Most businesses these days utilise data centre services in some shape or form. But with an array of factors to consider when choosing a data centre provider, it’s understandable that some buyers will have only a limited understanding of what happens behind the doors of the data centre itself and how that can have implications that are felt across their business.
That’s why we’ve pulled together a short buyer’s guide to data centre services, which you can download here.
Running a secure and compliant digital business starts with a secure and compliant data centre. To minimise security and compliance risks, look for a hosting provider that can offer more than the bare minimum.
A data centre with world-class security should be proud to show it off. If a hosting provider can’t answer your questions about the security of their facility – or attempts to gloss over key points – this may be a sign they’re not the right choice for your business.
You should look for a wide range of security controls at the data centre, including, but not limited to, on-site manned security, 24-hour CCTV monitoring, biometric scanners and swipe card access, and perimeter defences such as fencing, infra-red tripwires and mantraps.
Whatever infrastructure services you use and whatever the nature of your business, unplanned downtime can be catastrophic for your productivity, customer satisfaction and more.
Be sure to ask your hosting provider about their UPS redundancy, environmental monitoring, power and cooling, and how power is fed within the data centre, as well as their contracts and SLAs with any maintenance service providers.
If they cite accreditations, ask for them to be backed up with certifications, and ask to see the scope of said certifications to ensure certain services aren’t excluded.
On a less technical level, arrange a site visit and get a feel for how the facility is managed, as well as the quality and quantity of staff. Any evidence of cost-cutting or poor housekeeping may be a sign you need to look elsewhere.
After security and availability, one of the key factors to consider is network performance and this generally comes down to the quality and diversity of connectivity in the data centre.
When choosing a data centre, look for a high-quality carrier list that includes multiple Tier 1 networks and be sure to ask questions about available bandwidth and range of connectivity options.
Do they act as a Point of Presence (PoP) for any of the internet exchanges? Some hosting providers will also own and operate their own direct links to other data centres, making it possible to set up multi-site solutions rapidly.
On the most basic level, more carriers means more options. It also creates competition between different carriers within the data centre, meaning lower costs for your business.
With some studies reporting that as much as 3% of the world’s electricity goes into data centres, the green credentials of these facilities are increasingly prominent considerations when it comes to the due diligence process of service buyers.
When measuring up any provider’s green credentials, look for the detail beyond the eco messaging. Although renewables are a good indicator that some consideration has been made, ask your provider what they’re doing to control energy use “behind the meter” – this is where some real efficiency inroads can be made. Metering power usage allows data centres to make data driven decisions about which areas of their facility are running inefficiently and shows they’re serious about reducing their carbon footprint.
Question your provider’s air conditioning infrastructure – how recently was it updated, and do they implement a strict cold aisle containment policy to keep energy usage to a minimum? And ask about their Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). A lower PUE is regarded as preferable with 1.0 being considered the best.
Whether it’s to meet a compliance requirement or simply keep engineers’ travel time to a minimum, most buyers of data centre services need to pay attention to the location of their facility. If you don’t plan on travelling to your data centre, your primary concern should be whether the location of the facility has implications for data sovereignty or connectivity.
For firms with high resilience requirements, it may also be worth taking into account the environmental risk profile and, if you’re in the market for a secondary site for disaster recovery, whether the data centre will be exposed to the same risks as your primary facility.
Even with the best technical specifications available, no data centre is worth your time without staff who can support you and your infrastructure through thick and thin. Even if you’re looking for a more hands-off relationship with your data centre services provider, there’s value in understanding the cost, quality and accessibility of their support up front.
If your requirements around security and availability demand a level of direct access to staff and management within the data centre environment, check how easily this can be provided.
It’s also worth asking about their experience in your industry. Even if you’re not looking for a sector-specific service like PCI-compliant colocation, there are obvious benefits to working with a hosting provider that understands the common data centre needs in your industry.
For further reading in this area, you can download our free buyer’s guide to data centre services, here. Or get in touch to talk to us directly.