What You Should Know Before Selecting a Data Center Provider

The modern world revolves around digital communication and the creating, sharing, and retrieving of data. Businesses large and small are moving their company data into third-party data center facilities because managing data can be time-consuming and difficult for non-experts. But data centers do more than just store data. Cloud computing can bring resources to anyone with internet access. These resources can be anything from software, hardware, desktops, containers, artificial intelligence, networks, frameworks, and so much more. Businesses aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the power of data centers—many individuals are also utilizing the power of cloud computing and data center facilities. But not all data centers are equal. There are specific things you should know before selecting a data center provider.

Location Is a Vital Aspect in Selecting a Data Center Provider

The location of a data center is important for several different reasons. Latency is one of the main things to keep in mind when choosing a data center provider. A site that takes a little bit longer to load is due to latency issues. Having the data closer to the users helps fix the issues of latency, which is also known as proximity. Proximity is as simple as it sounds. Being closer to the end-user can significantly help speed up the connection. Another thing to think about is the natural disaster zones. Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska have tornadoes, New York, Florida, and Boston have hurricanes, and California has earthquakes. Although some of these locations like New York and California have natural disasters, their disaster response time is faster.

With all of this said, having a data center in a centralized location closer to businesses and its end users are the most important. Which is why major metropolitan areas are where the largest data center hubs are in the United State like California and New York.

The Importance of Data Center Power and Cooling

Once you’ve decided which centralized location and which metropolitan area your data center should be the next vital thing to factor in power and cooling. These are some of the most important factors of keeping your business going. Looking for a data center with power redundancy and cooling is vital. If there happens to be any sort of utility failures due to extreme weather, a power line goes down, or even an equipment failure, a data center with redundant power can continue to run. Downtime can cause a tremendous amount of monetary loss for a business. Even just an hour of downtime can cause certain businesses up to $540,000. There are many benefits of data center power redundancy, but the main one is keeping your business running no matter what is happening outside of it. Having a data center that can ensure 99-100% network uptime will not only be beneficial for your business, but it’s also one of the most crucial.

Data Center Security Is Important

Data center security is more important than ever before. Data centers need to be secure in the physical sense and in the realm of cybersecurity. Businesses want and need to keep all of their company data safe from all threats. When it comes to physical security, data centers should have on-site guards protecting the facility at all times. It should also have video surveillance in all crucial areas of the data center. It is also important to require identification to access any of the facilities. You should be able to check-in and visit your servers and equipment, but the data center needs to require identification for your data’s protection.

Additional to physical security, data centers should precaution when it comes to cybersecurity as well. A data center should have DDoS monitoring and protection and should be monitoring the network for suspicious traffic for preventive measures. There also needs to be a firewall in place, and a disaster recovery plan if any disasters were to occur. Lastly, certifications of compliance are also important for a trusted data center to have. These certifications should include HIPAA, PCI, and SSAE.

Data Center Support Is Much Needed

Storing your and your company data in another facility can be a chance that some will need to get used to. So partnering with a data center provider that can guarantee 24/7 data center support can go a long way. But data center support can only go so far if the support team isn’t an expert IT staff. Looking for a data center partner that can offer this will go a long way. Having an expert team standing by can be one of the most important parts of partnering with a data center.

Natural disasters, power outages, system failures can be easily taken care of with the proper attention. And having an expert IT staff can also mitigate any of the possible disasters that can happen.  

Why Data Center Scalability Matters?

Many businesses are looking to grow either now or in the near future, which is why scalability is also an essential thing to keep in mind when looking for a data center partner. A good data center provider allows your service to grow as your business grows. But this can also mean scaling down when needed. Looking for a data center provider that will be along for the ride can be beneficial for your business. It will also be less stressful when needing to scale down. Your relationship with your data center provider should be a partnership that allows your business to go through its ups and downs.

Conclusion

Data centers are imperative to many business operations, but not all data centers are the same. There are several things to keep in mind and look for in a data center partner. Whether you’re looking for a dedicated server in Los Angeles or a colocation service in New Jersey, there are things to look out for in a provider that can make a big difference in your business’ everyday operation. The major thing to keep in mind is it’s all about connections. Partnering with a data center provider should be a comfortable relationship that allows you to grow together in all phases of your business.