Benefits of Carrier Neutral Data Centers

Having options is a plus. They add flexibility to the decision-making process and offer safeguards if an issue arises. Carrier-neutral data centers and carrier hotels provide this flexibility for IT managers and CIOs in the form of connectivity across multiple carriers and colocation providers. The following points aim to help you understand what carrier-neutral data centers are, as well as the inter-connectivity they offer.

What is carrier-neutrality?

A carrier-neutral (network-neutral) data center or carrier hotel offers interconnectivity between various telecommunication carriers. These data centers are operated by Third parties that enable carriers to provide internet services from their facility. Third party data center operators do not require or encourage users to connect to any carrier(s) in specific. Instead, users decide on the carrier(s) they want to connect to. Typically, about 5 to 10 carriers can be found in a carrier hotel, but a few hotels, such as Global Access Point, have as many as 15 or more. In a nutshell, interconnectivity in a data center creates an environment with redundancy, flexibility, and affordability.

Redundancy

Redundancy is a powerful thing in the right circumstances, such as connectivity for your business. Carrier-neutral users can connect to various providers, and that option of multi-connectivity creates redundancy. Users of multiple carriers stay up and running when a single point of connectivity goes down. Fiber cuts may occur, or equipment may fail, but no matter the situation, utilizing a carrier-neutral hotel increases the probability of maintaining 100% uptime.

Flexibility

A large availability of carriers grants neutral hotel users options regarding which carriers to connect to, and supplies diverse pathways for delivering services. Flexibility of carrier-neutral facilities makes switching providers simple. Users can connect to a carrier, discover it’s not the right fit, and switch to another whenever they choose without the hassle of relocating their IT equipment.

Affordability

Housing multiple carriers in a single data center creates competition and competition drives down prices. Additionally, moving IT equipment into and out of a data center is a considerable cost, both in terms of monetary value and in terms of downtime. These moves need to be well orchestrated to avoid lost opportunities. Therefore, carrier-neutral data centers are a smart investment worth considering when looking for a space to house IT equipment.

Carrier-neutral data centers offer users redundant, flexible, and affordable options.

These are just a few of the benefits to storing equipment in a carrier-neutral data center. Do you have any others to add? Let us know in the comments and share this article if you liked it.