As the IT infrastructure needs of businesses surge, data centers continue to grow in popularity. Currently, there are over 7000 data centers worldwide. Most of these focus on different services, making it difficult to compare with each other. If you aren’t sure of what to look for when choosing a data center, you might find it difficult to find one catering to the unique needs of your business. Here are the major factors you need to take into consideration:
1) Location
Location is a key factor in choosing data center services in India. Proximity between your premises and data center facility affects your internet connectivity. The facility should be located in an area with favorable environmental and socioeconomic conditions-this will lower your operating expenses, leading to enhanced efficiency.
Furthermore, the data center should be easily accessible. Your staff may need to repair, upgrade or replace hardware or software from time to time. In such instances, you will not need to pay them as much if the center is nearby.
2) Power and Cooling
Redundant power and cooling systems are indispensable for the uninterrupted running of your servers. A single outage can make a business lose over $ 1million. The biggest reason behind these outages is power loss. Besides, data centers generate a lot of heat, so adequate cooling systems need to be in place.
Reliable data centers have redundant facilities in place, so if one system fails, the others can take over. The premises should have UPS systems with N+1 redundancy levels and backup generators. For optimal cooling, sophisticated temperature control and ventilation systems should be installed.
3) Connectivity and Network Ecosystems
Most of the premium data center services in India offer access to a range of network providers and major cloud providers. In other words, they are carrier-neutral. Such data center facilities interconnect IT services and resources, they confer upon your business higher flexibility and cost efficiency. Choose a network-neutral data center facility-this way you get a wide range of options to choose from, you can easily create multi-cloud infrastructure and avoid vendor-lock-in.
4) Security
A foolproof security system is critical to a data center. A data center stores all the crucial information related to your business; a breach would wreak havoc for your business, both in terms of profitability and reputation.
The data center facility should have advanced physical security measures such as biometric access controls, fire alarms, armed manpower and surveillance systems. Only authorized personnel should have access to equipment in case a part needs to be replaced or repaired. Access logs should be regularly maintained. All entry and exit points should be closely monitored with CCTVs.
In addition, there should be cybersecurity controls to prevent the software from being tampered with.
5) SLAs and Compliance
When choosing a data center, one of the most important things to consider is their commitment to SLAs. Find out what remedy the provider offers if these SLAs are not met. Assess their track record to find the downtime the facility has experienced in the last few years.
Audits and certifications help you evaluate a data center’s reliability and regulatory compliance. Find the certifications the data center has and if they fulfill the legal requirements for your industry. These certifications should be current and need to be renewed regularly.
6) Support and Monitoring
Evaluate the kind of support available for your service and if it is available round-the-clock. The support should be offered through multiple channels: live chat, phone and e-mail. The facility should have well-trained and qualified engineers in place to manage the equipment and handle issues as and when they arise.
As you cannot be on-site to manage all possible events, it’s essential to know how you can monitor your equipment-what kind of monitoring tools do they have in place and what kind of reports can you get on the same.
7) Scalability
As your business expands, so does your IT infrastructure. Assess how the data center can meet your current needs of space and power and how quickly it can scale up to fulfill your future requirements. The facility should have adequate capacity, power, and cooling facilities to meet your growing needs.
So, these are the key factors you need to consider when choosing data center services in India. If you have questions on the same, please let us know in the comment section below.