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...

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...

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Basic services for co-location are a commodity amongst vendor offerings. Understanding the business needs helps to narrow down the list of vendors and aid in the selection process. Choose a set of criteria to base the decision on, before...

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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...

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Co-location recovery services deliver high availability using replication and backup technologies to ensure continuity of enterprise operations. Many organizations engage in co-location purely for recovery services; however, recovery services...

Tool

The data center build versus buy decision is essentially a cost decision. Many organizations that gather requirements and forecast data center costs into the future will find that over time, a co-location strategy is the less expensive...

Tool

After RFP responses have been collected, the organization must thoroughly review and evaluate each proposal to determine its fit for the organization. Use a common scoring method to evaluate co-location vendor responses and create a shortlist of...