September 19, 2002 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — According to a report carried out by Vanson Bourne on behalf of data center services company TeleCity (Telecity.co.uk), quality of people and technical support are the most important criteria in the selection of colocation services.
The research was carried out among 100 IT directors of companies with a turnover of between 50 million and 250 million pounds. TeleCity says the results contradict the common view of colocation as a commoditizing business, and suggest that buyers? interest lies more in the human face of data centers.
Participants in the survey were asked to score the importance of buying criteria including site access, multiple carriers, facilities inspection, security, financial stability and international presence. Quality of people and engineering support scored 89 percent, rating it the most important factor.
Second was the financial stability of the provider and high-level security ranked third. The importance placed on engineering expertise and customer service suggests that colocation may be borrowing from the managed service model with its prominent sense of partnership.
