Intelligent Data Centres Issue 34 | Page 21

INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE POWERED BY THE DCA

Conquering the next challenge for colocation providers : Speed

Ashish Moondra – Senior Product Manager , Power , Electronics & Software at Chatsworth Products
( CPI ), discusses the challenge that colocation providers are currently facing and suggests some best practice advice when looking to overcome this and get new customers up and running quickly .

As the transition from the Information Age to the Age of Artificial Intelligence gives way to heightened significance of connectivity , cloud service providers and the IT industry work around the clock to ensure the life most of us know today – highspeed Internet , mobile connectivity , self-driving cars and Machine-to-Machine ( M2M ) learning . A recent Cisco Annual Internet Report confirms this reality .

By 2023 , for example , nearly a third of the global population is expected to have Internet access – that is about 5.3 billion users . Meanwhile , the number of IP networks is projected to be more than three times that number .
Within the data centre space , the colocation market may see the most growth , with an estimated CAGR of almost 11 % from 2020 to 2025 . Faster time to market – in lieu of undertaking an on-premise data centre project that may take months to complete – is the primary reason for the attention towards this segment . Needless to say , delays in bringing up a new customer within a multitenant environment directly translates into lost revenue . Therefore , it is no surprise that colocation providers are challenged to scale up with solutions that are quick to deploy , manage and service .
The following are two key points for colocation vendors to consider when looking to quickly get new customers up and running .
Vendor selection
Within colocation environments , end customer requirements generally vary based on budgets , functionality required and the IT equipment that will be housed within the cabinets . Service-Level Agreements ( SLAs ) require colocation facilities to be able to quickly provide the infrastructure equipment that meets the needs of their end customer . Partnering with equipment vendors that have local manufacturing capabilities and a build-toorder model provides colocation vendors with the ability to quickly procure products aligned with end customer requirements . In-region manufacturers typically have a wide breadth of standard solutions and the ability to create and deliver custom solutions in a short timeframe .
While evaluating equipment vendors for their ability to deliver products in short lead times , it is critical that data centre professionals ask questions related to location of the supply chain as well as their risk mitigation plans . With the booming demand for more things to be connected to the Internet , some electronic components as well www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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