4 ways colocation services are changing to meet demands

Changes are ahead for the wholesale colocation as a data center solution, experts predicted at a summit recently hosted by research firm Gartner, Inc., in Las Vegas. With demands increasing for companies to meet technology trends, companies are adjusting the way they think about data center solutions.

Gartner research director Bob Gill pointed to numerous trends in the colocation industry. Here are 4 ways the colocation will change in the coming years.

1. Bifurcation. Although some colocation providers are expanding to provide additional services, including managed services, hosting, cloud and interconnection, others will be relied on to provide traditional services such as space, power and cooling at a cost-effective rate.

2. Increased flexibility. Clients will seek more capacity and density options from colocation centers as they better understand their needs. They also will seek more flexibility in capacity commitments.

3. Extended role of DCIM. Colocation centers will increasingly use data center infrastructure management software to boost efficiency, using it to provide clients with insights into their power usage.

4. Accommodating IoT and Big Data. With more and more connected devices hitting the market, companies will need extra data center capacity to handle the demand. Colocation facilities will serve as external aggregation points for that IoT, as well as the place where the data is processed.

At Lifeline Data Centers, we will provide the expert solutions you need to meet the demands in your industry. Contact us for more information or for a tour of our facility.

Other resources:

• Infographic: The 22 Data Center Compliance Acronyms You Need to Know
• White Paper: Why Data Center Compartmentalization is Important
• Lifeline One Sheet: What You Need to Know About Lifeline Data Centers

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.