One of the costs associated with server colocation is the amount of power you need to run your servers. Selecting power saving equipment will help ensure you do not utilize more power than allotted for the space you are renting. Additionally even if you have enough power based on your contract you may end up breaking a circuit if you use too much power. Therefore it's best to choose power-efficient equipment and work with your selected provider prior to purchasing equipment to make sure that you purchase the right equipment with the right power requirements.

With the proliferation of power-hungry equipment, it is becoming more common for colocation providers to meter power on a per customer basis. Those that do not meter power today will do so in the very near future. Don't be surprised when your provider incorporates this aspect into your monthly billing.

In addition to the amount of power you use, you will want to make sure the facility where you host your servers has failover such as batteries and generators in case of a power failure, and temperature control and monitoring to ensure your equipment does not overheat.

Prior to colocating, it is vital that you understand the power needs of your equipment. Is your equipment 110 V with standard plug connectors or does your equipment require special voltages, amperages or outlets? With many corporations moving to blade type server configurations, understanding power and cooling requirements is critical. These type of server usually require 204 V or pull more amps than most data center racks are equipped to handle. In addition, these types of servers generate an extreme amount of heat that must be removed from the data center.

Our co-location facilities include:

• Fully redundant high-capacity power feeds
• AC or DC power included
• Battery UPS back-up to generator power
• Fully redundant HVAC system
• Controlled temperature and humidity
• Remote outlet management
• Fire-threat detection and suppression (including pre-warning systems)