Why should you colocate your IT infrastructure in Toronto and with Cirrus?

Why Colocate?

While the days of hosting companies running “data centers” out of their home basement are long gone (this writer hopes), there are a variety of data centers that exist today. The two most popular types are “in-house” data centers and colocation centers. An in-house data center is usually run out of a facility that the hosting company owns and manages; whereas, a colocation data center is run out of a shared facility. Sometimes a hosting company may have their own colocation center where they host their own data center in addition to the data centers of other companies. In this case, the company would be running their data center out of a colocation center.

There are definitely arguments for the advantages and disadvantages of both types. While the main advantage of an in-house data center is complete control over the facility and equipment, the main advantage of a colocation datacenter is the benefits of scale and flexibility. For Cirrus Tech, the decision to have our data center in a colocation center rather than “in-house” was a no-brainer.

The benefits of colocation centers, or carrier hotels as they are sometimes called, for web hosting companies are many. Essentially, a colocation center is a building that allows us to house and run our own data center while sharing the facilities that the colocation center has to offer, such as reliable back-up generators, physical security, enhanced cooling, and fast external connections. As a result, we can enjoy the benefits of scale gained from sharing facilities at a colocation center while giving us the flexibility to manage our own data center. The quality of the facilities available at our colocation center is unmatched by the facilities of an in-house data center.

Not only does a colocation center offer cost savings that we can pass onto our clients, it allows our clients to enjoy the peace of mind that comes from having their data in a secure world class facility that is being monitored 24×7 by on site engineers. Even in the case of a disaster, our colocation center is protected by uninterruptible backup batteries and an industry standard diesel generator which will provide required power for about 7-10 days.

Cirrus Tech’s Data Center located at 151 Front St. in Downtown Toronto is your best bet if you cannot afford the risk of downtime.

Public Relations, Cirrus Tech Ltd.
Toronto, ON – April 21, 2008