What is colocation

Colocation (or 'colo') is the service of renting space in a data center to host your own servers and network gear. You own the hardware; the provider delivers the infrastructure — redundant power (UPS + generator), precision cooling, high-speed networking, multi-layer physical security and engineering staff on site.

Colocation rack inside a Tier III data center
Rack space ready for colocation

How colocation works

  1. 1You already own — or purchase — your servers.
  2. 2Choose a colocation plan by size: 1U, half rack, full rack or private cage.
  3. 3Ship the server to the data center (the provider can help transport).
  4. 4Engineers rack the server, connect power and network, and bring it online.
  5. 5Access your server remotely (SSH, IPMI) or visit the data center in person.
  6. 6The provider monitors power, network and temperature 24/7 and alerts on issues.

Colocation vs on-premise vs dedicated server

AttributeOn-premiseColocationDedicated
Hardware ownerYouYouProvider
LocationYour officeData CenterData Center
Power & coolingSelfIncludedIncluded
UptimeLow–mediumHigh (99.99%)High (99.9%)
Internet bandwidthLimited10+ Gbps10+ Gbps
Upfront costVery highMediumLow
Hardware scalingVery slowMediumHardware swap
Three hosting models compared

Benefits of colocation

  • High uptime — Tier III guarantees 99.982% (≤1.6 hours of downtime/year).
  • High-speed bandwidth — 10–100 Gbps with direct Tier-1 global peering.
  • Lower long-term cost — no investment in UPS, generators or cooling.
  • Enterprise-grade security — biometric access, 24/7 CCTV, guards, fire suppression.
  • Disaster recovery — built to withstand earthquakes, floods and fires.
  • Full hardware control — choose any server you like.
  • 24/7 remote hands — on-site engineers help when you can't visit.

What are data center tiers

The Uptime Institute defines four tiers based on power, cooling and network redundancy:

TierUptimeDowntime/yearRedundancy
Tier I99.671%28.8 hNone
Tier II99.741%22 hPartial (N+1)
Tier III99.982%1.6 hConcurrently maintainable
Tier IV99.995%26 minFault tolerant (2N+1)

How to choose a colocation provider

  • Tier of the data center — at minimum Tier III + ISO 27001.
  • Location — close to the city, away from flood-prone zones.
  • Bandwidth and peering — Tier-1 carriers and local IX presence.
  • Remote hands — reboots, hardware swaps, basic troubleshooting.
  • SLA — 99.9%+ uptime and 100% power SLA.
  • Scalability — option to add racks, cages or private suites later.
  • Security — biometric, mantrap, CCTV, guards, FM-200 fire suppression.
  • Compliance — ISO 27001, ISO 27701, PCI-DSS, PDPA support.

Colocation pricing in 2026

SizeSpacePowerPrice/mo
1U1 unit1 kW฿1,500 – ฿2,500
Quarter Rack (10U)10 units2 kW฿5,500 – ฿8,500
Half Rack (21U)21 units3 kW฿9,000 – ฿15,000
Full Rack (42U)42 units5 kW฿16,000 – ฿28,000
Private CageCustom10+ kW฿60,000+

Triplify Colocation Services

  • Tier III data centers in Bangkok in flood-safe areas.
  • ISO/IEC 27001, 27701 certified and PDPA compliant.
  • 100 Gbps network with direct Tier-1 global peering.
  • N+1 power redundancy — dual UPS + dual generator.
  • Precision cooling at 22 ± 2 °C, N+1 redundant.
  • Biometric, mantrap and 24/7 CCTV physical security.
  • Free 24/7 remote hands — no minimum charge.
  • Cross-connects to other cloud providers and carriers.