Sharing a multi-tenant data center could mean that you're caring.

A mutli-tenant data center hosts the critical ICT systems of many unrelated companies, instead of just one. In plain English, companies decide to share the same data center roof, aiming to advanced features at a lower overall cost, compared to operating their own (single-tenant) data center.

Read on: What companies share in a multi-tenant data center? Why they should care? When they should not?


 

What to share

By joining a state-of-the-art, multi-tenant data center you gain access to a long list of technology features that includes:

  • A purpose-built facility, constructed to withstand extreme physical phenomena.

  • Virtually unlimited power supply, arriving to your systems no less than 99.999% of the time.

  • Energy efficient cooling systems that ensure optimal temperature at all seasons.

  • Extended, easy to plug-in, multi-carrier connectivity.

  • Accredited engineers to pamper your systems around the clock, throughout the year.

  • Rigid security systems managed by vetted and experienced officers.

  • Redundancy of every single power, cooling, security and connectivity system that if its failure would cause the interruption of your systems' operation.

Why care

Sharing is not the first choice for most people and probably would not be the preferred one for any corporate decision maker without a strong motive. However, multi-tenant data centers, offer significant benefits to people, the decision maker most certainly cares about.

The people that are expected to enjoy significant benefits from the selection of a mutli-tenant data center include: 

  • Company's shareholders: The investment required for the development of a new data center is considerably high especially in the case of a world-class data center.

  • Company's shareholders, again: A premium, multi-tenant data center is extremely energy efficient and often the Operator obtains better tariffs from the power company. As a result, it can deliver a lower monthly power bill compared to the energy cost of running your own data center.

  • Company's stakeholders: Do you care about the people that work for your company, the people that work with your company and the people that you company works for? A smooth, uninterrupted operation only means good news for your employees, your partners and most of all, your customers.

  • Earth's inhabitants: Every world-class, data center nowadays should be built to meet the LEED green building standards, a long list of excruciating criteria that ensure it was constructed employing the most eco-friendly methods. Additionally, a green data center can be up to three times more energy efficient compared to a single-tenant one, minimising its carbon footprint on a daily basis.


 

Care but still not share

Sharing may not be the best choice for all. Even for those that truly care about shareholders, stakeholders and the planet, sharing may require careful consideration.

Some of the reasons that a company might be reluctant to share are:

  • Too complicated: Using an architecture that is extremely company-specific and possibly rare may require a significantly high setup cost to re-build within a multi-tenant data center.

  • Too small: An organisation with a limited infrastructure may lack substantial financial or other motives to consider the transition to a data center colocation model.

  • Server huggers: Some managers have significant concerns, sometimes of personal nature, if they don't run their IT systems themselves. Server huggers (as they have been named), consider the loss of control over the infrastructure as a major obstacle in the adoption of a shared data center.

  • Ultra-sensitive information: Not all data are born equal. The security of a state-of-the-art data center is extremely rigid but in some cases, e.g. national security information, sharing the same facility with others is usually avoided.


 

Sharing prevails

Considering the benefits the multi-tenant data centers offer, it comes as no surprise that they continuously gaining ground in the race against the single-tenant ones.

According to a recent report by industry analysts 451 Research, the next two years, the international data center sharing (colocation) market will grow by 56%, from $23 billion to $36 billion!

That is more good news for those who care to share. The growing colocation market offers to companies opportunities to find better and greener data center services at lower cost, even closer to them.