Co-location and Data Center Consulting Services

Can you pick the specific rack size you need? The center should be flexible and offer customized and standardized solutions. The availability of additional space, reliability of power and connectivity are all key. A provider that cannot scale with you should be avoided.

You want to choose a data center that is easily customizable and scale as you grow. The following questions should be asked: Are you able to choose the size of your cabinet? Is there enough room in the data center in case you need to grow? How fast can I get more racks up in case I need them?

You want the power to choose which internet carrier you want to use. Different providers have different offerings and depending on the location and your office buildings, providers may or may not be able to service you. Don’t let the data center push one company over the other, you should have the freedom to choose which carrier to use. Ensure that the data center you are considering offers many different options and that you have the freedom to choose the one you want.

Choose a location that is accessible and within a reasonable distance from your office. You want to be able to go to the physical location easily just in case you want to carry out activities such as servicing and upgrading your equipment. Consider natural disasters in Hawaii and ensure that the data center is not vulnerable to any of them. Ask them how near or far is the nearest body of water? How far above sea level?

You want to ensure that the data center has adequate security allowing the right people in the data center and the wrong people out. You also want to make sure security is failsafe. Is the colo using the latest technology for security? Don’t be afraid to ask the following questions:

What type of security do you have at your facility? How will you be protecting my system? What do I need to enter the facility? How can my staff get access to my servers? What if an employee no longer works for my company, how will I ensure that they will not be let in?

You want to choose the most reliable data center on the island. This refers to the measure of uptime. A good data center should have an uptime of 99.9999%. Check for certification to ensure the company has the documented uptime and SLA. Ask, how reliable is your data center? When was the last time you were down and why? What did you do?

The speed of the infrastructure and how long it takes before it is fully running is important. It should be quick to set up, efficient and allow your potential vendors to communicate swiftly and in a timely manner.

Ask to see financial reports. Choosing a data center that is collapsing financially could be disastrous to your business. The last thing you want is a data center to potentially close its doors a few years after choosing them. To gain more insight into the company’s stability, look at its financial resources, scrutinize the firm’s financial reports, financial history and ask about its future expansion plans.

Find out how they are keeping your servers cool. Data centers generate a lot of heat from the multitude of servers running at the same time. You want to know what their cooling strategy is in order to keep your systems cool so your system doesn’t overheat.

Customer service and building a close relationship with your colo company is extremely important. Some of our clients are unhappy with who they have chosen and are locked in for a long period of time. Do your research and don’t be afraid to find customers and ask them for their opinion, or contact us and we’ll tell you the truth. We have partnerships with multiple data centers in Hawaii. Don’t go in blind and get locked into a contract that won’t work for you.