Right size your footprint
When looking to colocation space, make sure to size your power needs appropriately. Most businesses oversize their power for the equipment that they are running. While IT hardware is becoming more compute and power dense, the power efficiencies are improving. Do not just base your need on the listed power capacity of your gear. Check your PDUs or UPS systems for the actual utilization.
Move Disaster Recovery first
If you are testing the waters on moving your IT infrastructure from your own facility to a colocation space and uncertain if it is the right move for your organization, start with your Disaster Recovery site and improve your business continuity.
Consider Redundancies that you Need
Evaluate why you want to move your infrastructure. Some do it to check off a box for audits, some do it for added redundancy, some do it so they no longer need to manage data center themselves. Whatever the reasons, align your priorities
- 2N electrical
- Redundant UPS systems
- Connectivity and fiber paths
Seek Flexibility
When moving your facility, look to colocation providers that offer flexibility for your future needs. This may be shown in connectivity solutions provided, speed in which they can deploy services, contract terms, and fees incurred.
- General rule of thumb: The more mature the organization, the more rigid policy is.
Locally owned and run colocations tend to favor clients and flexibility
Get to know your team
The data center operations team of the colocation facility will typically be the extension of your IT team. Talk to the operations team as much as you can before making your decision. Contract with them as though you are seeking to hire them directly, because you essentially are.
Repost from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-center-evaluation-bare-necessities-mackenzie-perry/
