Why You Shouldn’t Choose Between Colocation and Cloud Data Storage

The importance of a solid business continuity strategy that includes strong security measures has been trumpeted in the headlines recently through the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. Any time secure data storage is the topic of conversation, the discussion always includes a debate on the merits of cloud storage versus colocation.

At the heart of the debate is the balance between accessible, secure storage and the cost of handling, processing and analyzing the flood of data that enterprises must now manage. Many consider the merits of colocation versus cloud storage as if they are mutually exclusive options, but the best solution for affordable, secure data storage probably lies in a combination of these two approaches.

Many companies opt for cloud storage because they believe it will offer the greatest cost savings, but the reality is often different. Cold data storage retrieval can unexpectedly drive up costs, and it’s difficult for a front-line employee accessing an old record to have a clear picture of how their retrieval impacts costs, or for those receiving statements to track down the line item among thousands that detail these types of costs. As a result, costs can go up without detection.

What most enterprises need is a combination of colocation and cloud storage that helps them achieve their business continuity goals while managing costs. A cloud-neutral colocation center is the ideal solution for combining cloud data storage with colocation. A cloud-neutral facility has the following features:

• The ability to bring in data from any cloud provider that meets the enterprise’s needs.
• Proximity to important vendors.
• The ability to access public cloud providers, and the infrastructure to have dedicated services.
• The capacity to handle scaling as necessary.

Data storage is always about more than costs. Today’s enterprise also prioritizes security for their choice between colocation, cloud storage or a combination of the two. The physical location of the colocation center should be one of the considerations in choosing a solution, with a remote data center able to avoid some of the threats that can affect larger cities. One that’s not in a variable climate also reduces the risk of a natural disaster destroying critical data.

A cloud neutral colocation center offers the best of everything, including redundancy, reliability and a low-cost approach to mission-critical data storage.

To discuss the best approach for your data storage, contact us at One Connect. We can help you determine whether colocation is a good fit for meeting your business continuity requirements for data.