Why IT Is Increasing Investments in Colocation
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Why IT Is Increasing Investments in Colocation
Needing more scalable use of data with better network connectivity, data center managers are increasingly looking into colocation options. -
On the Radar
65% of the data center managers surveyed said they are currently using colocation, or plan to within the next 12 months. -
Expanding Footprint
57% said they expect their use of colocation services to increase over the next two years. -
Going Offsite
80% of the data center managers surveyed are using either off-premises or hybrid data centers. -
Multiple Paths
35% said they've expanded data center capacity within the past two years by adding to the data center without physically expanding it; 30% said they've done so by using the cloud without colocation; and 25% have expanded capacity with colocation. -
Multifunctional
52% of the data center managers surveyed use colocation data centers as a backup; 44% use them as primary data centers for computing and critical infrastructure; and more than 33% use them for cloud services. -
Biggest Drivers of Colocation
Better future scalability: 32%, Network and edge connectivity: 22%, Lack of staffing to support expansion: 13% -
Biggest Colocation Challenges
Cost: 45%, Security: 31%, Internal staffing: 18% -
Top Apps Moved to Colocation
Storage management: 74%, Email: 66%, Database services: 59%, Web servers: 54%, Communication/collaboration: 48%
A clear majority of data center managers said they are already using colocation or plan to do so shortly, according to a recent survey from Vertiv. The resulting "Colocation Data Center Usage Report" defines colocation as an environment that includes multi-tenant data centers, off-premises computing, managed hosting and cloud hosting data centers. Most survey respondents said they'll increase their investment in such services within the next two years. Many use colocation as a data center backup, but a significant number of them are turning to colocation for primary computing and critical infrastructure needs. However, they've encountered challenges along the way, in the form of cost and security concerns, among other issues. "The early stages of colocation deployment are now over for most companies, and they are looking at future IT application deployments in colocation and the cloud that are more diverse, complex and business-critical," according to the report. "Colocation providers will have to differentiate themselves with new services, especially around the cloud; will have to offer a greater number of services to capture larger customers; and will have to demonstrate price transparency to retain customers." More than 225 U.S. enterprise data center managers took part in the research.