Colocation on the Quarter Rack
Server Colocation in the form of a quarter rack is a portion of a whole cabinet with its individual lock and security combination. It can only be accessed by you and our data center employees. All quarter rack collocations have the option of A+B power feeds and connectivity of up to 10 Gbps, which can be billed per terabyte or in CDR models.
Small-scale clients (particularly those who desire a quarter-rack or half-rack colocation rather than a full rack) often discover that the response from certain colocation UK providers is fairly restricted. This is especially the case with full rack colocation. But here at Server Colocation UK, we have a proven track record of locating high-quality quarter racks and half racks in primary colocation UK ecosystems and other regions of the market. This applies not just to London but also to the rest of the United Kingdom.
What Factors Determine the Cost of Colocation?
An overview of the Colocation Pricing System
Colocation hosting is gradually becoming more widespread as organizations are finding themselves more reliant on their information technology (IT) systems and the need for their data to be kept safe and accessible at all times. There are a lot of businesses out there that would rather not go through the trouble of regularly maintaining and monitoring their equipment, while others simply do not have the resources or the knowledge to do it themselves.
This is because your equipment needs to be kept in a place that is reliable in terms of regulation and temperature control, as well as safe and not too hard to get to. Colocation UK hosting is one of the best alternatives to sheltering and maintaining your own servers and equipment. With colocation hosting, you rent space for your own servers in a data center that is specifically designed to maintain a computer equipment operating environment that is optimal. Colocation hosting is one of the best alternatives to sheltering and maintaining your own servers and equipment. However, how much does it cost to colocate?
- The cost of ecosystems with quarter racks and half racks.
- The cost of quarter rack colocation can range from £395 per month to $595 per month in very well-connected ecosystems. In these ecosystems, the one-time cost of installation can be anywhere from £500 to £1,000.
- For colocation, the price of a half rack is frequently twice that of a quarter rack. This is due to the stringent power allocation that is required. The price range is, therefore, between $800 and $1,200 each month.
- The amount of included power varies depending on the size of the rack, but it should be between 0.5 and 1 kW (2.5 to 5 Amps) for a quarter rack and double that for a half rack (1-2kW or 5-10Amps).
- Be wary of extra costs in ecosystems, particularly cross-connect fees!
- Remember that when evaluating ecosystems, you should look at the costs of other items, particularly cross-connects, where there is a wide range of cost options. This is especially important to keep in mind because the cost of cross-connects can vary greatly. To provide just one example, the cost of cross-connects from one London provider is five times more than the recurrent cost from another! Colo-X can help with this kind of information, but it is very important that it is correct.
The costs associated with the collocation of quarter racks and half racks in non-ecosystems
The pricing range for data centers that are not part of an ecosystem typically begins at around £200 per month and goes up to approximately £450 per month. The expenses of installation are often cheaper than the price of maintaining the ecosystem and typically equal one month’s fees. For a quarter rack colocation, available power choices vary from 0.5 kW to 1 kW, which translates to 2.5–5 Amps. A half rack offers twice as much power.
At non-ecosystem colocation sites, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s fairly typical for the operator to provide a network or Internet port(s) as a standard. This is something you should keep in mind. This change draws attention to the value proposition that non-ecosystem operators offer to customers who don’t need ecosystem access.
When an Internet connection is part of the package, there is often a substantially reduced need for additional cross-connects to other service providers. However, if you believe that you will need connections to other parties, you should always verify in advance what the applicable costs will be in order to prepare for them. In the majority of situations, we anticipate that there will be one-time costs that are fair; for instance, the cost of installing fiber might range anywhere from $250 to $500, depending on the distance. It is not common practice, but recurring charges are not unheard of either.
What are some of the factors that are fuelling the need for part-rack colocation?
It is becoming more difficult for service providers and direct business clients to reject the concept of a point of presence in a well-connected data center. This is because the need for interconnection is expected to continue to increase.
Access to “fat pipes,” consistent and low-latency connectivity to upstream providers (whether cloud or network), and the reliability of the infrastructure itself for improved availability are all compelling reasons to use third-party colocation data centers. All of these factors contribute to improved availability.
The fact that the business is focused on selling full-height racks presents a barrier for smaller customers of colocation services. These typically vary in height from 42 to 48 U and have a power output of 3.5 to 4 kW and 16 to 20 amps per rack. This just does not meet the requirements of the majority of users in any way. (In some UK colocation ecosystems, a whole rack with 16 Amps can cost as much as £1,800 per month; this is a hefty bill for a small customer!) As a consequence of this, a significant number of purchasers are seeking more compact colocation choices, most often a safe and dedicated quarter rack or half rack. Some service providers, like partners of larger data center operators or many of the smaller independent data center operators, offer quarter and half racks to meet the needs of this market segment.
What features should you look for in a half-rack or a quarter-rack?
When searching for colocation services, prospective customers often make the mistake of assuming that every quarter rack colocation will provide an identical set of amenities. However, the available choices differ, so it is important to exercise prudence and have a distinct understanding of what is essential and what is just desirable. The following is a list of some of the characteristics that we want or anticipate having:
Key characteristics of a part rack include:
- Rack space ranging from 9 to 12 U in a quarter rack; rack space ranging from 20 to 24 U in a half rack; dual power bars, A and B
- A quarter rack colocation has eight C13 sockets, whereas a half rack contains sixteen C13 sockets.
- Digital power meter (for monitoring power usage)
- A UK 3-pin socket (which is often useful if one is available)
- Power bars that are thin enough not to obstruct access from the back of the rack and are vertically positioned at the back of the rack (this ensures that all of the U space can be used for equipment installation) (for example, when installing a switch)
- Power feeds that are individually fused from those of other users in the entire rack; this is critical to avoid problems caused by another user blowing their PDU or fuse.
- Locking and securing front and back doors
- Cable trucking within the cabinet to ensure that only your cross-connects are visible in your section of the rack, reducing the possibility of interference from other users.
- Just as with full-rack colocation, there is a wide variety of pricing available on the market. Nevertheless, the primary comparison is between the prices of ecosystem facilities and the prices of other facilities that are considered to be “non-ecosystem.”
How to Bring Down the Cost of Colocation
Pick a data center that’s on the smaller side
In general, bigger data centers will have more expensive pricing structures. If you choose a smaller data center, you will probably not only experience more cost-effective pricing, but you will also be able to take advantage of the many fantastic advantages of dealing with a smaller business. This is because smaller companies tend to be more responsive to their customers’ needs.
To begin with, you will have the opportunity to get familiar with their employees, and they will also be familiar with you. You will not be seen as just another number by them. Because the employees at the smaller data center will be more acquainted with your company and the specific requirements you have, this will result in superior customer support that is more specifically tailored to your needs.
Two, the importance of each individual customer cannot be overstated for a smaller company. Losing one or two clients here and there is not as big a deal for a bigger company as it is for a smaller one. Because of this, you may find that the customer service provided by a bigger company is less attentive than the service provided by a more intimate one.
Pick a Data Center Situated in the Suburbs as Your Preference
The cost of maintaining a data center in the suburbs is often lower than the cost of maintaining one in the central business district. This is due to the fact that the cost of rent and property is much greater in the city centers than it is in the surrounding areas. Because of the increased expenses associated with operating in urban areas, data centers in major cities are required to charge higher prices. If you have to visit your colocation provider at a site that is located in the downtown area, you will not only be required to pay high parking costs, but you may also have trouble obtaining parking at all. On the other hand, most suburban data centers provide ample free parking for their customers.