Model

The Colo-X business model is quite simple. We are specialist agents or brokers for data centres, colocation, managed hosting and related services and our success is based on our specialist, up to date market knowledge, experience and expertise. We introduce buyers to suitable suppliers (see Services) and earn standard, fixed commissions which are paid for by the successful supplier if a deal is done following an introduction.

Our Consultative Approach

Our aim is not to provide buyers long lists of quotes, we believe that is a waste of the buyer’s time and all the vendors who we have beeen asked to quote. What we would rather do is engage directly with the buyer, understand all the relevant issues regarding their requirement and then based on this make some recommendations as to who suitable suppliers might be. Perhaps sometimes there may be only one option, but we’d usually aim to provide two or three alternatives. After agreeing this list with the buyer and explaining the reasons why we will then introduce them via email to the appropriate contact at the other party. We believe our approach serves both buyers and suppliers best, as demonstrated by our long record of succesful transactions and the ten years our model has been running.

Areas of Expertise

90% of our activity is focussed on the colocation and hosting sectors in the UK and Europe, though we are also active in the US, especially helping European companies establish themselves in the key North American gateway locations, primarily on the East Coast.  Colo-X is also active to a lesser degree in Eastern Europe, India, Asia and the MENA region (see transaction history below).

Although we track the activities of the large scale real estate operators we do not deal in leasehold transactions.  We can work with appropriate real estate brokers/commercial property agents where required and have often done so.

History

We have been closing colocation deals since 1999, which was pretty much the start of the colocation and hosting industry in Europe.  Tim Anker, founder of The Colocation Exchange was Director of Colocation and IP Services at Band-X from 1999 and he established The Colocation Exchange in September 2004.

Tim’s first deal was putting Eircom into 111 8th Avenue in New York in the summer of 1999.    Since then Tim has closed deals all over the world, including locations such as Panama, Bucharest, the US, Asia and all over Europe.  Deals have varied from 1U to 50,000 sq ft, but the main focus has been for colocation deals  for racks or cabinets, 1 up to 10 racks, or 2kW up to 100kW or so.  Clients have varied from small VoIP operators to large enterprise clients and a long list of ISPs, hosting customers and telcos.

Tim is a regular speaker at industry conferences, writes in the trade press and has also been on the judging panel for the Data Centres Europe Awards for the past four years.