Insight

So, you have built yourself a small data center for your growing business. You have a few servers and things seem to be going alright — but could they be better? Even if your data center is supplying your needs right now, a good business-mindset would keep you focused on ways to improve your business and stop wasting money. Unfortunately, you might not even know the ways you are wasting money, so we have put together a small list of reasons you are simply letting your money slip away by not using a data center for your company’s IT needs.

#1: Bandwidth

Bandwidth is a huge factor when running a successful data center, as you may have already figured out. Unfortunately it is not usually unlimited for any individual business with access to only one internet service provider, neither is it very cheap. Not only are data centers located in areas where a number of high-quality internet providers overlap, they have more purchasing power than you, and can therefore negotiate better prices. Another wall that may prove to be annoying is that lying high-bandwidth fiber can simply be out of reach for most businesses with small data centers. This is because the price of laying fibers just to reach your business is often estimated at $10,000 per mile.

Here is another thing to consider — If you think that the simple cost of your monthly usage is the only way your business will be paying due to bandwidth, then you are sorely mistaken. As your business grows, you...

Many small businesses are finding that they are expanding and, therefore, have increased IT infrastructure needs. This can present itself as the increased need for data storage, online communication, or product orders. It’s possible you have already invested in building a small private data center, or maybe you have only recently realized your increased need and are looking to resolve it.

Whatever the case, you are likely already familiar with the fact that building and maintaining a private data center can become very stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. Purchasing the right server equipment, installing the cables and cooling systems necessary, along with keeping knowledgeable staff on-site to help you solve any problems that are sure to arise, can become an unnecessary strain on your business, and can ultimately steal your focus away from real money-making pursuits.

There are many ways that colocation services can improve your business and make your life easier, but let’s focus on the two main benefits that these services offer.

#1: Reliability

When you decide to install your own server equipment on-site at your business, you are choosing to take on a huge amount of risk. The likelihood that you chose the location of your business due to the wonderful internet reliability is very low. Most likely, the location of your business was driven by the high physical traffic of potential customers, not the reliability and cost-effectiveness of running...