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Tell us about your infrastructure requirements and how to reach you, and one of team members will be in touch shortly.
Let us know which data center you'd like to visit and how to reach you, and one of team members will be in touch shortly.
Colocation bridges the gap between traditional in-house data centers and the public cloud. It has become a popular solution for businesses of all sizes. Colocation works in much the same way regardless of where the colocation facility is based. There are, however, some differences between different areas. With that in mind, here is a quick guide to colocation in Cleveland.
Historically, Cleveland’s economy was based on manufacturing. Manufacturing continues to play a key role in the economy of modern Cleveland. The city has, however, diversified and is now also an important base for many other business sectors, particularly healthcare, financial and professional services and technology.
Cleveland’s technology sector is very much integrated into the overall business landscape. For example, smart technologies are being used to boost the productivity of the manufacturing sector through automation. Although Cleveland is not particularly known as a start-up hub, the city does have a strong commitment to supporting technological progress.
In terms of size, companies based in Cleveland range from Fortune 500 brands to SMBs and microbusinesses. Likewise, some of the city’s businesses have only been recently founded while others have a historic presence in the city.
The main benefits and challenges of colocation in Cleveland are essentially the same as the main benefits and challenges of colocation elsewhere. There are, however, certain specific characteristics of colocation in Cleveland that are important to note.
Here are the five key benefits of colocation in Cleveland.
Probably the single biggest selling point of colocation is that it is highly cost-effective. Unlike building an in-house data center, it has minimal upfront costs. Unlike using the public cloud, increased usage does not result in increased fees. Additionally, costs for colocation are often more predictable than costs for using the public cloud.
Colocation is not as scalable as the public cloud. It is, however, vastly more scalable than in-house data centers. It’s likely to be scalable enough for most businesses at least most of the time. If extra power is needed, it can be supplemented by the public cloud.
Using colocation also provides businesses with the opportunity to customize their infrastructure exactly as they wish. This means that it can accommodate the most niche of requirements.
As with the public cloud, ensuring that essential infrastructure remains available is the service provider’s responsibility. The customer is only responsible for managing their own assets.
Admittedly, using colocation does place a bit more responsibility on the customer but this can be delegated to service providers.
The issue of guaranteed availability is particularly relevant to Cleveland, mainly because of its climate. Hot summers, cold winters and thunderstorms all pose challenges for business continuity.
Many colocation facilities also offer managed services. This is also the case in Cleveland. Even if they do not, or customers do not want to use them, Cleveland’s technology industry is big enough to have a wide selection of alternatives.
Throughout history, Cleveland’s location has been a strategic advantage. This is still the case today. For businesses that have employees or customers in or near Cleveland, using colocation in Cleveland can be a very attractive option.
Here are the five key challenges of colocation in Cleveland.
Competitive landscape: The fact that colocation in Cleveland is popular does have its drawbacks. In particular, it means that businesses need to evaluate vendors and their pricing structures very carefully.
Local connectivity considerations: As with any city, some parts of Cleveland have more and/or better connectivity options than others. It’s vital to evaluate a colocation facility’s proximity to network hubs and ability to provide low-latency connections.
Urban challenges: Urban challenges, such as traffic, may affect the physical access to colocation facilities in Cleveland. Businesses should factor in these considerations when planning equipment maintenance or upgrades. For example, it’s generally best to schedule around large-scale events such as major sports matches.
Extreme weather events: Cleveland has always had an extreme climate with hot summers and cold winters. Over recent years, it has experienced drought, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and wildfires. This means that effective disaster preparedness is a must.
Customization complexity: Although Cleveland has a robust technology sector it is not (yet) one of the USA’s major technology hubs and certainly not a global one. For most businesses this is unlikely to be an issue. If, however, you have very niche requirements, you may struggle to get local help. With that said, remote support may be sufficient.
If you are looking for colocation services in Cleveland, DataBank is an excellent choice. DataBank has a state-of-the-art data center in Cleveland, which offers 7,440 square feet of raised floor space, and 0.4MW critical IT load. Learn more about DataBank’s Cleveland data centers.
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