Who is responsible for what
The provider runs the facility — building, power, cooling, physical security, and network access. You run the IT — the servers, storage, and network devices, along with their configuration and operations.
Retail vs wholesale colocation
Retail colocation rents by rack or cage, billed by space and power — fits most enterprises. Wholesale colocation leases a larger dedicated space or full module with committed power capacity, typically aimed at hyperscalers and large deployments.
You own hardware you cannot walk up to
In colocation, your servers may sit in another city or even another country. Remote hardware visibility and out-of-band rescue channels are no longer nice-to-haves — they are the way you operate. Key advantages: cross-site remote hardware health, out-of-band access even when the OS is down, accurate asset and warranty records, per-rack power and space usage.