Most Colocation decisions start the same way. Power, cooling, connectivity, rack space, support. All sensible. All important.
But there is one question that still gets missed far too often, even by experienced IT teams.
Where, exactly, will your infrastructure live, and what guarantees do you have that it will stay there?
For many organisations, “Colocation” sounds like a fixed point. You put hardware into a Data Centre, you sign an agreement, and you assume the location is settled for the long term. In practice, it is not always that simple. Location certainty is not a given. It is something you need to check, challenge and insist on.
The Risk No-one Likes Talking About
Colocation is built on trust. You are placing critical equipment in someone else’s facility. For regulated organisations, and any business with real uptime and continuity requirements, that facility becomes part of your risk profile.
The uncomfortable truth is that in parts of the hosting market, the company you buy from does not always control the building your infrastructure sits in. Sometimes they lease space. Sometimes they rely on third-party facilities. Sometimes the location you are told you will be in today is not guaranteed to be available in the same way tomorrow.
That matters, because when the building changes hands, when a lease ends, or when a provider rationalises facilities, customers can find themselves being told to move, quickly. It might be framed as a “planned relocation”, but for the customer it is often an unplanned project with real operational risk.
This is not about fear-mongering. It is about acknowledging a reality of the market and treating it properly.
Why Location Certainty Matters Commercially, Not Just Technically
When infrastructure has to move unexpectedly, the cost is rarely limited to the move itself.
It affects:
- Business continuity: you are suddenly managing a time-critical project that was not on the roadmap.
- Operational focus: internal teams get pulled away from planned work and strategic change.
- Supplier confidence: stakeholders start questioning why the risk was not spotted earlier.
- Compliance and audit pressure: you may need to explain changes in facility, controls and data handling at short notice.
- Customer trust: even a small service interruption can have a disproportionate reputational impact.
And it is not only Colocation customers. The same facility questions matter if you are hosting dedicated servers or other infrastructure services. If the underlying facility is uncertain, everything built on it inherits that uncertainty.
The Questions You Should be Asking Before You Sign
If you are reviewing Colocation, or renewing an agreement, these are the questions I would push to the top of the list:
- What are the named locations, and are they fixed?
Not “UK-based”, not “near London”, not “multiple sites”. Ask for the specific locations and what is contractually committed. - Who controls the facility, and what happens if that changes?
You do not need a legal deep dive, but you do need clarity on whether the provider has genuine control of the environment and the right to keep customers there. - What does a move look like in reality?
If a move was required, how would it be handled? What notice would be given? What support is included? What level of disruption should you plan for? - What protections exist around continuity and security?
Look for clear processes, clear responsibilities, and evidence that the provider is used to operating in environments where risk and compliance matter.
If a Provider cannot answer these questions plainly, or tries to brush them off as “not an issue”, that should tell you something.
What “Good” Looks Like
Location certainty is not about marketing claims. It is about operational reality.
The best Colocation partners:
- are clear about where your kit is hosted
- are clear about what they control and what they do not
- have solid security and quality standards in place, with the right certifications
- have practical migration capability, so moves are planned and managed properly if ever needed
- have people you can speak to who take continuity seriously
Just as importantly, they can explain it in plain English, without hiding behind buzzwords.
How we approach this at CWCS
At CWCS, we take location certainty seriously because we see what happens when it is ignored. We operate UK Colocation services across Nottingham, Manchester and London, and we are very clear with customers about where they are hosted and what that means in practice.
Nottingham is our flagship site, and it is a key part of how we give customers confidence in long-term stability and control. Independent coverage has also highlighted that CWCS operates from its own Data Centre in Nottingham, while using facilities in Manchester and London.
From our engagements with existing and new customers, we know that having this confidence is a key decision factor in both selecting and staying with us, as their infrastructure is critical. They want stability, clear accountability, and a partner that will still be there next year, and the year after, with the same level of service and control.
A Final Thought
Colocation can be a smart, modern route to resilient infrastructure. It can also become a headache if you assume the facility risk is someone else’s problem.
If you are considering Colocation or reviewing an existing arrangement, do not just ask about rack space and pricing. Ask about location certainty. Ask who controls the facility. Ask what happens if circumstances change. Ask how moves are handled.
If you want a straightforward conversation about what good looks like, and how to reduce risk without overcomplicating things, we are happy to help. CWCS provides UK-based Colocation backed by certified facilities, practical engineering support, and a team that understands why location certainty matters in the real world.
