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Central PA isn’t exactly a nexus of overflowing bandwidth. We don’t have entire blocks of the region dedicated to datacenter growth. We don’t have a sky-high demand for infrastructure like Silicon Valley. As a result, a lot of local organizations make five very wrong assumptions about co-location in Central PA. Because of these assumptions, their IT gear languishes in a supply closet (or worse, under someone’s desk).
That’s why we’ve decided to set the record straight:
#1 – It’s too expensive
A lot of people assume that convenience equals high cost. But what if that convenience actually saves you money? If a server goes down, how much does it cost to fly your technician out to a datacenter on a last-second ticket? If you use remote hands, what are you paying for an hour of service? Even if your datacenter is within driving distance, how long will it take your technician to get there? What if there’s traffic congestion or severe weather? How much do those extra hours of downtime cost your organization?
On the other hand, our tier 3 datacenter is located right here in Harrisburg. It’s just off Progress Avenue, which means it’s easily accessible via I-81, I-83, and I-76. No more last-second airfare or marathon drives through bad weather; we’re just up the road.
And with co-location starting at just $99.99 for a 1U space, with discounts available on larger allocations, we’re by no means expensive. When you consider the convenience of having the core of your IT infrastructure nearby, we’re downright affordable.
#2 – There’s no good connectivity
This is our favorite myth about colocating in Central PA.
Our tier 3 datacenter features a blend of top-tier network providers including Level(3), Verizon, Frontier Communications, and Comcast. Our network infrastructure consists entirely of enterprise-grade Juniper and HP equipment. We’ve got three fiber links to 401 N Broad, a major carrier hotel in Philadelphia. And we use diverse paths off the premises to help protect against oopsies like inattentive backhoe operators.
Some “discount” datacenters use a single carrier. That’s a single point of failure, because even major, reliable carriers have scheduled — and unscheduled — downtime. When that one carrier goes down, you’re dead in the water. Some discount providers upgrade to a blend of carriers, but they use cut-rate providers. Cut-rate carriers introduce all kinds of problems like increased latency and decreased reliability.
That’s why only use a blend of top-tier carriers. Truth be told, we have a better network than many “discount” co-location providers.
#3 – There’s no room to grow
We’re a web hosting company. Networking and IT infrastructure is what we do. That means we’ve got a vast IT infrastructure at our disposal, all ready to be custom-configured to meet your exact needs. Whether you just need to rent a few units of rackspace or you need multiple racks complete with leased switches and servers, we’ve got you covered.
#4 – It’s not as reliable or secure as (insert big name here)
Our enterprise-class network is just part of our reliable infrastructure. In the event of a loss of utility power, facility-wide UPSes provide instant backup power, while two on-site diesel generators provide extended runtime capacity. And because the facility is a priority PPL customer, we’re among the first to get restored when an outage hits.
The datacenter itself is keep cool and at the perfect humidity level by a multiple units in a glycol-based cooling system. Its N+1 redundancy means that the system has ample cooling capacity even if one of the units isn’t operating at peak efficiency (or flat out fails). The server room is protected by an advanced multi-factor (biometric) access control and is monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Digital video surveillance provides coverage of individual aisles as well as the common areas. Access is limited to authorized personnel only.
Supply closets (and indeed, some “cheap” datacenters) aren’t this protected. But we are.
#5 – There’s a catch
There isn’t. Our tier 3 datacenter delivers fast, reliable hosting from a blend of top-tier carriers. We’re located right here in Central PA and we’re remarkably affordable. We’re enterprise-grade from top to bottom, because at the end of the day, reliability is all that matters.
Just like a really good cup of fresh-brewed coffee, sometimes it’s worth spending a few bucks more. Your website and IT infrastructure is no exception. Talk to us today and find out what we can do for you.
