Solution Set

Make an apples-to-apples comparison of European co-location providers to select the most appropriate option for the organization's current and future needs.

Tool

Identify leading candidates in the European Co-location/Managed Services market using the Info-Tech European Co-location/Managed Services Vendor Shortlist Tool to generate a customized shortlist of vendors based on your key priorities.

Note

Info-Tech evaluated nine competitors in the European co-location/managed services market. Create a shortlist of vendors that suit the organization's need using Info-Tech's European co-location/managed services Vendor Landscape.

Tool

Identify leading candidates in the US Co-location/Managed Services market using Info-Tech's Vendor Shortlist Tool to generate a customized shortlist of vendors based on your key priorities.

Note

The US co-location/managed services market has over 430 vendors providing similar offerings. Create a shortlist of vendors that suit the organization's need using Info-Tech's vendor landscape.

Solution Set

This vendor landscape looks at the US co-location/managed services market in order to provide recommendations on which vendors are most suitable for your organization's needs.

Note

Enterprise use cases provide valuable insight for the vendor selection process. In the Canadian co-location/managed services market, attention should be paid to the vendor's offerings in terms of cost, the organization's present and future...

Solution Set

IT leaders in North American organizations suddenly charged with managing data center facilities in other countries are faced with the challenge of normalizing structure, staffing, process, and procedures on a global scale. Most IT leaders have...

Job Description

The Global Data Center Director's role is to focus on the strategic development of all aspects of the global facilities, including managing staffing requirements, optimizing processes and technology, and ensuring a high availability platform.

Solution Set

Organizations that encounter significant capital expenditures, when building or updating their aging data center facilities. As a result, they are faced with a difficult build vs. buy decision.

Note

Info-Tech recently conducted several surveys for our research projects. This document is a high level summary of those results, and an introduction to the resulting research.

Note

The decision to co-locate all or part of the data center facility can be a risky one. Because the decision to build vs. buy is essentially one of cost, IT decision makers must put in the time and effort in requirements gathering, determining the...

Template/Policy

A co-location Service Level Agreement (SLA) provides a definition of performance for the negotiated service. SLAs ensure accountability on the part of the service provider and also determine the price of the service. Understand and develop...

Template/Policy

Ongoing management of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and co-location contract is critical for a successful co-location engagement. Assessments should be conducted at least annually to ensure the co-location vendor is complying with the...

Template/Policy

Vendor co-location site visits can validate decisions or uncover vendor inadequacies and biases. Conduct site visits to shortlisted data center co-location vendors to add another layer of due diligence to the final vendor selection.

Tool

When the organization has received completed proposals back from co-location vendors, a common scoring method should be used to compare and evaluate each proposal. Implement a common scoring method into evaluation processes to determine a...

Template/Policy

After defining the organization's requirements for data center co-location service offerings, expectations for the engagement methodology should be defined. Many organizations run into trouble in the co-location agreement when a vendor's...

Template/Policy

Organizations in the selection process for a co-location vendor should issue an RFP to gather required information from vendors and make an informed decision. After finalizing selection criteria that is relevant to the organization's needs, use...

Template/Policy

Managed services offerings build on basic co-location with added services provided by the vendor. Regardless of immediate needs, IT should include managed services criteria in the vendor selection process. Choose a set of criteria based on...

Video

Many organizations are assessing the business case for outsourcing their data centers. This videocast explores the various drivers including building costs, outsourcing costs, and strategic implications.

Organizations planning to build or refresh the data center should consider the build versus buy decision in the planning phase. This decision requires careful examination and evaluation of options involving asset inventories, facility...

An organization that is looking to build or refresh the data center will ultimately be faced with a build versus buy decision. Those that have chosen to outsource their data center must then find the right co-location vendor. Establish a set of...

Organizations in the selection process for a data center managed services vendor may find it difficult to differentiate vendor offerings in a highly commoditized market. TELUS Corporation is a leading vendor in Canada with a range of offerings...

Enterprises can significantly reduce costs by implementing a server room co-location strategy. Cost savings center on power, cooling, and avoidance of capital expenditures. Enterprises considering building or refreshing the server room should...

Enterprises entering the selection process for a co-location vendor should not only consider services offered by the vendor, but also the vendor's customer engagement practices. Ensure business practices align by establishing a set of criteria...

Enterprises evaluating co-location vendors must sort through a commoditized market of basic services. Whether or not IT plans to invest in recovery services provided by the vendor, these capabilities should still be assessed before choosing a...

Basic services offered by server room co-location vendors represent a commodity in the market. In order to differentiate vendor offerings, IT must first establish a set of criteria that focuses and narrows the search. Choose criteria relevant to...

When a shortlist of co-location vendors has been determined, IT must complete an additional key step in due diligence that includes validating vendor claims and following up with site visits to each potential location. Be prepared to confirm...

Template/Policy

Organizations looking for a co-location vendor should issue a RFP in order to gather the required information from vendors and make an informed decision. After finalizing selection criteria that is relevant to the organization's needs, use this...

Template/Policy

Organizations that have determined a shortlist of co-location vendors (likely after the RFP process) should conduct additional due diligence before making the final decision. Vendor co-location site visits can validate decisions or uncover...