Tag Archives: colocation

Colocation Eases Scalability Worries

Posted on by gregl

Pressures on data centers to quickly grow or shrink – depending on immediate demands on the enterprise from internal or external users – continues to make colocation an attractive option, especially in these days of cloud computing.

“Colocation offers scalability,” says Caroline Brelsford, head of national accounts with Houston-based CyrusOne. “If an enterprise grows quickly, the storage and power will be there. If it grows more slowly than anticipated, the enterprise hasn’t spent money on facilities that are underused. That means you’re not trying to build five or 10 years out without a crystal ball.”

(Good thing for EasyStreet customers – we offer both cloud AND colocation services. Or even an integration of the two.)

 

Colocation a ‘No Brainer’

Posted on by gregl

Decisions to outsource IT infrastructure can sometimes put CIOs through grueling analyses, but other times the decision is too evident to ignore.

“I’m in the process of signing a contract for colocation right now,” Ted Maulucci, CIO of Tridel Corporation, a condominium builder based in North York, Ontario, recently told SearchCIO.com.

Tridel recently contracted for new telecommunications services and is moving to a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) infrastructure. Price was a consideration in the outsourcing decision, but virtualization was the tipping point, Maulucci explained.

“Given that we have pretty much virtualized and are making the investment in MPLS, the colocation was almost a no-brainer,” Maulucci said. “It could give us many disaster options that we previously did not have.” He said he also considers colocation to be a sound investment for creating a level of redundancy.

Costs and People Remain Reasons for Data Center Outsourcing

Posted on by Karen Karger

Though it’s a couple of years old now, a survey of data centers conducted by Enterprise Systems and SourcingMag.com explored reasons why companies outsource their data centers. Like good wine, the reasons may be even more pertinent today.

The number one reason – reported by 44 percent of respondents – was to reduce costs. “Colocation and dedicated server hosting can eliminate large-scale data center investments,” according to the survey findings. “Colocation enables CIOs to expand their data center footprint only on an as-needed basis rather than invest in an entire expansion up front.”

The second and third top reasons involve people resources. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they were outsourcing their data center to gain outside IT resources. “CIOs can get access to very experienced data center staff that are shared across a ‘multi-tenant’ data center environment without needing to hire their own full-time experts in networking, security, cooling, power and data center services,” the survey stated.

In the process, internal IT people are freed up, which is what 31 percent of respondents were seeking. “By reducing the day-to-day maintenance chores, the in-house IT team can concentrate on core applications and deliverables and leave the data center operations to the colocation or dedicated server hosting operator,” according to the survey findings.

Colocation: An Ideal Approach for the Cloud

Posted on by gregl

Cloud computing is emerging as the driving force in IT, with IDC predicting that spending on cloud services will leap from $16 billion in 2008 to a whopping $42 billion by 2012. The inevitable challenge facing IT organizations large and small is how to prepare for this “cloud revolution.”

Managed Services Providers (MSPs) such as EasyStreet offer an ideal solution, according to Interxion’s senior VP of marketing, Kevin Dean, writing in last week’s issue of Data Center Knowledge. Interxion, headquartered in The Netherlands, is Europe’s leading provider of colocation services.

“Ultimately, what will be vital to the success of cloud computing, and to those wanting to take full advantage of its benefits, is a reliable infrastructure that can scale, while simultaneously providing the required connectivity and security,” Dean states. “Colocation data centers are growing because they satisfy the basic need to access useful information, quickly, at lowest cost and with minimal risk. More and more companies are realizing the benefits of having a portion of their data processing, storage and networking needs in a third-party facility to help ensure their operations can continue free of disruption.”

 Colocation facilities can be key to reliable performance and continuous availability — both critical to successfully accessing the cloud. “The environment found in such data centers also provides significant economies of scale, which helps keep costs to a minimum at this critical stage in the development of cloud services,” Dean adds.

Managing data center growth: Consolidate, colocate or move to the cloud?

Posted on by Karen Karger

I ran across a  TechTarget article this morning that offers up some alternatives when you’re out of room or power, facing security threats, or forced to meet new compliance requirements in your corporate data center. The author presents compelling “pros” and “cons” for each alternative, including hardware consolidation, colocation and the Cloud. (I must point out that the colocation con about limited physical access isn’t true at EasyStreet — as long as you are authorized, badged and fingerprinted, you can access your equipment 24/7 as an EasyStreet colocation customer.)

What works for your organization may depend on its size. The author says, “A small business that depends on high Web traffic will benefit from a simple managed Web hosting solution, which may be the most economical solution.” He further suggests that many midrange companies may find colocation services “an ideal compromise between renting space on preconfigured servers and owning an expensive data center.”

You can read the entire article here. What growth management strategies might your company consider in 2010?

EasyStreet celebrates 10 years of colocation services

Posted on by Karen Karger

Everybody loves a reason to celebrate so EasyStreet recently provided one for our colocation customers. Our first customer signed up for colocation in November 1998 so it gave us a reason to party! Many of our colocation customers joined us, including John Schmitt of OakTree Digital, who won our cool prize for the earliest colo customer to attend. (OakTree came on board in May of 1999.) Following is a picture of John receiving his award — The Internet Now in Handy Book Form. (We also gave him a nice bottle of Chardonnay from Holloran Vineyard Wines in West Linn. Bill Holloran, who owns the winery and is president of Content Management Associates, Inc., is also a long-time EasyStreet colocation customer.) Small world, huh?

John Schmitt from OakTree Digital became an EasyStreet colocation customer in May 1999.

John Schmitt from OakTree Digital became an EasyStreet colocation customer in May 1999.

Thank you to all of our loyal EasyStreet customers — colocation and otherwise.

Celebrating 10 years of colocation services with many of our customers.

Celebrating 10 years of colocation services with many of our colo customers.