With increased global digitisation comes concerns about managing server space and protecting data. While having a scalable on-premises data centre might seem like the ideal solution, the reality is that most companies don’t have the in-house expertise or infrastructure to secure and maintain their own servers. That’s why colocation data centres in the UK are becoming a more popular option. Instead of managing servers on-site, the idea is that you store hardware with a co-location provider in a shared, purpose-built facility that houses and maintains equipment for multiple clients.
With BlackBox Hosting’s colocation servers, you’ll gain access to world-class infrastructure, high-level security, and reliable uptime, while retaining full control over your systems.
In this guide, we’re exploring the benefits of choosing a colocation data centre in the UK over managing an in-house server.
10 Reasons to Choose a Colocation Data Server for Your Business
1. Cost Efficiency and Predictability
Most businesses choose colocation to save money on new IT equipment, but the cost benefits go much beyond this.
The average cost to build and maintain a private in-house server can end up costing far more than a hosted server. That’s because installing a server requires more than just the space to store it; you need to account for expenses associated with power, cooling infrastructure, physical security, and on-call skilled technicians.
On the other hand, colocation works on fixed monthly pricing, which is a fraction of the cost of managing the server yourself. You share the cost of energy, staff, and cooling between businesses the third-party data centre manages, resulting in considerable savings and a better forecast of your IT infrastructure budgets, all while giving you access to enterprise-grade infrastructure.
2. Enhanced Security
A reliable colocation facility, like ours at BlackBox, is built with layered physical and cybersecurity measures. Our measures meet the highest standards for physical and operational security, with 24/7 surveillance, access-controlled entry points, biometric scanning, and advanced fire suppression systems in our Tier 3+ London data centres.
With DDoS and next-gen firewalls in place, we’re equipped to make sure your business is protected against cyber threats around the clock.
Colocation centres are also governed by specific standards, such as ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and GDPR. When you partner with a colocation dedicated server like ours that meets these standards, you can rest assured that your data and servers are truly secure.
3. Data Sovereignty and Compliance with UK Regulations
With an increasing number of high profile cyber attacks, businesses are increasingly focused on protecting data, especially businesses in the healthcare and finance sectors, who face more scrutiny about data security and storage under the UK’s laws.
When it comes to maintaining data sovereignty, moving your data to a UK-based server ensures it meets the rules and regulations under UK jurisdiction. With colocation, you benefit from complying with UK data protection regulations while avoiding the complexities of cross-border regulatory requirements. This compliance also builds client trust by demonstrating responsible data handling.
4. Improved Reliability and Uptime
Unexpected server outages and downtime can be a major issue for online businesses. This is even more so if you’re in the retail and e-commerce space; you can end up missing out on valuable revenue, even if your website and app servers only go down for a few minutes. The last thing your business wants is missed orders or a negative experience for your customers due to server downtime.
This is why colocation is such a benefit to your business. You’re less likely to experience downtime when using a colocation facility, designed with uptime in mind. At BlackBox Hosting, we offer leading uptime reliability with SLA guarantees of 99.999% or higher.
Our colocation facilities have backup generators, redundant power feeds, advanced cooling, and an in-house technical support team to keep your business up and running at all times.
5. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Power outages and cybersecurity threats sneak up on your business when you least expect them. Additionally, there’s always the risk of natural disasters, which can greatly impact business operations if you’re dependent on on-premises infrastructure.
Unlike in-house servers, colocation dedicated servers geographically disperse your IT assets. This allows them to support disaster recovery options, like off-site backups and DRaaS solutions with secure protocols, to recover and restore data quickly and help you stay online even when disaster strikes.
At BlackBox, we equip your business with a colocation strategy complete with disaster recovery options that protect your systems and get you back up and running in no time. Contact us today to learn more about our DRaaS and BaaS service.
6. Superior Network Performance
Fast and reliable connectivity is a top priority for any business. Most colocation data centres in the UK have access to a high-speed and low-latency network, which is far superior to most on-premises data centres. This allows for quick and reliable access to applications and services, supporting businesses that need consistent uptime and are heavily dependent on a responsive and efficient network infrastructure.
Colocation dedicated centres also have multiple backup service providers on hand to ensure higher network performance levels than in-house setups.
7. Scalability and Flexibility
With time, your business evolves, and so do your IT needs. If you need IT infrastructure that’s future-proof as well as scalable and flexible to industry demands and trends, colocating your servers is something to consider.
Whether you’re onboarding a new customer base or launching a new product line, our colocation data centre is designed to scale. BlackBox Hosting’s colocation data centres in the UK are ideal for all businesses, regardless of size and sector, helping you scale to new heights.
8. Access to Advanced Infrastructure and Expertise
When you choose to colocate your servers instead of managing them in-house, you get access to advanced facilities like biometric access controls, diverse network uplinks, and carrier-neutral bandwidth. More importantly, entrusting the management of your servers to professionals with domain expertise is a significant colocation benefit.
Partnering with BlackBox Hosting gives you access to an enterprise-grade infrastructure with round-the-clock UK-based technical support. You don’t need to hire in-house specialists to keep things running because we take care of everything.
9. Environmental Sustainability
With sustainability central to the UK’s strategy to reach net zero by 2050, businesses are keeping sustainability at the forefront of their plans. Moving your IT systems to a colocation data centre, where multiple servers share all these upgrades, is a sustainable move to consider.
Take BlackBox Hosting’s ISO 14001 and ISO 14068-1:2023-certified data centres, for instance. We’re certified carbon-neutral and committed to lowering our environmental impact by running our servers on 100% carbon-neutral energy and offsetting and reducing future carbon emissions. Colocating with us helps your business support carbon neutrality while staying fully operational.
10. Support and Managed Services
Not all businesses have a full IT team on standby, and that’s why a lot of colocation-dedicated server providers also offer managed services. If you need help installing hardware, setting up a backup system, or just troubleshooting, you’ll get the right support. As a result, you’re free to focus on your core operations while you leave the technical bits to the experts.
A managed colocation service is a hybrid approach, where you keep ownership of your hardware but leave the management to experts, making colocation an appealing option for many businesses.
Harness Multiple Colocation Benefits with BlackBox Hosting
The UK colocation service market is growing rapidly, with a huge number of benefits to signing up for this scalable, secure, and cost-effective hosting model. As a respected name in the hosting sector, BlackBox Hosting offers state-of-the-art, purpose-built colocation facilities with supreme economies of scale and lower latency.
At BlackBox Hosting, we make colocation feel like an extension of your business and not a handoff. With trusted UK-based facilities, custom SLAs, and a dedicated support team just a call away, your technical infrastructure is in expert hands, allowing you to focus on your business’s growth.
If you’re considering colocating your servers in the UK, call us on +44(0)203 740 7840 today.
