether you need additional space, power, or bandwidth, our colocation facilities offer the flexibility to accommodate your growing requirements.

Colocating your data is perfect for businesses that have fluctuating needs throughout the year, just take a look at our case study with Burgess Farms to see how it's perfect for their seasonal needs!

HOW IS POWER MANAGED IN A COLOCATION DATA CENTRE?

Colocation facilities typically feature uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and backup generators to ensure uninterrupted power availability. This redundancy is critical for maintaining uptime and protecting against power outages.

Our Tier 3 data centres have three backup generators, and our infrastructure provides a resilient and robust environment, protecting all critical systems in the event of a significant outage.

WHAT DISTINGUISHES COLOCATION FROM CLOUD SERVICES LIKE AZURE AND AWS?

While cloud services provide virtualised computing resources, colocation involves housing your physical servers in a data centre. Colocation offers a dedicated environment, providing more control over your hardware and infrastructure.

HOW CAN A COLOCATION FACILITY BENEFIT MY BUSINESS GEOGRAPHICALLY?

Colocation allows businesses to establish a presence in various geographic locations without the need to build separate data centers. This footprint enhances your network's reach, reducing latency and improving user experiences.

Our networks provide geographically diverse service resilience, which means that our service availability does not depend upon any single location, site or carrier network infrastructure. Find out more about the networks we use by downloading our Birmingham Data Centre Brochure!

HOW DO COLOCATION SERVICES ADDRESS DATA PRIVACY AND COMPLIANCE CONCERNS?

Colocation providers implement strict measures to ensure data privacy and compliance with industry regulations. This includes secure facilities, controlled access, and adherence to data protection standards.

Here at Intercity, our data centres facilities are ISO27001, ISO12000:1 and
ISO22301 certified. They're built to PSN and PCI standards, offering the assurance of secure data storage, in line with key compliance requirements. In addition to this, we are certified to Cyber Essentials Plus and can support environments with OFFICIAL/
OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE classification.

HOW DO COLOCATION SERVICES CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABILITY AND THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY?

Many colocation providers are committed to sustainability, incorporating renewable energy sources into their facilities. This eco-friendly approach aligns with the growing demand for environmentally conscious IT solutions.

It's important to work with partners that share your sustainability goals, and with our goal to be Net Zero by 2030 you can be sure we're storing your data in the most environmentally conscious ways. Check out our Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy to learn more.

HOW HAS COLOCATED DATA WORKED FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS?

We've helped Sport England migrate seamlessly between HQ's using our Colocation services, and we work with NHS Foundation Trust, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, with their CIO having this to say on our services:

"We wanted a cost-effective solution that would allow us to concentrate on our most important job, caring for patients, while saving space and money. To hold our information in a secure fashion we wanted experts in the field, who we could trust with our critical systems, and we are delighted to be working with Intercity Technology"

But take a look at our video case study with Burgess Farms to see how OpEx Colocation has helped their business grow, and is important for keeping their systems accessible 24/7 for potential audits.