A Simple Guide To Colocation in Waco

Businesses have enthusiastically adopted colocation as a way to combine the key benefits of in-house data centers with the key benefits of the public cloud. Although colocation is used all over the world, there are some minor, but important differences from area to area. With that in mind, here is a simple guide to colocation in Waco.

An overview of the Waco business landscape

Situated about halfway between Dallas and Austin, Waco is a lot more than just a staging post between the two larger cities. It is the county seat of McLennan County and has a thriving economy of its own.

Building on its agricultural roots, Waco continues to thrive in agribusiness. The region’s fertile land supports farming activities, and agribusiness plays a pivotal role in sustaining both the local economy and the broader Texas agricultural landscape.

Waco also has a strong manufacturing sector, with a focus on aerospace. The presence of major aerospace companies contributes significantly to the city’s economic vitality. In particular, they provide employment and training opportunities for the city’s many students.

The academic network, in particular, the presence of Texas State Technical College is also proving useful to the city as it works to develop its technology sector. Although Waco is still a long way off from being considered a major tech hub, its technology sector is definitely growing.

The benefits of colocation in Waco

The main benefits of colocation in Waco are largely the same as the main benefits of colocation in any other location.

Straightforward access to a strategic location: Using colocation in Waco is strategic not just for serving Waco itself but also for serving Dallas and Austin.

Cost-effectiveness: In addition to the general cost-effectiveness of colocation, using colocation in Waco can be a very cost-effective way to serve Dallas and Austin.

Predictable costs: Another significant benefit of colocation is that its costs tend to be much easier to predict than the cost of using the public cloud. This makes it easier to budget and manage cash flow.

Scalability with customizability: With colocation, you have the flexibility to scale your operations together with the control to customize your equipment.

Convenience: With colocation, the customer simply has to manage their own equipment and user accesses. The colocation vendor takes care of providing the data center infrastructure.

Factors influencing the cost of colocation in Waco

Here is a quick overview of the 7 main factors influencing the cost of colocation in Waco.

Location and physical space requirements

Waco is both relatively small and relatively affordable compared to other cities (including its neighbors, Dallas and Austin). Even so, it is still a city and it is also a county seat. These facts are reflected in its real estate costs. Real estate costs are, in turn, factored into the cost of colocation in Waco.

As with most cities, there is some level of variation in real estate costs in different areas. These generally reflect the quality of the infrastructure in that area, particularly the network connectivity.

The amount of physical space you require will also influence the cost of colocation in Waco. This, however, is one factor over which you have a high degree of control. Specifically, you can prioritize space optimization when creating your plans for the facility.

Tier level

The tier level is essentially a measure of a data center’s resilience as measured by uptime and fault tolerance. This is highly relevant to colocation in Waco as the city is very exposed to severe winds, usually hurricanes but sometimes tornadoes. Colocation facilities with higher tier levels tend to charge higher prices.

Security and compliance

All colocation vendors in Waco will be expected to maintain robust security and comply with mainstream data-protection programs (e.g. PCI/DSS). If, however, you need or want a vendor that can go further than this, you can expect costs to increase.

Network connectivity options

In most cities, network connectivity is a major point of competition between colocation vendors and this is certainly true of colocation in Waco. Colocation facilities situated near network hubs can usually charge a premium for this.

Power requirements and energy efficiency

There are several compelling reasons for all modern businesses to prioritize energy efficiency. These include sustainability objectives, cost, and reputation management. Energy efficiency is particularly relevant to colocation in Waco as the city can get very hot, particularly in summer. This means that cooling needs to be a major consideration.

On-site support and SLAs

As with all areas of managed services, the more a vendor does for you and the quicker they do it, the more they will charge for their services.

Contract length and flexibility

Again, as with all areas of managed services, the more commitment you can offer, the more likely the vendor is to reciprocate with favorable terms. By contrast, the more flexibility you want, the more you can expect to pay.

Colocation Waco

If you are looking for colocation services in Waco, DataBank is an excellent choice. DataBank has a state-of-the-art data center in Waco, which offers 14,210 square feet of raised floor space, and 0.8MW critical IT load. Learn more about DataBank’s Waco data center.