A client called the other day and we spoke about his company’s potential colocation requirements. They were a local Dallas accounting firm colocating internally that was having Internet downtime issues with their local ISP. Recent legal changes regarding securing client confidential data was also a major concern. Their IT contact was looking for a SSA16 certified Dallas colocation provider that could offer a ¼ rack and 10Mbps of IP. I mentioned that QuoteColo offers a no fee broker service and we could source his company some great direct quotes from providers that met his requirements. The client responded with the following (we have heard this before)….”Why would I use a colocation broker if I can just find providers on my own?”
In this article, we will discuss the advantages of using a colocation broker verus finding providers on your own.
1) A colocation broker will save you time. Try a simple search on Google for “Dallas Colocation” and you will come up with 568,000 results. Just page one alone shows 13 organic listing along with 10 PPC advertisements. Once you narrow down to the three or four providers you want to contact, you need to spend time calling, emailing or filling out a submit form multiples times. With a broker, you make one call or email and they will source you direct quotes from multiple qualified vendors.
2) A colocation broker will streamline the qualification process for you. Not all data center providers provide what each client is looking for. Some only offer full cabinets as a minimum while other are really only geared for smaller per U clients. Some data centers offer certifications like SSA16 and PCI compliance while others do not. A good colocation broker has an extensive database of vendors that offer these compliances in your requested area.
3) A colocation broker will save you money. Due to the competitive nature of colocation broker’s services, the colocation broker’s data center partners are compelled to put their “best foot forward” when presenting initial pricing. This eliminates much of the “car salesmanship” haggling of starting with a high price and lowering pricing as negotiations continue. Also, many colocation broker data centers offer discounted pricing because they have less overhead and costs due to the independent sales relationship (no salaries, health insurance, etc.).
4) A colocation broker will source you data center options that can’t be found using a search engine. Many data centers are IT focused and they do not concentrate on marketing. A reputable colocation broker typically will introduce a client to several qualified data centers that they couldn’t find on their own.
5) A colocation broker will give you valuable feedback on your short list of data center providers. When asked, most reputable colocation brokers will offer unbiased feedback on which colocation data center will best meet their client’s needs.
If you are in the market to find a colocation, please give our service a try at QuoteColo.com.