Cloud & Infrastructure / Data Centers & Storage

Colocation

Renting space in a third-party data center — a cabinet, cage, or private suite — where your servers and networking equipment live alongside other companies’ hardware. The provider supplies power, cooling, physical security, and network connectivity; you bring (or buy) the compute. Cheaper and more flexible than building your own facility, with carrier-grade reliability.

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61
providers vetted

100%
power uptime SLAs available

3–4
shortlist candidates

$0
cost for our guidance

When should you be evaluating Colocation?

Rubber Duck has worked extensively with our Colocation providers to understand where they have seen the most success and the biggest ROI for clients adopting the solution. Here is what the data reflects.

You’ve outgrown your server closet but don’t want to fund a $1M+ private data center build
You need geographic diversity for disaster recovery — a second site in a different region
You’re running latency-sensitive workloads (trading, gaming, CDN edge) that need to be near a specific carrier hotel
You’re moving from on-premise but not ready for full public cloud — colo is the hybrid landing zone
You need direct cross-connects to AWS, Azure, GCP, or specific carriers without going over the public internet

Explore the partner data center footprint

1,200+ facilities across 426 markets in 58 countries, mapped from our partners’ published site lists. Filter by provider to see a footprint, click any market for who operates there — then have us price power, space, and connectivity at the sites that fit your latency and compliance needs.

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Locations are mapped to the nearest city from provider-published address lists and are indicative — always confirm exact site addresses, power availability, and cross-connect options during evaluation. Need facility-level detail — carriers on-net, compliance, cloud on-ramps? Search vetted data centers.

What you actually get with colocation

A colocation decision is power, cooling, connectivity, and contract terms — priced across markets instead of pitched by one landlord. Here is what a complete engagement covers.

Site selection shortlist

Facilities scored on latency to your users, power availability, network density, and geographic risk — not on which landlord called first.

Power and space pricing

Per-kW and per-cabinet quotes from 3-4 facilities, normalized to identical terms with escalators exposed.

Connectivity audit

On-net carriers, cloud on-ramps, and cross-connect fees compared before you commit — the hidden monthly line item.

Compliance mapping

SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI, and FedRAMP-aligned facilities matched to your audit scope, with evidence trails.

Migration planning

Move runbooks, staging space, and remote-hands coverage scheduled around your maintenance windows.

Contract redlines

Renewal escalators, cross-connect rates, and remote-hands pricing redlined before signature.

1,200+

partner facilities on our interactive location map

300+

Digital Realty data centers across 50+ metros

65+

DataBank facilities with federal-grade compliance

24/7

remote hands on shortlisted sites

Figures as published by the named providers or typical of advisor-led procurements; verify current specifications during evaluation.

Providers delivering colocation

Every provider below has been vetted for facility quality, connectivity options, and post-sale accountability. Want the three best fits for your footprint? That’s one conversation.

13 providers with published profiles shown — every logo links to the partner’s full profile, including products, certifications, and coverage.

Browse the full directory → · Or get matched in 10 minutes →

Products & platforms

Deep-dives on the specific platforms our partners deliver in this category.

TierPoint

Colocation + managed services in 30 US markets

40+ data centers with strong mid-tier metro coverage
Colocation, managed cloud, and DRaaS under one provider
Active investment in AI and HPC-ready facilities

View partner profile →

Digital Realty

Global scale: 300+ facilities in 25+ countries

300+ data centers across 50+ metros worldwide
PlatformDIGITAL architecture for data-gravity strategies
Scale to land single-cabinet or multi-megawatt footprints

View partner profile →

Cologix

Interconnection-dense North American colocation

Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities across major North American metros
Dense interconnection ecosystems with direct cloud on-ramps
Sites spanning Ashburn, Columbus, Dallas, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver

View partner profile →

Proof in the field

COLOCATION · TECHNOLOGYIntellinet: 99.999% uptime and 40% lower costs with 365 Data Centers → COLOCATION · SOC 2TechStart: SOC 2 compliance unlocks $4M in enterprise deals → DATA CENTER MIGRATION · HEALTHCAREEvergreen Healthcare: 400+ servers moved with zero downtime →

Shortlist the right colocation provider in one conversation

61 vetted options, three that fit you, zero cost for the guidance. Bring your questions.

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How your Colocation engagement runs

The same disciplined path every time — so you always know what happens next and who is accountable for it.

Day 1

Assess

We map your environment, contracts, and goals. No pitch — an honest read on where you stand and what it should cost.

Week 1

Shortlist

You get 3–4 fits from 475 vetted providers, with the reasoning attached — capabilities, pricing leverage, trade-offs.

Weeks 2–3

Evaluate

We run the demos, reference checks, and side-by-side pricing benchmarks so your team doesn't have to.

Weeks 3–4

Negotiate

Terms, SLAs, and pricing negotiated with portfolio-level leverage — anchored to real market rates, not list price.

Ongoing

Manage

We oversee implementation and stay your escalation point for the life of the service, through every renewal.

Typical timeline for mid-market engagements. Complex builds — colocation, dark fiber, custom AI deployments — carry longer evaluation and delivery windows, and we set that expectation on day one.

Why source Colocation through Rubber Duck

No retainers, no hourly billing, no markup on your contract. Here is how that works:

Same or better pricing

Your contract is signed directly with the provider at rates we benchmark against comparable deals — you pay the same or less than going direct.

$0 advisory fee

Providers fund our advisory through their partner programs, and every provider compensates us the same way — so recommendations are based on fit, never commission.

One escalation point

After go-live we stay accountable: implementation oversight, billing disputes, outage escalations, and renewal strategy all route through your advisor.

What buyers ask before their first call

Does the guidance really cost nothing?

Yes. Our advisory is supplier-funded: providers pay us through the same partner programs they fund for all technology advisors, and every provider compensates us the same way. You pay the provider directly, at rates we benchmark — the same or less than going direct.

How are you different from a reseller or an MSP?

We don't carry inventory, quotas, or a house brand to protect. A reseller earns more when you buy what they stock; we earn the same regardless of which vetted provider you choose — so the recommendation is driven by fit. Where a managed service is the right answer, we source and oversee it rather than sell you our own.

Do we keep a direct relationship with the provider?

Yes. Your contract, billing, and SLAs sit directly with the provider you select. We sit on your side of that relationship — running the evaluation and negotiation up front, then acting as your escalation point after go-live.

What if we're already under contract?

That's the most common starting point. We benchmark your current rates now, flag billing errors worth disputing immediately, and build the renegotiation plan around your renewal window — including co-terming services so future decisions happen on your schedule, not the vendors'.

How fast do we get to a shortlist?

For most categories you'll have a reasoned shortlist of three or four providers within a week of the first assessment call. Complex infrastructure — colocation, dark fiber, large contact-center builds — takes longer, and we tell you that up front.