12 Managed Services Essential for Colocation

12 Managed Services Essential for Colocation

What is colocation?

A colocation center facility is a space that is typically leased by a corporation to store or install servers and other hardware. Colocation data centers normally provide electricity, construction, cooling, bandwidth, and physical protection, while the customer supplies storage and servers.

Colocation Managed Services:

Colocation managed services include system administration, physical hardware assistance, proactive response monitoring, server backups, and network equipment management to standard data center colocation services. You benefit from these managed services by maximizing the value of your existing hardware investments and remaining on a CAPEX model while receiving full support from 24/7/365 expert IT teams in world-class data centers.

 

 

The types of managed services offered by UnitedLayer are explained below:

1. Remote Hands: Remote hands is a service that allows colocation data center employees to execute several on-site services for their customers. The data center managed services offered as part of a remote hands vary by provider. Still, data center employees can generally perform IT tasks, including installing new equipment, replacing a failing drive, inspecting equipment status, and even power cycling a server.

Managed Services like remote hands offered by UnitedLayer will give you access to a team of highly trained, in-house, certified technicians available 24x7x365 and can monitor servers remotely through a single pane of glass known as UnityOneCloud.

Explore UnitedLayer’s Remote Hands service here.

2. Smart Hands: Smart Hands managed services include more complex tasks that require someone to be physically present in the colocation site to complete. A few examples are setting up a firewall, managing data center equipment, media and supply management, complex cable configurations, equipment testing, and general troubleshooting.

Smart Hands managed services provided by UnitedLayer allow its customers exclusive onsite technical assistance and troubleshooting services along with hardware installation and decommissioning services, fiber circuit installation to reduce signal errors, device management for remote device configuration, etc.

3. Infrastructure Management: DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management) software allows data center operators to execute more efficient operations and better data center infrastructure planning and design. DCIM software can connect information across organizational domains such as Data Center Ops, Facilities, and IT to maximize data center usage.

UnitedLayer’s infrastructure management services help organizations maximize the benefits of a multicloud environment without compromising on availability, performance, and security. Our managed services cover on-premises data centers, UnitedLayer private cloud, and leading public clouds such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Read more: Top Trends That Will Impact Infrastructure Management in 2021.

4. Network Management: Network management is a process of administering, managing, and operating a data network using a network management system. Modern network management systems collect and analyze data regularly and push out configuration changes to improve performance, reliability, and security.

UnitedLayer provides setup and management of network devices like switches and firewall load balancers, including the configuration of these devices to adapt to workloads, security patching, monitoring, alerting, and 24x7x365 support across the globe for every customer.

5. Container Management: A container is a lightweight package that bundles a single application and dependencies, making it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in complex IT systems.

Container management is a process of automating container creation, deployment, and scaling. Container management allows for the large-scale addition, replacement, and organization of containers.

UnitedLayer offers configuring, managing, and deployment of containers to enable the deployment of cloud-native applications seamlessly. It includes the setup, installation, and patching of Kubernetes (K8s) pods and containers, monitoring, and performance optimization.

6. IT Estate Assessment: IT Estate management is often known as IT inventory management. It typically involves gathering detailed hardware and software inventory information, which is then utilized to make purchasing and asset use decisions.

Managed Services like IT estate management offered by UnitedLayer will provide you with end-to-end data center assessment of hardware’s end of life (EOL), end of support (EOS), servers, routers, console managers, etc. We also provide IT assets assessments to efficiently migrate to the new data center or a new cloud. This ensures that mission-critical systems can continue to run optimally.

Explore UnitedLayer’s IT Estate Assessment services by clicking here.

7. Database Management: A vast amount of data is generated every second through a wide network of data sources — images, graphs, hypertext, documents, and so on. When legacy systems cannot handle the enormity of data management, databases such as Mysql, which are more agile and up-to-date, come into play. They can handle complex data management needs and provide a variety of database options for different needs and data types.

Database management also refers to the management of Oracle database, SQL database, Mysql database, PostgreSQL database, etc.

Managed Services like database management offered by UnitedLayer enables businesses to reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity and security. Our database experts have the expertise, precision, and updated know-how in database designing, management, and monitoring.

8. Disaster Recovery Solutions: Data Center Disaster Recovery is the process of resuming business operations after an unanticipated event that damages or destroys data, software, or hardware systems.

Most professional businesses use data backup and restore services to secure business-critical data as an integral part of their data center disaster recovery plan. Large professional companies frequently devote a significant percentage of their money to data center disaster recovery plans to avoid potentially crippling revenue losses caused by the inability to conduct operations in the aftermath of a disaster.

UnitedLayer’s disaster recovery managed services solution enables enterprises to be resilient and respond to these critical situations faster and allows them to operate their business without any interruptions.

Learn more about our Disaster recovery solutions here.

9. Cloud Migration: Cloud migration is when a company moves some or all of its data center capabilities to the cloud, usually to run on a cloud service provider’s cloud-based infrastructure.

UnitedLayer’s cloud migration managed services can seamlessly migrate your applications, data, and infrastructure to the cloud. Our experts can help you build your migration strategy, assess your application portfolio, review your cost structure, and identify the best-fit cloud platform for your needs.

10. Cloud Connectivity: Cloud networking is a type of IT infrastructure in which a company’s network capabilities and resources are hosted in a public or private cloud platform, managed in-house or by a service provider, and made available on demand.

Companies can establish a private cloud network using on-premises cloud networking resources, or use public cloud networking services, or a hybrid cloud combination of both.

UnitedConnect® is an advanced interconnection solution to connect your on-premises environment with a private cloud or public cloud (AWS, Microsoft Azure, or GCP) of your choice. Our cloud connectivity solution helps you to reduce your network costs, increase bandwidth throughput, and provide a more consistent network experience than Internet-based connections.

Learn more about UnitedConnect® by clicking here.

11. Data Privacy Management: Data Privacy Management allows enterprises to analyze and continually measure data privacy compliance with multifactor risk scoring, data access, and movement monitoring. Automate risk remediation and cost-effectively report on data subject requests with transparency by automating data protection.

Managed services like data privacy management offered by UnitedLayer will help you comply with data sovereignty and data protection laws applicable to your business in any market globally, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Explore UnitedLayer’s Data privacy management here.

12. Security & Compliance: Security as a service (SECaaS) is an outsourced service in which your security is handled and managed by a third party.

Security as a service solutions have grown increasingly popular for corporate infrastructures to ease the in-house security team’s responsibilities, scale security needs as the organization grows, and avoid the costs and maintenance of on-premise alternatives.

Managed services like Security as a Service offered by UnitedLayer will enable you to proactively identify, respond to, and mitigate any security threats against your IT infrastructure. Our comprehensive security management services cater to your on-prem or colocation data centers, managed private cloud, and leading public clouds such as Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure.

Why choose UnitedLayer?

When properly executed, managed services may be highly beneficial to a company, giving them peace of mind that their servers follow the proper procedures to reduce the risk of downtime or data loss to as low as possible. Managed colocation allows you to choose which services and procedures you want to outsource and which you want to keep in-house.

Good or bad, we would love to hear your thoughts; find us on Twitter here!

Cloud or Bare Metal Server? What’s The Difference?

Cloud or Bare Metal Server? What’s The Difference?

What is a Bare Metal Server?

Bare Metal Server is a physical server dedicated to a single tenant, which allows users full access to the hardware. This access is possible because a bare metal server does not use a hypervisor layer to create separate virtual machines (VM) on the server. Instead, placing the operating system directly on the server eliminates the need for layers. As a result, the performance is among the best on the market.

What is a Cloud Server?

A cloud server is a robust physical or virtual infrastructure that stores and processes applications and data. They are formed by dividing a bare metal server into numerous virtual servers using virtualization software. 

Cloud servers are a crucial part of cloud technology. The widespread deployment of server virtualization has helped cloud computing’s rise and continued growth.

Benefits of Bare Metal Server:

  1. Greater Access Control: The user of a dedicated server is given Administrative or ‘Root access’ to the server. This level of access allows users to have more control over the device’s hardware and software. Users can micromanage the server’s processes, optimize performance, and install additional applications using administrator-level privileges.
  2. Customizability: One of the best features of a bare metal server is tailoring it to meet your specific business needs. You can pick and select which features and specifications you need. Whether you need a particular GPU model, NVMe storage for high IOPS, or a specific RAM-to-CPU ratio, bare metal can do it all. You can customize your bare metal server and add the features that you need.
  3. Security & Reliability: When it comes to security, a dedicated server can be the best option for you. The name ‘dedicated’ is part of the proof. Compared to a virtual server, bare metal is a single-tenant physical server that physically isolates your applications, data, and resources for increased security and privacy.  Dedicated servers are kept in a secure data center with controlled access points for on-site personnel when purchased from a hosting provider like UnitedLayer. HIPAA and PCI compliance are also easier to achieve with dedicated servers due to a high level of security.

Benefits of Cloud Server:

  1. Data Security: The security of a firm’s data is one of its main concerns, regardless of its size or industry. Data breaches and other forms of cybercrime may wreak havoc on a company’s revenue, customer loyalty, and brand image. Baseline security measures, such as authentication, access control, and encryption, are implemented by cloud storage providers for their platforms and the data they process. Most businesses then supplement these protections with additional security measures to strengthen cloud data security and restrict access to sensitive data in the cloud.
  2. Scalability & Flexibility: Cloud service options range from basic public cloud packages to fully managed custom cloud solutions tailored to specific demands, all of which may be scaled to match a company’s changing priorities and ongoing growth. 
  3. Reliability: The customer’s website is hosted in the cloud on several servers or computers. If a single piece of hardware fails, additional machines can instantly step in to keep the website up and operating. 

How can we help you?

At UnitedLayer, we provide a dedicated virtual data center that allows enterprises to manage their private cloud fully. It comes with our enterprise-class support, which has a 15-minute response time and experts available 24x7x365 to provide support for any issue.

Whether you want a classic public cloud or bare metal server, contact us today to discuss your requirements and setting up the best hosting service for your business.

Got questions? Want to talk specifics? That’s what we’re here for.

Server Colocation And How Will It Work For You?

Server Colocation And How Will It Work For You?

Colocation (quite often known as “colo”) is the method of renting space for the servers and other computer hardware at a third-party provider’s data center facility. Colocation facilities usually involve the places where everything is stored and networked, physical protection, backup power, HVAC (heating ventilation and cooling), constant support for client’s servers, and storage.

Now moving to server colocation, the server remains with the clients but it is stored, managed, and controlled by the Managed Service Provider or cloud service provider. The client or organization accesses the server over the Internet or on a Virtual Private Network connection. Using advanced IT support services on key IT services is the primary goal behind server colocation.

What are the 5 W’s of Server Colocation?

Why – Why is Server Colocation needed? Instead of building a new data center, corporations can use the space in a colocation facility to expand their existing data center.

Who – Who uses Server Colocation? The answer is simple, companies and individuals consider server colocation since it offers a stable base to create safe systems that conform to the applicable regulatory frameworks, which are either not feasible or incredibly expensive with other infrastructure hosting modalities.

What – What do we know about different types of Server Colocation? Single server Colocation is for U servers, tower servers, and PCs; partial racks come in rack increments of 1?4, 1/3, and 1?2. Usually, full racks and cabinets are 42 to 48U in size; private cage placement usually comes at increments racks of 2, 4, 8, and 10 and at last for larger businesses looking for more space with custom features such as office space, disaster recovery space, custom private cages, and custom suites are also an option.

Where – Where to find Server Colocation? You can find it anywhere in this whole wide world! UnitedLayer provides the best solutions for your business from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco and can support any expansion through its 13 data centers spread across 5 continents. Check out our website to find out more!

When – When will you need a Server Colocation? Did you outgrow your new server room? Have you encountered power problems or Internet downtime at your data center in your office? If the answer is yes, then it’s time for you to look into UnitedLayer.

Build a more productive and highly available IT architecture with hundreds of providers inside the facilities, including SDNs, global carriers, subsea networks, metro providers, and more, access to your choice with us. We provide highly skilled and certified professionals who would be an extension of the IT company. Smart hand and Remote hands 24×7×365 and mechanical & electrical monitoring.

Visit us at UnitedLayer to learn more about the different services offered and how you can get the best out of them.

What is Colocation Services?

What is Colocation Services?

In a third-party data center, colocation service is the process of storing privately equipment of networking and operated servers. There is the choice to “co-locate” servers by renting space in a colocation data center (it is known as a third-party data center as well) rather than the in-house situation whereby servers reside inside a room or portion of an organization’s business infrastructure.

 Companies split the cost of power, cooling, connectivity, and data center floor space with other occupants by colocation. It is affordable than a new data center being built. When servers are built in-house, companies can manage their equipment the same way they do. Rather than creating a new data center, by utilizing the space in a colocation facility, corporations can easily increase their current data center.

The main distinction between colocation and the public cloud is the storage and handling of the data. It is a question of providing tangible assets as opposed to virtual ones. Cloud-based infrastructure systems provide cost savings due to shared resources, much like colocation. Still, that’s where they leave their similarities.

Colocation and cloud providers provide options to housing their data for enterprises. Each service has its pros and cons, depending on their particular specifications. In deciding the best course of action, identifying the placement service that best suits your business needs will go a long way.

At UnitedLayer, we have a growing list of services that are managed which helps corporations to restructure their infrastructure and enhance their responsiveness, optimization, resource efficiency, and flexibility, leading to better and enhanced customer experience and quicker time to market. UnitedLayer will offer you colocation facilities from one of the largest data centers in many countries.

Visit our website www.unitedlayer.com and register for a free demo today to get a deeper glimpse into what else our Colocation facility has to offer.

Top 5 Things You Should Know About Data Center Infrastructure(DCIM)

Top 5 Things You Should Know About Data Center Infrastructure(DCIM)

What is Data Center Infrastructure?

Data center infrastructure is a crucial element of the business strategies of many companies. Managed Services Providers (MSPs) and cloud-based developers require the rich connectivity options that only a data center’s infrastructure can offer. However, with so many data center facilities, it can be tricky to decide which ones can provide superior services today and boost tomorrow’s technological revolution.
The core physical or hardware-based resources and components that make up a data center – including all IT infrastructure devices, equipment, and technologies – are referred to as data center infrastructure. It’s modeled and identified in a design plan that involves a comprehensive list of the infrastructure components required to build a data center.

A Data Center infrastructure may include:

  • Computers
  • Networking equipment (Routers or switches)
  • Servers
  • Storage
  • Security
  • Data Center management applications

An Overview of Data Center Infrastructure Architecture

The computational power, storage, and applications needed to sustain an enterprise business are all housed in the data center. All content is sourced or passed through the data center infrastructure, which is at the heart of the IT architecture. Performance, resiliency, and scalability must be carefully considered when designing the data center infrastructure.

What is Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)?

The processes, guidelines, tools, and methodologies used for provisioning, governance, and overall management of data center assets and infrastructures are referred to as data center infrastructure management (DCIM). It offers a comprehensive approach for the operation and maintenance of an enterprise data center and includes information technology resources, including power, cooling, lighting, and physical infrastructure.

What is Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCIE)?

Data center infrastructure efficiency (DCIE) is a metric for assessing a data center’s power or energy efficiency. It entails assessing and measuring a data center’s overall energy consumption, especially related to the energy consumption of IT devices and equipment.

What are the 5 Things You Need to Know About Data Center Infrastructure?

  • Data Center Redundancy:

While most data centers will say that their systems are fully redundant, the terminology has become so muddled in recent years that their exact backup capacities may be unclear. The first thing to look for is the efficiency of the data center’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. A dependable facility would have a comprehensive auditing policy to ensure that backup batteries are still ready to go.

UnitedLayer’s N+2 redundant chiller configuration and redundant water sources ensure consistent temperatures are maintained throughout our facilities; also, our networks are at least 2N redundant, and they include numerous cabinet redundant panels, redundant UPS, an automatic transfer generator, cabs, versatile capacity, and high density (20KW).

  • Power Density:

Many data center cabinets were designed with lower power densities in mind than most current servers. However, significant transformations in server technology have changed the way facilities measure their power capacity over the last decade. Watts per square foot used to be the traditional unit, but data centers now calculate power density at the server rack level. Ten years ago, 4-5 KW per rack was considered average; today, that number is closer to 15-20 KW per rack in high-performance facilities.

For instance, UnitedLayer has guaranteed power density to support current and future technologies with 20KW and 2N power.

  • Uptime SLA Requirements:

Any data center infrastructure evaluation should start with a thorough review of the Service Level Agreement (SLA). This agreement specifies the services that a data center promises to provide and the penalties imposed if it fails to do so. Uptime SLAs are important for consumers looking to secure their data and assets because they are legally binding documents.

UnitedLayer’s G3 Private Cloud provides all the power of the cloud without the pain of running it, so your IT team can focus on tasks essential to the growth of your business. Also, G3 Private Cloud is a fully managed cloud by our team of experts 24/7/365 days with a 15 mins response time SLA. Also, we provide software-defined network, compute, and storage resources with 99.999% high availability N+M clusters.

  • Remote Hands:

Providing services via a data center can be challenging at times. Experienced IT personnel may lack the planning and expertise required to implement systems and develop networks within the data center environment. A facility offering skilled technicians who work together for migration and integration will help customers focus on services that benefit their businesses.

When problems develop, having remote hands staff available 24/7/365 to resolve issues quickly reduces the negative impact of downtime. These technicians are also familiar with the data center environment and can handle repairs and other emergencies more efficiently than external IT teams. With an excellent remote hands team in place, service-driven businesses like MSPs can focus more on developing new services instead of troubleshooting for their customers. Customers can use UnitedLayer to get a visual snapshot of all their devices in the colocation data center, track their output, and manage these devices without sending technical staff to the facility.

  • Visibility:

Understanding what goes on inside a data center is essential for any organization that provides services through that infrastructure. Customers have to know how traffic affects power and network performance to plan and determine how their assets are best deployed. This information is provided by data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software. Protection is also a significant concern in terms of visibility. Sophisticated DCIM systems make it easier to monitor properties and ensure that all equipment is where it should be at all times.

According to Gartner, “Data center infrastructure management (DCIM) tools monitor, measure, manage and control data center utilization and energy consumption of all sending IT-related equipment (such as servers, storage, and network switches) and facility infrastructure components (such as power distribution units [PDUs] and computer room air conditioners [CRACs]).”

Meeting compliance regulations can be challenging without the right data center partner. With SSAE-18 certification incorporating controls & requirements and a robust infrastructure that is regularly audited, UnitedLayer has the unique ability to assist our customers in achieving SSAE18 SOC1/2, PCI, FedRAMP/FISMA & HIPAA compliance if needed.

Why choose us?

UnitedLayer provides the Colocation services from one of the largest data centers in San Francisco, USA, at 200 Paul Ave. Our long list of managed services enables enterprises to modernize their infrastructure and improve their responsiveness, resource utilization, scalability, and agility resulting in better customer experience and faster time to market.

With more than two decades of experience and a pool of experts in leading technologies – we enable enterprises, SMB’s, government agencies, and start-ups to reap the maximum benefits from their multicloud investments.

To get a better insight into what else UnitedLayer has got in store, Sign up for a free demo today.

How Data Centers Are Reducing The Carbon Footprint

How Data Centers Are Reducing The Carbon Footprint

“The cloud-computing paradigm offers on-demand services over the Internet and supports a wide variety of applications. With the recent growth of the Internet of Things (IoT)–based applications, the use of cloud services is increasing exponentially. The next generation of cloud computing must be energy efficient and sustainable to fulfill end-user requirements, which are changing dynamically.”

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced to sustain a person’s lifestyle and activities, both directly and indirectly. Carbon footprints are often quantified in equivalent tons of CO2 over a year and can be linked to a person, a company, a product, or an event, among other factors.

According to world climate experts, every responsible individual can contribute their share to good climatic changes. It is now up to businesses to take responsibility for climate change.

Technology is currently playing a significant role in helping global companies move into more responsible and sustainable practices. The constant drive toward digital transformation pushes businesses to step up their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and maintain operational efficiency in all aspects of their operations. CIOs are trying to guide their businesses and making the right technology choices to accelerate that transition.

Here are the four factors CIOs should consider to reduce the carbon footprint for their organizations:

  1. Reform Data Centers with Energy Efficiency: Companies require continuous power and cooling systems for their on-premises data centers. By moving to the cloud, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 80%. Businesses can benefit from enhanced performance and cheaper operational expenses while also reducing their carbon footprint by creating energy-efficient data centers. A greener data center is created by combining clear objectives, better asset management, and automation in Cloud Migration, which leads to an exponential rise in overall efficiency.
  2. Carbon Neutrality: Major cloud computing companies have already begun their journey toward carbon neutrality by powering their data centers with renewable energy sources. Solar power, geothermal energy, hydropower, and wind energy are examples of green resources. Organizations will achieve scalability with green practices by transferring infrastructure to the cloud or through new installations in the existing Cloud environment.
  3. Virtual Availability with Shared Network: A virtual network, which assures optimal resource use, is an essential feature of Cloud computing. A Cloud Data Center securely stores and shares data across several servers in various locations simultaneously. As a result, the number of physical servers is reduced, e-waste is minimized, and fewer machines and hardware. This is an example of a green solution that businesses can use.
  4. Slash Greenhouse Gases Emission: Unlike on-site data centers, which emit many greenhouse gases throughout their lives, cloud data centers significantly reduce carbon emissions by consuming less energy. Cloud computing has an undeniable impact on carbon emissions, which CIOs must consider to mitigate their company’s carbon footprint.

How is UnitedLayer reducing its carbon footprint?

Through cloud-based circular operations and sustainable products and services, businesses can gain significant financial, societal, and environmental benefits. UnitedLayer is LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.

At UnitedLayer, we help enterprises to boost their sustainability plan along with measures to reduce their carbon footprint following the environmentally friendly process.

To know more about how UnitedLayer is focusing on reducing carbon footprint visit our website now!

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