Cage (Colocation Cage)

A cage is a physically enclosed, lockable colocation space — typically wire-mesh partition walls with a dedicated locking door — that gives one customer exclusive floor-level access control within a shared data hall, sitting between a fully private suite and a shared cabinet in the security hierarchy. Cages commonly range from a few hundred to several thousand square feet and are billed by square footage plus power draw, making them the standard unit for mid-size enterprises, financial trading firms and government tenants that need audit-friendly physical segregation without leasing an entire private suite. Providers often layer biometric or badge-controlled cage doors on top of the facility's own mantrap and perimeter security, and cage builds are a common source of non-recurring charges since mesh walls, doors and dedicated power whips are typically customized per contract rather than pre-built.