Managed colocation – what it is and why it’s superior to on-premise solutions

In 2017, 65% of enterprise workloads were still in on-premises data centres. But there are more cost effective and secure options available through colocation. As information technology pushes forward on its pursuit to world domination, the more it becomes an essential mainstay of your business. Gone are the days where IT was just simply a department of your organisation; now, it is the foundation of pretty much every aspect of the enterprise. As we wave goodbye to the redundant pen and paper, and welcome with open arms the arrival of more innovative technology, have we really thought through how it’s all going to be managed?  

What is managed colocation?

You may have heard the term ‘colocation’, which is where a business’s IT infrastructure and equipment is housed on a third-party service provider’s premises. But ‘managed colocation’ takes this to the next level. Managed colocation is where the third party hosting your IT takes on the responsibility of managing your business’s IT infrastructure. This could mean not only looking after server hardware, but also managing the operating system, applications, databases and more. This way, you can add true expertise to you organisation through its IT. But what are its other benefits?  

“The data centres are 24x7x365 manned secure facilities, protected by perimeter security cameras, infrared night vision and internal CCTV monitoring”

Safe and sound

Your data is extremely precious, and just like a prized item, you might want to keep it as close as possible to you at all times ­– because that means it’s safe, right? Not necessarily… Unless you have the right security measures in place, it doesn’t matter how close your IT is, it is still vulnerable. Do you have the budget to invest in essential round-the-clock security? By colocating your IT in a trusted data centre, you are providing your business with the maximum security available. At SCC, our award-winning data centre facilities have multiple levels of physical security inside and outside. The data centres are 24x7x365 manned secure facilities, protected by perimeter security cameras, infrared night vision and internal CCTV monitoring of all entrances and the security desk. SCC is also suitable to host Official Sensitive data through its SCC Sentinel platform, a secure multi-tenanted cloud solution, accredited by Public Service Network (PSN) Authority.  

Super support

Retaining your technical staff is essential to an on-premise solution, as once they leave, they take all their knowledge with them, and replacing them won’t be easy. With a managed colocation solution, this will never be a worry. At SCC, our technical experts can fill your knowledge gaps, helping you make key decisions when it comes to your IT. We also provide all the physical support you need, leaving you never having to worry about power and cooling. SCC has an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) plus an effective disaster recovery solution – in the event of anything going wrong, does your on-premises solution have appropriate processes in place? SCC has made a significant investment in designing and building state-of-the-art facilities with the latest power and cooling technology. It prioritises ensuring stable conditions all day, every day with continuous power from dual feeds, resilient generators and UPS systems, redundant cooling infrastructure, cold aisle containment and VESDA fire suppression and protection.  

Significant savings 

If you’re worried about the cost of a managed colocation solution then you needn’t worry. Colocation is a CapEx free alternative to operating and maintaining your own IT facilties infrastructure and you can significantly reduce your basic running costs. By no longer supplying the cooling, power, bandwidth and physical security for your servers you could save a small fortune. As well as this, you’ll be using up less physical space, giving you the option to downsize or put off an expensive move for a few more years. Want to find out how you will benefit from a managed colocation solution? Speak to SCC and get a quote today.