Executive Summary
Shift smarter: From cloud-first to cloud-right hybrid infrastructure
As AI and other high-performance compute initiatives drive unpredictable cloud costs, your infrastructure strategy is likely shifting from cloud-first to cloud-right. Smarter cloud use means aligning each of your workloads with the ideal environment by employing a hybrid IT model that includes colocation for better control over cost, performance, and compliance.
The Challenge
What’s at risk
From rising costs to compliance gaps, cloud-first strategies are showing cracks.
- Unpredictable costs: Dynamic usage, hidden fees, and idle resources make cloud costs hard to control
- Performance gaps: Cloud often falls short for demanding workloads due to latency and limited access to specialized hardware like GPUs or high-throughput storage
- Vendor lock-in: Relying on a single cloud provider limits flexibility and complicates migration due to proprietary tools, APIs, and dependencies
- Operational complexity: Cloud sprawl from multiple accounts, services, and regions fragment visibility and governance
- Continuity risks: Dependence on a single cloud provider creates points of failure and limits fallback options
Centersquare Solution
Colocation is the hybrid IT anchor
Our colocation data centers deliver a cloud-adjacent environment for workloads that aren't a public cloud fit, plus seamless connections to cloud on-ramps. From legacy systems to high-density compute, our scalable power, advanced cooling, and quick connectivity support hybrid IT infrastructure across core, cloud, and the edge.
Hybrid IT services
- Cloud-adjacent infrastructure: Connect with direct cloud on-ramps to enable seamless integration and smarter workload placement
- On-demand provisioning: Through our Digital Exchange, deploy network and storage services instantly to improve agility and reduce time-to-market
- Hybrid flexibility: Use direct fiber cross-connects or Digital Exchange to burst into cloud or integrate services as needed
- Carrier-neutral connectivity: Access Tier 1 providers and cloud platforms for flexible, low-latency hybrid architecture
- Scalable storage-as-a-service: Fully managed, pay-as-you-go storage to retain control over data across hybrid environments
Hybrid IT support
- Assessment: Our engineering teams help identify workloads suited for colocation based on cost, performance, compliance, and security requirements
- Infrastructure planning: Design a hybrid IT model that integrates a colocation data center footprint with on-demand cloud services
- Migration strategy: Develop phased migration plan, starting with non-critical workloads to minimize risk
- Security and compliance: Establish full control over data to meet HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FedRAMP, and other standards
- Cost optimization: Host stable workloads in a fixed-cost colocation environment to avoid inflated cloud markups and unpredictable egress fees
We’re ready to put your business at the center.
Looking for space and power availability? Need pricing? Want to schedule a local data center tour? Got questions about our colocation services? Our data center colocation specialists are ready to assist.