Colocation is enjoying strong growth and is an important area of business for data centre operators, especially Internet and cloud providers. By operating their customers’ servers directly within their own data centres, these providers offer companies a better link to the necessary Internet and cloud resources. Customers are also spared the expense of running their own data centres and the associated IT infrastructures. In data centres, however, this configuration places particularly high demands on racks, power supplies, climate control, network connections, reliability and monitoring.
Colocation creates a win-win situation for data centre operators and their customers
Some servers and storage systems belonging to a company are not even located on its own business premises. They are accommodated elsewhere – in the data centre of the telecommunications provider supplying the cloud and Internet connection, for instance. In this case, physical operation of the company’s IT systems takes place at an external location. This is known as “colocation” or “server housing”.
Colocation solutions often form part of hybrid cloud concepts in which companies combine their own private cloud infrastructure with a public cloud. This concept offers customers several advantages. Their systems are linked directly to their cloud or Internet provider’s infrastructure and network elements, and they can save themselves the expense of providing and running the necessary environments on their own premises. Consequently, colocation has now become an important area of business for companies operating all kinds of data centres.
Skutečné uspořádání se liší. V případě maloobchodní kolokace si zákazník pronajímá relativně malý omezený prostor v datovém centru – například rackové moduly nebo celý rack. Při použití velkoobchodního kolokačního modelu poskytovatel obvykle pronajímá větší jednotky. Často jsou kombinovány s dalšími službami nebo jsou aspekty infrastruktury přizpůsobeny požadavkům (velkých) zákazníků. V obou případech je datové centrum zodpovědné za napájení, řízení klimatu a v případě potřeby i monitorování. Dalším klíčovým problémem je fyzická a IT bezpečnost umístěných systémů. V závislosti na požadavcích zákazníka to může vést až k provozování hostovaných systémů v jejich vlastních uzavřených oblastech datového centra a jejich ochraně pomocí propracovaných funkcí řízení přístupu. Poskytovatelé kolokačních řešení musí používat vhodná technická řešení, aby svým zákazníkům zajistili zaručenou úroveň bezpečnosti, kterou musí prokázat.
Colocation environments require long-term planning
The rack systems used for colocation services must be designed specifically for the relevant circumstances. If several customers are sharing one server rack, compartment racks are recommended. In the event of sole use by a single customer, on the other hand, conventional server and network racks are adequate. In both cases, details count. Quick and easy installation and expansion of the rack systems is a must, for instance. To keep a rack’s entire capacity available for the customer systems installed there, height units should not be used for cable routing, cooling or power supply purposes. The necessary interfaces to overarching climate control systems and for monitoring purposes must also be available. Since systems of this kind represent a long-term investment, they must be planned and implemented looking far into the future.
Rittal is familiar with and satisfies all colocation requirements
A great many colocation service providers work with Rittal. They do so because our top-quality solutions maximise availability, ensure reliable production and logistics, and meet all the relevant international standards. The entire RiMatrix system and the compartment rack product line geared specifically to colocation meet the high demands of data centre operators and their customers relating to racks for use in colocation applications.