Most providers price on one of two models: per-kW (you pay for committed power, space comes with it) or per-cabinet / per-U (you pay for space with a power allowance). Power is almost always the real cost driver. On top of the base rate, watch for one-time setup fees, cross-connect charges (monthly, per connection), remote hands rates, and annual escalators of 3–5% built into multi-year terms. Always compare the all-in monthly number, not the headline rate.

Tiers describe redundancy. Tier 1 has single paths for power and cooling (basic). Tier 2 adds redundant components. Tier 3 is concurrently maintainable — any component can be serviced without downtime (N+1), and it’s the standard for most business workloads. Tier 4 is fully fault-tolerant (2N) and priced accordingly. Uptime Institute certification is the formal version; many facilities are “Tier 3 equivalent” by design without holding the certificate — ask which one you’re getting.

A carrier that is already on-net in the building can deliver your circuit with a simple cross-connect — fast, cheap, and reliable. If your carrier isn’t in the building, you pay for a local loop from their nearest fiber, which adds cost and a second provider to every outage call. More on-net carriers also means real price competition for your bandwidth. It’s one of the most underrated selection criteria — and it’s exactly what our facility profiles list.

No — and this is the most expensive assumption in colocation. Global brands are excellent when you need their specific footprint or ecosystem, but you often pay a premium for the logo. Regional operators in the same metro frequently offer better pricing per kW, more flexible contracts, more included remote hands, and the same certifications. The right answer depends on your workloads, carriers, and growth plans — which is why we compare both side by side before you commit.

A cloud on-ramp (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect) is a private connection from the facility into a public cloud — skipping the public internet. If you run hybrid workloads, replicate data to the cloud, or care about consistent latency and egress costs, choosing a facility with the right on-ramps saves real money. If you’re fully on-prem, it’s a nice-to-have that keeps future options open.

Match the facility’s attestations to your regulatory exposure: SOC 2 is table stakes for most businesses; HIPAA for healthcare data; PCI DSS if you touch cardholder data; ISO 27001 for international or enterprise contracts; FedRAMP/FISMA for government work. Remember: the facility’s certification covers the building and its operations — your own equipment and processes still need to comply on top of it. Ask for the actual audit reports, not just the badges.

Start from power, not space: add up the nameplate draw of your gear, apply a realistic utilization factor, and add 20–30% headroom for growth. A few servers fit in a quarter or half cabinet; a full 42U cabinet typically comes with 5–10kW; high-density or AI workloads may need 15kW+ and liquid-cooling-ready space. Buying too much up front wastes money — but verify the facility can expand you contiguously later, or you’ll be migrating racks in a year.

Nothing. We’re a registered technology advisor — the providers compensate us the same way whether you buy direct or through us, so our incentive is to find the facility that actually fits. We pull real pricing from every provider on your shortlist, pressure-test it against the market, and negotiate on your side. Start with a colocation assessment and we’ll take it from there.