In April 2014, 365 Data Centers (formerly 365 Main) announced a colocation strategy aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, telecom carriers, cloud providers and channel partners. Its 365 Quick Start launch was presented as pay-for-use colocation with online signup and commitment-free, month-to-month terms. “Ditches colo contracts” described that launch offer—not the elimination of contracts across 365’s business, and not a guarantee that the offer remains available today.
What 365 announced in 2014
365 Main rebranded as 365 Data Centers in April 2014 and said it was changing its emphasis toward SMBs and technology-channel customers. The company described a launch footprint of 17 U.S. facilities at the time; that was a 2014 figure, not a current facility count.
The company’s stated argument was that large colocation providers concentrated on enterprise customers, leaving smaller businesses and channel partners with fewer suitable choices. Chief Marketing Officer Keao Caindec summarized that position by saying, “The big name colocation and data center providers are focused on the enterprise, and it leaves SMBs and the channel out in the cold.” That is the company’s rationale, not an independent measurement of the SMB colocation market.
How 365 Quick Start was supposed to work
Month-to-month, pay-for-use access
365 Quick Start was described in the launch announcement and contemporaneous trade coverage as a pay-for-use colocation service with online signup. The key distinction from a traditional arrangement was a commitment-free, month-to-month framing rather than a multi-year agreement.
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#1 Best Overall
CEO John Scanlon said the company wanted retention to depend on service rather than contractual lock-in. He called Quick Start “our first proof point” for an experience in which SMBs could take gradual steps into the cloud, using local infrastructure and national reach to support a hybrid-cloud-like model.
Why contract length matters to an SMB
A shorter commitment can reduce the risk of paying for unused rack space while a business tests a private-cloud, backup, disaster-recovery or hybrid-cloud deployment. It can also make budgeting easier when infrastructure demand is uncertain. The trade-off is that a month-to-month offer may have different pricing, renewal, notice, support or exit provisions than a negotiated enterprise contract. Those details were not established by the 2014 material and should not be inferred from the phrase “commitment-free.”
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- REMOTE MANAGEMENT: Avocent ACS 8000 16-Port Advanced Terminal Management Serial Console Server with Single AC Power Supply allows users to access and troubleshoot remote locations using automatic network failover to cellular (and failback)
- AUTOMATED PROVISIONING: Offers fast, automated configuration with zero touch provisioning; compliant with data center access and security policies; powerful Dual-core ARM processor and 16GB of flash memory to support automation scripting
- 8 USB 2.0 PORTS: Support external devices, IoT products and IT equipment; Features digital input / output & sensor ports
- POWER DEVICE MANAGEMENT: Dual 1 gigabit Ethernet port for network connectivity and failover and secure in band management for daily networking management; Expanded support for Rack PDUs from Vertiv, ServerTech, APC, Raritan and Eaton along with Vertiv GXT4 UPS systems
- ENVIRONMENTAL SENSOR PORT: To connect temperature, humidity, differential pressure, leak, door pin sensors
The compact-cabinet example
A separate October 2014 report illustrated the small-deployment use case with a compact locking cabinet. The reported specifications were:
| Item | Historical specification | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet capacity | 14 rack units (RU) | Reported by Data Center Knowledge in October 2014 |
| Internet service | 1 Mbps | Listed with the 2014 cabinet offer |
| Power | 120 volts × 15 amps AC | Listed with the 2014 cabinet offer |
| Cross-connects | One | Listed with the 2014 cabinet offer |
| Service-level commitment | 100% service-availability SLA | A reported contractual specification, not independently measured uptime |
Fourteen RU is materially smaller than a full 42U rack, so the example was suited to a limited server, networking or appliance footprint. A cabinet specification alone does not establish usable power density, cooling capacity, remote-hands coverage, physical access rules, security controls or total monthly cost. Those items would need to be confirmed in a quote.
What “ditches colo contracts” did—and did not—mean
What the headline captured
- 365 contrasted Quick Start’s month-to-month positioning with the traditional multi-year colocation agreement.
- The offer was designed to lower the initial commitment for SMBs and channel partners.
- Online signup and pay-for-use language suggested a more standardized purchase path than a bespoke enterprise deal.
What it did not establish
- It did not prove that 365 eliminated contracts from all of its colocation products.
- It did not establish that every customer received the same rate, power allocation, support package or notice period.
- It did not show that Quick Start remained available after the 2014 launch period.
How the company’s business later evolved
Later announcements show a broader 365 Data Centers business, but they do not confirm the continuing availability of Quick Start or its month-to-month terms.
| Date | Announcement | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| August 12, 2025 | Collaboration with Liberty Center One | 365 said it operated 20 colocation data centers and was expanding combined cloud capabilities at that time. |
| May 6, 2026 | Aphorio Carter partnership | 365 announced a planned pipeline of about 200 MW of AI-ready capacity. Initial sites were under letters of intent, with availability subject to contracts and approvals. |
| September 22, 2026 | Megaport expansion | 365 announced Megaport points of presence at nine additional facilities. |
These developments indicate changing capacity, connectivity and cloud priorities. They are not evidence that a 2014 named product, its cabinet configuration or its contract policy is still sold on the same terms.
Rank #4
- Remote MANAGEMENT: Avocent ACS8000 48-port advanced terminal management Serial Console Server allows users to access and troubleshoot remote locations using automatic network failover to Cellular (and failback).
- 8 USB 2.0 Ports: support external devices, IoT products and IT equipment; Features digital input/ output sensor ports and 48 RS232 serial.
- Automated PROVISIONING: Offers Fast, automated configuration with zero touch provisioning; compliant with data center access and security policies; powerful Dual-core ARM processor and 16GB of flash memory to support automation scripting.
- Power DEVICE MANAGEMENT: Dual 1 gigabit Ethernet port for network connectivity and failover and secure in band management for daily networking management; expanded support for Rack PDUs from Vertiv, server, APC, Raritan and Eaton along with Vertiv GXT4 UPS systems
- Environmental sensor port: connect to temperature, humidity, differential pressure, leak, and door pin sensors.
What an SMB should verify before signing colocation
If you are evaluating a current provider using the Quick Start idea as a benchmark, request the following in writing:
- Term and exit rules: minimum term, renewal mechanics, cancellation notice, early-termination charges and any month-to-month price premium.
- Footprint: cabinet or rack units included, usable depth, weight limit and whether expansion space is reserved.
- Power: voltage, amperage, circuit type, metering, redundancy and overage pricing. A historical 120-volt, 15-amp listing should not be treated as a present allocation.
- Connectivity: committed bandwidth, burst policy, transit options, cross-connect fees, port charges and IPv4/IPv6 availability.
- Service levels: the exact definition of “availability,” measurement interval, exclusions, maintenance rules and service credits. A 100% SLA is a contractual target, not proof of perfect uptime.
- Operations: staffed hours, remote hands, shipping and receiving, visitor controls, incident response and access procedures.
- Migration and recovery: data-egress costs, equipment-removal deadlines, backup responsibility and the process for reclaiming or destroying media.
Bottom line for the historical story
365 Data Centers’ 2014 SMB push made colocation sound less like a long-term real-estate commitment and more like an on-ramp: small capacity, online purchase and month-to-month use. The compact-cabinet example showed the intended scale. But the headline should be read narrowly. It describes a launch-era Quick Start promise, not a company-wide end to colocation contracts and not a current product guarantee.
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