on Sep 5
Companies are increasing their data usage and looking towards data centers to support their growth. Now, there’s many data centers available to all types of businesses, but finding the best fit isn’t the easiest decision for businesses. Housing your critical data and infrastructure in someone else’s facility requires lots of trust and consideration, but not all data centers are equal. Each facility has different standards and services, and you need to consider various factors in finding the right data center. Below is a general list of tips that businesses need to consider when looking at their options.
How to Choose the Right Data Center
1. Location, Location, Location!
Location is one of the most important factors for selecting the right data center. While there are many data center locations worldwide, the right facility should have a physical location that’s easy for someone from your business to access. Take into consideration how the area is susceptible to natural disasters like tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
2. Building Space
The physical space is just as important as the digital space for your colocation needs. The ideal data center should have bigger and better spaces to allow for equipment to run more efficiently. In addition, if disaster strikes, look for a facility that has dedicated office space for disaster recovery and business continuity.
3. Scalability
While a data center might be able to meet your current needs, how will it support your growth in the future? Every data center is different in their flexibility. Some offer out of the box solutions with limited options and others provide more customized solutions that are tailored just for your business’s needs. Don’t hesitate to find out more about the availability of more space and power if needed.
4. Security
Your data is critical to your business. When you host it in another location, you better be using a provider who uses state-of-the-art security measures and compliant with data regulations such as SOC 2, SSAE 18, and HIPAA. The facility should have physical security barriers including multiple security layers, access control procedures, surveillance and alarm systems. Advanced monitoring should be in place to detect and notify any possible building or system emergencies.
5. Reliability
Downtime means bad times for businesses. A reliable data center should have a system in place to provide instant backup power and guaranteed uptime of 99.982%. Look for a data center that has at least tier 3 certification for redundancy
6. Connectivity
Unfortunately, some data centers only offer one or a few carriers to connect with. The ideal data center should be carrier-neutral and offer multiple fiber entrances. This offers a wide choice of major bandwidth providers to connect to, and faster and more reliable performance for your business’s servers.
7. Power and Cooling
Brownouts and blackouts can happen anytime and drastically affect your uptime. A reliable data center should have power redundancies in place to guarantee consistency and uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Backup generators should keep the servers and connections running for longer periods of time.
8. Remote Hands Support
Sending your own IT staff to perform server maintenance is time-consuming. The ideal data center should have in-house remote support with 24/7 engineers on-site to help during emergencies or complete tasks such as server checks, reboots, network maintenance, and more.
9. Reputation
Reputation can make or break your data center decision. Before choosing any data center, find out more about the provider’s service record and history. Do some in-depth research, look for testimonials, and find feedback from current clients to see how they deal with customer issues.
10. Customer Service
Data centers shouldn’t only focus on larger space and faster speeds for businesses. The right facility should have dedicated and experienced support staff available 24x7x365 to answer questions and solve problems when needed.
Make the Right Decision
Data center colocation is an important decision that supports your business’s future growth. Businesses must carefully consider all the factors and conduct research to find the right data center for their needs. If you’re still on the fence about your decision, contact one of our local experts today. We can answer all your questions and even provide more details about our brand new tier 3 data center in Mililani Tech Park. Located 10 miles inland and 850 feet above sea level, this 30,000 square feet building is less prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The facility is built with 24x7 security and redundancy at all components and levels, providing 100% uptime and guaranteed exceptional performance for tenants. Call 808-237-5000 or request a consultation below for more information.
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Servpac is a Hawaii-based telecommunications company providing innovative and integrated telephone, internet, cloud, and data center colocation solutions for Hawaii businesses since 2004. The company is the largest locally based CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) in the state and provides 24/7 local support for island businesses to help them compete in the global marketplace. Call 808-237-5000 to discuss your telecom needs and learn more about all of our services.