Colocation providers have very few tasks, but need to do them well. One of those critical tasks is to facilitate connectivity between customers. Here are some ideas to make your colocation data center that much better connectivity wise.
Build your data center accordingly
The first step needs to be done at the early age of your data center. Any colocation facility needs one or more meet-me-room (s), multiple carrier rooms and multiple cable conduits.
These elements are the foundations to be able to scale connectivity in a data center.
Pre-deploy cross connects
Most of the cost related to cross connects comes from the work needed to pass the cable. By pre-deploying common cables (CAT6 copper and single mode fiber cables) to customer pods, when the time comes to deliver cross connects, only the last few meters need to be done.
With this process, you can probably reduce deployment delay from 24-48 hours to 4-12 hours.
Host an Internet exchange
Internet exchanges are a must-have for good connectivity. IX’s bring cheap and fast connectivity within metro areas. Although it’s not always easy to have interest for an IX if your data center is close to another IX (ex: downtown Montreal), but if you operate a hyperscale data center outside of downtown, it’s very cost effective for your clients to use a local internet exchange in your data center rather than having to rent a wavelength or dark fiber to the nearest IX. Have a look at Equinix, they have been doing this really well.
We don’t recommend operating the IX yourself, as this would come into conflict with most network neutral policies, but if the demand present, some non-profits or network operators are absolutey capable of doing so.
Invite new network providers
This one is not easy, but is the most effective way of boosting your connectivity offerings. It goes without saying that the more network providers that you host, the better your data center is. But how do you get network providers to come to your data center? Here are some ideas:
- Offer a free cabinet
- Offer free cross-connects
- Put them in touch with customers that are looking for connectivity within your data center
- Build partnerships
Make cross-connects dirt cheap
When clients shops for data center space, price makes-up for a large part of the selection. Offering cheap cross-connects is a strategy that many data centers in Europe have used. Cheap cross-connects push clients to do more private network interconnections within the data center. This has a short term and long term impact. As cross-connects are easy revenue for data centers, this brings more business to the company. In the long term, future clients will probably consider your data center just for its great connectivity that your current clients have built.
Offer Cloud on-ramps
Like it or not, hybrid deployments that combine Cloud and colocation is the new era of IT infrastructure. By offering Cloud on-ramps, you allow your clients to easily connect to the Cloud at a low cost with great performance. More and more businesses migrate their on-prem infrastructures to the Cloud, but can also benefit from data center colo. Offer them the best of both worlds.
Are you ready to build a connectivity drive data center? You should start a new carrier hotel in Montreal!
You want to bring better connectivity options to your colocation business? Let our expert team help you out.