Colocation Facilities
Not all colocation data center facilities are created equal! The colocation facility will be the home for your equipment and the data and services that it hosts. You are going to want a facility that offers the right set of features to support your colocation project. Here's a list of key attributes for a winning colocation facility - you'll want to question a potential provider on each point to ensure that their offering includes these features:
24/7 Technical Staffing. This is an absolute must. There are many providers out there whom operate what are known as "dark" colocation facilities: data centers which are unattended for part or all of the day. If something goes wrong, or a colocation client needs help that requires physical presence, a technician must be dispatched to the facility, resulting in delays of sometimes an hour or more before service is rendered. Do not settle for this! Choose a colocation facility that is staffed with knowledgeable and competent technicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.
24/7 Facility Access. You should be able to gain access to your equipment in the colocation facility whenever you need to, without making arrangements in advance, and have the ability to designate others to do so as well. While installing or removing equipment usually will require prior authorization, working on your equipment in the colocation facility should be unrestricted and available at any time.
 Data Center Security. You'll want to know that your equipment is safe. Unless you lease an entire data cabinet for your exclusive use, you will likely be sharing colocation data cabinet space with other customers, so you'll want to know that no one has access to your cabinet other than those who have a right to be there. The ideal colocation facility will have round-the-clock security measures in effect, including individually locking data cabinets, keycard access to the data center floor, a sign-in / sign-out access control system with positive ID required, 24-hour closed circuit monitoring of every data cabinet, perimeter security, and more.
 Conditioned and Backed-up Power. The colocation data center should provide conditioned and smoothed power, backed up by both battery arrays and a continuous prime generator, to offer uninterrupted power for an indefinite period.
Enviromental Controls. The data center's internal temperature and humidity should be constant year-round, and at optimum level for the operation of sensitive electronics. Futhermore, airflow through each and every data cabinet in should be facilitated to ensure that heat pockets are minimized.
 On-Site Professional Services. Though you will likely perform most installation, maintenance and repair work on your own equipment, there may be times when it is not convenient or feasible for you to do. For this reason, the colocation facility should offer professional services, which you can hire to take care of these kinds of tasks should you need to. This in turn requires that the colocation data center maintains a staff that has knowledge in a broad range of hardware and software.
Reputation, Years In Business and Core Competency. While the "new kid on the block" may be generating some excitement, there is much to be said for the a colocation service provider that has been around for a long time, consistently providing a high level of service to a wide range of satisfied customers. There are many, many hosting companies that offer colocation as a adjunct to their 'main' sevice of hosting web pages and web sites. A provider who's primary (or only) focus is colocation is best suited to provide for your needs as a customer, as they are not distracted with other business pursuits.
All of the colocation service providers referenced on this site provide the essential features described above. Many other providers do not, so you are advised to shop and compare very carefully when evaluating providers!
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