Organisations of all sizes are becoming ever more dependent on their digital assets, which means a greater emphasis on the safe storage of business-critical IT and workloads. The rapid expansion in data volumes and the need for more IT real estate to accommodate newer and more sophisticated software and workloads, is causing many companies to outgrow their on-site space and consider more elaborate IT solutions. As a result, organisations are increasingly facing the challenge of deciding where and how they will store their data and equipment.
The move to colocation: Datum’s two-phase approach
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The growing need for data centre space
Tailored data centre solutions
Each situation is unique, and what’s best in each case depends on the challenges being faced by organisations. Some might be prioritising disaster recovery and back-up, others might be looking for ways to improve their business processes, and some might be trying to alleviate the pressure on in-house storage facilities and IT staff.
The move from on premise server rooms
Whilst storing data in-house using an on-site facility can give an organisation’s IT team the peace of mind that critical infrastructure and workloads remain under their control, businesses choosing this option face some key challenges:
- Pressure on IT staff and difficulty adapting to changing storage requirements within a fixed space.
- No provision for disaster recovery unless data is backed up remotely.
- Increasing and sometimes punishing costs of infrastructure investment and the ongoing power, cooling, bandwidth, security and manpower costs associated with maintaining an in-house facility.
Frequently, in an ever more complex data environment, businesses are unable to make a binary decision about data storage options and opt instead for a solution that distributes the workloads; combining physical storage of equipment and servers off-site with cloud back-ups and the use of online apps and services. Colocation facilitates these hybrid solutions and offers the best of both worlds: safe, secure and resilient physical storage of servers and equipment (this is particularly important for organisations that handle sensitive data) alongside cost-effective, scalable data solutions in public/private cloud with no downtime or latency issues.
Making the move to colocation (and getting it right)
Migrating data and servers to other locations can be a daunting process, and something that can’t be done half-heartedly. All colocation centres are not made equal so it’s important to make the right choices. And there are many factors to consider when considering moving IT estates and workloads from on-site storage facilities or from one data centre provider to another. In our extensive experience since launching our first data centre in 2012, organisations are looking for a solution that:
- mitigates the risk of downtime and offers clear performance SLAs during and after the transition. Datum’s solution? A 100% power and connectivity SLA.
- offers excellent levels of service – everything from on-site engineering services, access to complementary lifecycle services to add value, flexible contracts, transparency, outstanding facilities, compliance assistance, partnership-working, remote support and reporting, and accreditations. Datum’s solution? The provision of all of these services, and more.
- offers ultimate security. Datum’s solution? Two highly secure data centre campus locations (London edge and Manchester) with 24/7 security and access procedures.
- is conveniently and strategically located so that physical servers and equipment can be easily accessed. Datum’s solution? Two sites in the heart of two of the UK’s most economically active regions.
- takes sustainability seriously. Datum’s solution? Environmental efficiency at the heart of our operations and participation in the GRESB scheme to measure, benchmark and improve our ESG performance.
- ensures a smooth migration. This smooth transition is key because even a small glitch can have significant consequences. Datum’s solution? A two-phased approach: consolidation and transformation.
Datum’s two-phase approach
At Datum we appreciate that our clients aren’t simply looking for a secure location to ‘park’ their data and equipment. IT real estate and data, even if it is stored remotely, still form an integral part of their business development strategy. The colocation service we offer forms part of a longer digital transformation journey, so we work in partnership with our clients to assess their current needs as well as their long-term plans and future requirements. And our partner relationships mean that we can negotiate excellent contracts with service providers.
- Phase 1: Consolidation of a client’s IT estate together into one location. Before making any decisions it’s vital to map, organise and control a client’s IT infrastructure and understand how it all fits together.
- Phase 2: Transformation of a client’s IT estate into a multi-platform hybrid solution. This is an ongoing process, so our contracts remain completely flexible to enable organisations to flex both up and down in terms of power, space and footprint, and allow for adjustments whilst decisions are made about the location of workloads.
Future proof your IT with our colocation services
If you’re looking to solve current and future IT infrastructure challenges, and future-proof your organisation, get in touch with one of our team to find out about our colocation service or book a tour of our facilities.