Three stages are required to plan for global colocation consolidation. Each set focuses only on one aspect of the move. These include the staff, equipment, and facility.
Consolidation Stage 1: The Facility
From a facility perspective, global colocation offers multiple options for consolidation. Global colocation makes it easy to reduce the number of data centers that a business uses. Multiple more significant hubs can be used to serve various locations instead of having a separate data center for each site. This has been tried by some businesses that use a different colocation provider for each location. This is better than having another data center at each location. However, partnering up with one global colocation provider offers additional benefits.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a reliable global colocation provider. The two most important aspects are the available space and the ongoing cost of operations. These factors will have the most significant impact on the facility’s long-term satisfaction. Additional characteristics like security and resistance to disasters will also play an essential role in the decision-making process.
Consolidation Stage 2 Equipment
After consolidating the facilities, it is time to reduce the IT equipment. The next step is to reduce the amount of IT equipment by using virtualization and cloud computing technologies. It is much more expensive to maintain multiple data centers than it is to support global colocation hubs.
Relying less on equipment can reduce overall operating costs, which leads to substantial long-term cost savings. The company also gains access to large quantities of spare parts, which helps reduce maintenance costs. Because replacement parts and complete replacement machines are readily available, it speeds up the process of equipment failure recovery.
Consolidation Stage 3: Staff
Many companies are reluctant to participate in global colocation consolidation opportunities because they don’t want to reduce their IT staff. This fear is often misplaced, however. Effective reorganization is better than downsizing IT staff. It maximizes the benefits of a consolidated IT environment. This allows for a minor team to concentrate on equipment at global colocation facilities. A more significant proportion of IT staff can be devoted to meeting the business’s IT needs.
Companies have the opportunity to save money and time through global colocation. To reduce the number and amount of equipment used, as well as IT staff dedicated to equipment off-site, consolidation strategies can be applied. This not only saves money over the long-term but also allows equipment and IT staff, more value by focusing on specific skills and purposes.
George Baylor believes that there are many things to take into consideration when evaluating global colocation facilities. His articles inform readers about the differences between data centers. These features can dramatically affect the cost of a provider’s service, allowing readers to decide if it is worth the investment.