In this day and age, data – in all of its forms – is a very valuable commodity. It is also an irreplaceable asset for any company or corporation. Because data is so precious companies do their best to try to protect it and keep it safe at all costs. This means taking the necessary precautions to prevent data from getting lost or, worse, stolen. For many companies, especially the big ones that handle a large volume of data, a data center is a very important part of their business. A data center is a physical place where a company’s critical computer systems are housed. It also pertains to a service used by companies to store their sensitive data.
More and more companies are now using third party data centers to fulfill their data keeping needs mainly because it is very expensive to run your own data center when the data that is going to be kept is not that big. For this reason, data center services have emerged as a viable alternative to setting up a personal data center. But because data is sensitive, you would want to hire a data center service that is reputable and reliable. Because such a service is still new, many people do not know what exactly to look for when shopping around for a reliable data center service.
Below are some tips that will help you when choosing a data center service for your company.
Inquire about the safety features of the Data Center Service.
Any good data center service will have features in place to ensure that the data is protected from different mitigating factors that could possibly compromise it. This includes several factors.
• Proper humidity control is crucial. That’s because servers can get extremely hot and an overheating server can conk out. This could lead to loss of data. Of course, experts can help recover and reconstruct the data, but this could take time — and there is no guarantee that all the information can be retrieved.
• Reliable backup power is also important. Any person who has lost a document they’re working on when the power trips knows the importance of backup power.
• A good data service will have an effective fire prevention system that will protect the servers in case there is a fire.
• Look for a data center service that can provide excellent physical security on the premises as well as virtual security against online attacks and hackers. Thus your information is protected against break-ins, thefts and any malicious attacks.
Do a check on the data center service’s reputation
The internet has made it easy to do background checks on practically anyone. And this includes companies like data center services. Google the name of the company and try to look for comments people have made about the data center service. Look for the observations and comments made by the actual clients because they are in the best position to make an objective review of the service. Find out the strengths and weaknesses of the service based on the comments and reviews you see. Try to limit your list of potential prospects to those companies that offer more advantages and would look like the better fit to what your needs are.
Determine if the data center service is actually a reseller
There are certain companies that actually just lease space from other data center services and then resell these spaces. This is not a good idea because you tend to pay more and you won’t really get to communicate to the actual people who operate the service in case a problem happens. Go directly to the source. You’ll save more money and you’ll have an easier time communicating with the company.
Ask for a tour
If you want to consider data center services that are located locally ask to tour their facilities. It is a good idea to physically see what these services have to offer. It is also helpful to meet with the data center service representatives personally. You can ask questions, review what they would do in given scenarios, and also ask for a clearer idea of the kind of clients they have already serviced. Plus, talking to them face-to-face may give you a better leverage when you are ready to begin negotiating terms. You may go home with a better deal than the one the company offers on their web site.