ZNetIndia.com Colocation – Cabinet / Rack Space preferences

Deciding to collocate your server hardware and network equipment is huge a move, one that calls for you to carefully consider numerous factors. Among the most important is space. After all, without enough space, collocating your equipment could be the equivalent to storing it in a small office closet, which would essentially defeat the overall purpose.

Full Cabinets vs. Shared Cabinets

Most colocation providers offer a wide variety of common space options. The old method involved purchasing a rack in a shared cage. The major disadvantage of this option relates to the sharing aspect. If someone sharing the cage comes in to work on implementing their rack, they could inadvertently but easily trip on a power cord or line and take down your collocated services. This can all be prevented by opting for a full secure locking cabinet. These cabinets are ideal because they are modular and isolated from such mishaps. In addition, they make it easy to add additional cabinets and assure that each individual unit is secure. Establishing cross connections is easy within state of the art colocation facilities. Because some providers charge extra for cross connecting, it is advisable to check into this to find out if the facility can accommodate the growth of your business.

The Benefits of Full Cabinets

While some can get away with leasing a shared cabinet, several others cannot. When contemplating your cabinet options, keep the following in mind:

Better Security – A full cabinet results in improved security because it is exclusive to your company. You don’t have to worry about sharing cabinet space with another company and all of the potential disasters that might come of it.

Higher Availability – Should you only buy a portion of a rack, you will be forced to share both cabinet space and power. Your server hardware would also rely on the same power circuit used by other companies sharing the cabinet. If that company happens to overload the circuit and causes an outage, your equipment will go down right along with theirs. By securing your own cabinet with its own dedicated power circuit, you can make sure your power is not being shared with others and prevent disasters like this from occurring.

Convenient Path to Upgrades – Another significant benefit of investing in a full cabinet from the very beginning is related to convenience. Let’s say that you initially leased a shared cabinet for two servers but now need to upgrade to something more. Well in order to do this, you would have to move your equipment to a new cabinet and set up the network again. More than likely, this will result in unnecessary and costly downtime for your business. You would be much better served by starting out with a cabinet size that provides for easy upgrades.

The point of colocation is to store your equipment in a secure environment where stability, performance and availability are ensured. Though some companies offer shared cabinets, these providers are not looking out for your best interests as growth will be restricted and threatened by many possible scenarios. If you even think that you will require more space in the near future, invest in a full cabinet and spare yourself the hassle.

Courtesy ZNetIndia.com