The number of employees working from home has grown dramatically; studies show that the percentage increased from 13% to 28% between 2020 and 2023. However, managing the reliable, secure, and scalable IT infrastructure that remote workers need can be challenging, especially for businesses still using traditional hardware setups.
Colocation solves this problem by providing centralized IT solutions in advanced data centers. It offers the resilient infrastructure businesses need and the flexibility remote teams rely on. This ensures employees stay secure, productive, and connected, no matter where they are.
In this article, we’ll uncover the key advantages of colocation for remote workforces and explain how it works, demonstrating why it’s the smart choice for businesses embracing the future of work.
What is colocation?
Colocation is a service that lets businesses store their IT infrastructure in a professionally operated data center, leasing space for servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. While businesses retain ownership of their hardware, they rely on the data center provider for services such as electricity, cooling, high-speed internet, and security. These facilities often offer 24/7 monitoring, backup power supplies, and advanced security measures to ensure the safety and availability of your equipment at all times.
Think of it as the difference between owning a house and renting one. Instead of buying land, building a house, and managing utilities like electricity and the internet while keeping everything secure, you simply rent space in a building where these essentials are already provided. If there’s a problem — such as a power outage or connectivity issue — you don’t need to handle the repairs yourself. You simply call the landlord, which, in this case, is the colocation provider.
How colocation supports remote work
As businesses shift to remote and hybrid work models, the infrastructure supporting these teams must adapt to new challenges. Colocation offers a robust solution, helping organizations meet the demands of a geographically dispersed workforce while maintaining secure, reliable, and scalable IT operations. Here’s how:
Reliability, redundancy, and disaster recovery
Colocation facilities are designed with reliability and disaster recovery in mind, providing essential backup systems, secure storage, and redundant high-speed internet connections to keep your IT infrastructure running smoothly during unforeseen events.
In the event of a power failure or natural disaster, automatic backups such as generators and uninterruptible power supplies ensure continuity. If there’s an internet outage, the facility can quickly switch to an alternative connection or provider. Additionally, skilled technicians monitor and maintain systems, addressing potential issues before they lead to downtime.
For remote teams, these disaster recovery capabilities are even more vital. With employees working from various locations, having uninterrupted access to applications, files, and communication tools is crucial for productivity. Colocation ensures these systems remain operational during crises, enabling businesses to continue serving customers and maintaining critical workflows despite unexpected disruptions.
Consistent high performance
The same features that make colocation reliable also boost speed and performance. By connecting directly to cloud services through industry-grade connections that bypass the slower public internet, data moves more quickly between your servers and remote employees. This means applications load faster and files are easier to access, helping your team work more efficiently.
Robust security measures
Colocation facilities offer extensive security to safeguard IT infrastructure from physical and digital threats. With biometric access controls, 24/7 surveillance, and on-site security personnel, these data centers prevent unauthorized physical access. On the digital front, features such as protection against DDoS attacks and zero trust network architecture shield your systems from various cyberattacks.
Employees connecting to corporate systems from different locations, networks, and providers with varying levels of security often increase the risk of breaches. Fortunately, the robust security protocols of colocation facilities help mitigate these vulnerabilities, enabling businesses to support their remote workforce without compromising sensitive data.
To learn more about colocation, its benefits for your remote work setup, and how to integrate it into your operations, reach out to the experts at Liberty Center One.