Five questions to ask your colocation provider about resilience

Many businesses don’t realise that two data centres can have the same tier classification yet offer completely different levels of power protection. Tier 3, for example, states a requirement for at least N+1 UPS redundancy, but there’s still a lot of potential variation in terms of the diversity of other critical elements in the data centre’s power delivery and protection.

This means, for example, that one Tier 3 data centre may offer dual rack power from a single N+1 UPS bank on a single power distribution feed, whereas another may offer ‘real’ dual power to the rack with each feed delivered from diverse UPS banks, each being on an independent power distribution path for superior levels of resilience and protection. It is therefore important to look beyond the advertised facility classification and gain an understanding of what power loss mitigation measures are in place, and whether they will meet your operational needs in terms of uptime.

Moving up the chain, it’s worth asking your colocation provider where they source their power. The ageing UK power grid and limited grid capacity are holding back data centre development in certain regions, presenting a real challenge. As critical national infrastructure, data centres are essential for the wellbeing of society, underpinning everything from digital services to economic growth – but if data centres can’t guarantee the power supply, then that’s a real problem. We have successfully secured power agreements and the necessary capacity to support our existing infrastructure, with no hesitation in planning future construction.

If a failure within the mains or data centre infrastructure occurs, you’ll be at the mercy of your chosen colocation provider’s UPS units and generator sets – and, specifically, how much time is available on their batteries and fuel supply to keep your business going. As such, enquiring about the data centre’s UPS and on-site fuel capacity is a must.

Be cautious, however, of providers who only furnish you with a number and no indication of the other measures they take to prevent prolonged outages. Whilst 12 hours may seem like plenty of time to recover from a minor power outage, some data centre power failures can take weeks to fix if bespoke components are damaged and need to be replaced. That is, of course, unless the data centre has a backup part on-site – so make sure to look for evidence that the provider has other backup precautions in place, too.

If infrastructure isn’t cooled within a data centre environment, it won’t last long, which is why most quality data centres make use of hot or cold aisle containment systems and high capacity units with a minimum of N+1 redundancy (which is required by Tier 3), thus ensuring that cooling is resilient against unit failure and working in the most efficient manner.  This is crucial to guarantee that the different zones within the facility are cooled to an acceptable standard, and within SLA on a consistent basis.

It is also important to consider the overall cooling strategy at your chosen data centre. For example, free cooling chillers can significantly enhance resilience by providing more stable temperature control across varying load conditions. They also simplify the cooling process and reduce reliance – and operational stress – on mechanical systems and their associated components.

Finally, even the most diverse, well-connected and sophisticated data centre won’t be resilient without a good management team holding it all together. You’ll want to ask your colocation provider how they manage the facility on a day-to-day basis, including their maintenance practices and policies. What about client support, or their capacity to deal with complex arrangements? Do they partner with their clients as opposed to simply leasing them space and power? Do you have direct points of contact so that you can always speak to the right person in case you have queries?