5 Essential Qualities to Look for in a Data Center Provider
Data center providers are a significant investment for businesses since they house critical infrastructure for the company. The benefits are numerous, but plenty of risks are still involved. Before choosing a provider, it’s important to look for specifics of how they handle the stability, safety, and distribution of data. In this article, we’ll list some of the important characteristics a DCP must have in order to be considered a safe investment.
1. Scaling/scalability. A data center provider needs to be as flexible as your company. How quickly a provider can offer services is important, but so too is its ability to grow with a business. Storage, power, data capacity, and distribution are all components that need to expand along with your company. If a data provider can’t do this, it’s best to look elsewhere.
2. Location and security. Data centers are physical locations, and, since they’re off site, a business must consider the stability of the center. Safety is paramount because any compromised data center provider puts your business and your data at risk. At the same time, physical locations need to be safe from potential disasters. Everything that affects the center on a physical level also has an impact on your organization.
3. Stability. Since data centers are their own brand, their stability is as important as yours. Investing resources into a center that could potentially close within years is something no one wants. It’s crucial for an organization to understand whether not the data center in question will be around for a long while, or at least for as long as the business needs it.
4. Service efficiency. Getting the actual service running is just as important as scalability. Businesses should look at potential data centers and ask how quickly infrastructure can be installed. Whether that’s expanding data capacity, creating more storage space, or installing new servers, it should happen as quickly as possible. While a data center provider works within practical limits, its ability to respond to increased demand is also significant.
5. Reliability. Perhaps one of the most important aspects to data (and any kind of service) is reliability. Does the data center in question stay up and running? The answer should be “always, or near always.” Obviously, delays, problems, and errors can cause downtime, and there’s no avoiding that. However, beyond the unavoidable issues, a data center needs to be up 99 percent of the time. Your business is reliant on their functionality, and the ability to access company information at any moment is a must. So, if a data center provider experiences too much downtime, it’s best to look elsewhere for data storage options.
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