| By :
Dirik Hameed
The top five features of any good colocation UK provider include proximity, reputation, carrier-neutrality, network stability and facility features. This is because with UK colocation you're given complete control over both the software and hardware. This is why proximity is important; you need to be able to easily access your co-location facility whenever you need to. A nearer co-location facility will likewise save you on gas or commuting expenses. But it is also important to keep in mind that the best co-location providers give their users free remote hands support. With this feature, you will save more time and effort since you won't need to visit thefacility just to do certain routine tasks like installing drivers and rebooting. In almost every co-location facility, most clients are far away in various geographical locations. Clients that are far away normally mean that the colocation provider is able to deal with problems even though the clients are not located nearby. For these clients, most maintenance tasks are done via remote control. They also make use of the remote hands service when some tasks need human intervention. Proximity and accessibility are crucial factors that you need to consider. Reputation is also something you should look into. This is important since you'll usually be dealing with the colo provider for a long period of time. You must ensure whether the service provided is of quality and if it is reliable or not. Your colo provider should be able to give you references. You should take their hesitation or unwillingness as a warning sign. Carrier neutrality is likewise an important thing to look into. Basically this means that your colo provider is not reliant on a few carriers exclusively for bandwidth. Lack of carrier neutrality could mean unstable service and limited resources. Any good colo facility will have redundant connections from several different providers. Sometimes internet connections go down. With at least two connections you can automatically continue working even if one goes down. The network should likewise be expandable and stable. It is of utmost importance that the co-location provider has access to super fast internet. The best colocationproviders have direct connections to carrier networks; but as long as the provider has redundant connections, you should be good to go. You can check the connections by asking for an IP target within their network and running packet tests against that. Other things to inspect include the features of the co-location facility. You should opt for a co-location provider that allows you to have physical access at all time and days of the week. You should make sure it is staffed with properly trained experts who are present all the time. Likewise you should also look into the safety and security of the facility, by checking key-card lock access, CCTVs, and proper ID requirements.
|