Home > Data Center Services >Data Center FAQ

Data Center FAQ

Colocation Services:

What is Colocation?

In Short, Colocation is the outsourcing of where your organization’s server infrastructure is located and hosted.

When would a company decided that collocating their equipment is beneficial more than just hosting it within the office inside their organization’s location?

There are actually many reasons but the main one is “Bang-For-Your-Buck”. If an organization was to build out a facility this technology advanced with redundant power, redundant internet and traffic routing redundancies, they would spend a fortune.

Why not leverage a DataCenter that has already built that infrastructure into it's core business allowing you to rent space allowing you a protected environment for your company?

Is there 24/7/365 access into the facility for customers?

Yes, you are issued proximity badges that allow you into the building at all times.

Once inside the building you are checked in by our 24/7 Network Operation Center (NOC) staff and you are then able to get access into the data centers by means of a biometric thumbprint analyzer. We will keep authorized personnel’s thumb prints on file for entry with this system.

Are there technicians and engineers available to assist me if I need help with my collocated equipment?

Yes, the data center is staffed 24/7/365. There will always be individuals available that can help you with anything from moving equipment around, to actually setting up your collocated network. However, if you are planning on doing a major project that requires staff assistance, than please schedule this in advance. If you need further assistance please check out our managed services solutions.

What is the target customer type would be most interested in colocation?

Actually, there really is no true target customer. 

Just about all business customers that make money can see real benefits from Collocating their equipment. These customers range anywhere from a single collocated server all the way to a customer that consists of Linux, Windows, Citrix, Mainframe and just about any other type of servers. The benefits are the same for every size of type of client.

How is price figured for colocation services?

Colocation basically has two parts. The first is the amount of cabinet space that your hardware will consume and the second is the amount of internet connectivity that your servers will require to function properly. The only other costs that would come into play would be if you decided to utilize any of our data backup services or if you have any custom power requirements that are above and beyond what is included with the standard pricing. All of these costs are paid on a monthly basis and can be contracted at one, two and three year terms.

Dedicated Hosting FAQ

What is the primary benefit of moving to a Dedicated Server?

If you currently host on a Shared Server type of account then your site is actually one of hundreds of web sites that are all hosted on the same server. So think of the server as an apartment building. You rent your own apartment, but sometimes can still be affected by other apartment owners. If your neighbors have loud parties in the middle of the night, then this obviously will bring down your level of satisfaction with your own apartment.

The same is true in hosting if that same server gets tons of traffic or runs inefficient scripts, then this can cause performance delays in the servers response time to the viewers of all the web sites that are hosted on it. If the server is having performance delays, then your viewers many grow tired of the long page load times and go elsewhere to get information they are trying to find. When you upgrade to a Dedicated Server, it is exactly what it says.
 It’s dedicated to you and only you.

100% of the processor, memory and disk storage are there for only your web site to utilize. So think of all dedicated server kind of like renting a house rather than the apartment. It’s all for you. NO SHARING!

Is it more work to manage a Dedicated Server?

Let’s use the metaphor in the previous question in this answer as well. Is a house more work to take care of than an apartment? More people would say yes. And unfortunately that is all part of growing to the next level with your business. The reason why Shared Server  accounts are so easy to manage is that you have no real ownership of them. The hosting provider sets up series of rules that everyone must follow.

For example, these rule are things like:

• All clients will be given 250 megabytes of disk space
• 25 e-mail accounts
• 2 MYSQL Databases
• 10 Sub domains
  

And will only be available to run scripts from the library of scripts that they provide. This creates very limited environments for you to develop your web site within. But in the process, it creates an easy environment for the hosting provider to manage for the client. If they gave the flexibility in all these accounts attributes, then management becomes a nightmare for them because to keep an eye on.

With a Dedicated server, there are almost no limitations besides the ones you put on yourself. You can install whatever scripts or applications you want and you can utilize as much disk space, as many email accounts, or as many sub domains as you feel like. The only real issue is with new found freedom is that you are the one in charge of managing it all.

On a Dedicated Server we basically hook it all up for you with the operation system and any other software that you request us to install, but once that takes place it is up to you to manage these items.  In the standard agreement we only monitor power, internet connectivity, and the fact that your server is responding at all times. We will do operation system patch updates a no additional charge, but only at your request. But don’t worry. 

If you still need further staff or technicians and engineers that you can hire out on a per item basis or you can enter into an IT Managed Service agreement where we will do all administration for you for a flat monthly fee. This fee is variable depending on how much work needs to be done for your particular server setup. But know that these services are available should you need them.

Why would a company not just purchase their own servers and collocate them in your data center?

Many larger organizations do just this. But the majority of the organizations we deal with are small to medium sized businesses and it is difficult to afford such a large investment up front in equipment. So if they can get everything they need for an affordable monthly payment, then it just works.

Also, when you are a Dedicated Server client, we back the hardware. What this means is that is any piece of your server breaks or fails, we repair or replace free of charge

If a client was to purchase their own equipment and something was to break or fail, then the client would be responsible for fixing it or replacing the parts. Not that this failure or breaking of equipment happens often. But when it does, it can be crippling to a company who can’t  afford downtime. So when we cover the hardware, it insures that the customer will spend the least amount of time offline.

How is the cost of hosting a Dedicated Server Figured?

There are three components to the monthly cost of a Dedicated Server. The first is the hardware/ software fees. Basically we take our  total cost on all the hardware and software the client request and we multiply that cost by a rental factor.

The second item is the cost of the Colocation space needed to house all the equipment that will be hosted. And lastly there is a bandwidth fee which can be priced out in a couple of different ways and are all dependent on how much bandwidth the clients servers require to function properly.

The only other costs that would be incurred would be if the client contracts for any of our data backup services or for any of our Technical Services to assist in managing the equipment. All of these costs are paid on a monthly basis and can be contracted at one, two and three year terms.

Disaster Recovery FAQ

Why is NetStandard’s Data Center infrastructure a good fit to deploy Disaster Recovery Services?

Since we are a colocation Data Center, all of the primary attributes for an effective disaster recovery site are present. The same internet and power redundancies that make our data center rock solid can be utilized to insure constant electricity and connectivity for a secondary facility office that is located in some of our empty building space.

Most clients that contract for these services already host their servers within our data center. So if a disaster does force them out of their primary location that your network infrastructure already exists.
NetStandard also can aid in the procurement of just about any type of hardware or software that you might need. We have partnerships with major distribution centers to obtain anything in the technology field, and we know how to get items fast so that you can put them into production as quickly as possible.

Who aids in the planning and setup of this disaster recovery services?

NetStandard was a technology services and consulting firm long before we built our Data Center and began offering hosting services. The many system and network engineers, as well as other technicians, aid and assist in the planning and implementation of these Disaster Recovery Service Plans.

Is it difficult and time consuming to develop these Disaster Recovery Plans?

It does depend on the organization and how complete they wish to replicate their normal working office environment, but a typical plan that is for minimal staff and infrastructure can sometimes be quoted the same day the request is made. But it is something that is extremely variable depending on the needs of the client. This is no challenge for NetStandard. Just schedule an appointment and one of our sales and technical staff will meet with you to discuss your options.

How is pricing figured for Disaster Recovery Services?

On paper it looks a little complex but it actually isn’t. It is made up of three fees that are each paid at different times.The first is the Retainment of service fees which is an ongoing monthly fee that a client pays to have the rights to utilize the facility in the time of a disaster. The second is the Site Execution Fee. This fee is only paid upon execution of the actual disaster plan.

This fee is a large on-time payment that typically covers the cost of all hardware, software, and setup services. Lastly is the daily Use of Facility Fee. This is usually paid after the client stops their utilization of the Disaster Recovery Site. It is a daily use fee that is paid in total at the end of the facility stay or in 30 day increments, whichever comes sooner. The only other fees are testing fees.

Most clients like to test certain aspects of the Disaster Recovery Plan every 6-18 months just to make sure things are operating smoothly and as expected. The fee is variable depending on the aspects of the plan that are demonstrated at each testing time.