Beginner guides
The First-Time Data Centre Buyer’s Checklist
7 min read
Use this checklist to compare colocation providers on space, power, connectivity, resilience, security, support, pricing and migration risk.
Define the business requirement first
Before requesting quotes, document why the business is moving into a data centre. Common goals include replacing an unreliable server room, supporting growth, improving disaster recovery, reducing latency or connecting privately to cloud platforms. Record the applications involved, acceptable downtime, compliance obligations and the teams responsible for the environment. This prevents a provider comparison from becoming a simple price-per-rack exercise. A good requirement should explain what must remain online, who depends on it and what would happen if power, connectivity or physical access were unavailable.
Measure space, power and growth
Create an equipment inventory showing rack units, depth, weight, plug type, normal load and maximum power draw. Include switches, firewalls, storage, console devices and spare parts, not only servers. Estimate expected growth over 24 to 36 months and identify whether GPU or other high-density systems may be added. Ask providers to explain usable power per rack, feed configuration, metering and cooling limits. Reserve sensible headroom, but avoid paying for an oversized footprint that may remain empty. Power availability is often the binding constraint in modern colocation deployments.
Map connectivity requirements
List every internet provider, carrier, office, cloud platform and partner network the environment must reach. Confirm which carriers are already present and the cost and delivery time for cross connects. For hybrid cloud, check whether private connections to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or other platforms are available directly or through a virtual connectivity service. Review bandwidth, redundancy, routing and failover. Two circuits are not fully diverse if they use the same carrier, entry path or upstream exchange. Ask for a diagram rather than relying on the word “redundant”.
Assess resilience, security and support
Review the facility’s design certification, operational history, maintenance approach and service-level commitments. Understand whether the site is concurrently maintainable or fault tolerant and how that applies to the exact service you are buying. Examine access controls, visitor procedures, CCTV, loading areas, equipment handling and audit evidence. Ask how incidents are communicated and escalated. Remote hands should also be assessed carefully: response targets, minimum charges, skill level, supported tasks and approval processes can affect recovery times when your staff cannot attend the site.
Compare the complete commercial offer
Request a clear schedule of one-off and recurring charges. Typical items include setup, cabinet rental, reserved power, actual energy use, cross connects, access cards, remote hands, storage, deliveries and after-hours work. Check contract length, annual price increases, early termination, expansion rights and decommissioning obligations. Before signing, develop a migration plan covering equipment transport, insurance, labelling, testing, rollback and stakeholder communications. A well-priced contract can still produce a poor result if capacity, access or migration assumptions are unclear.
Frequently asked questions
Not sure how this applies to your business?
The free assessment turns answers like these into realistic pricing and a provider shortlist for your specific requirements.
Start free assessment