There are a handful of well-known advantages to Colocation.  They include improved infrastructure, maximum security, and increased reliability.  Along with the commonly referred to benefits, there are a number of hidden (but obvious) benefits of colocation as well.

Colocation Allows Businesses to Focus on their Strengths
Unless a business is in the IT field, there is a high likelihood that IT is not their strength.  Colocation provides a variety of services which remove much of the IT burden from the customer.  Instead of spending time and money training new IT staff and overseeing day-to-day maintenance tasks, businesses can focus on their strengths.  This will not only make a business more efficient and productive, but also allows them to re-invest more money into what they are known for.

Colocation Equalizes the IT Playing Field
Small and medium sized businesses are never able to compete with larger businesses on the IT front if they all take the same approach.  While larger companies may have the assets necessary to manage all of the IT in-house, most businesses don’t.  Colocation provides smaller businesses to receive access to the same elite IT infrastructure that large corporations have without the high price-tag.  Colocation was designed to allow multiple smaller businesses to join forces in one facility to maximize their buying power.  This not only saves money, but provides access to top-flight infrastructure.

Colocation Helps Small Businesses Save Money
Colocation is often referred to as a cost-effective alternative to an in-house data center, but few understand all of the different ways businesses can experience cost savings.  The obvious benefit is that more buying power leads to lower prices.  For IT, the lower prices are seen in carrier fees and power rates.  The hidden benefit is that businesses have the option to expand or shrink their IT footprint at will.

This ensures they are only paying for what they need, when they need it.  There is no longer a concern about over-estimating their needs which leads to paying for unused resources.  On the flip side, under-estimating their needs will not arbitrarily restrict their growth because they can always increase their service requirements.

Businesses Get Immediate Access to New Technology
Most businesses are forced to budget for new IT technologies years in advance.  Colocation provides an opportunity for businesses to gain access to new technologies immediately.  Colocation provides an opportunity for smaller businesses to outsource their IT needs which allows them to purchase the latest technology without worrying about their IT staff having a knowledge gap.  Additionally, colocation providers understand that their data center is at the heart of their operation.  As such, they are constantly testing, improving, and implementing the latest technologies, techniques, and strategies.

Colocation provides numerous benefits to businesses of all sizes.  Some of these benefits are obvious, but are consistently overlooked.  Colocation allows businesses to focus on their strengths, equalizes the IT playing field, reduces costs and increases profit potential, and provides immediate access to the latest technologies.

Tony Walton writes articles about colocation and data centers in the Texas area. Tony believes companies should always think about customizable solutions that are tailored to meet their needs.