Are you interested in finding a datacenter, but aren’t sure what you should be looking for? Here is a list of six important factors to consider in your search for colocation and other datacenter services.
1. Redundant Cooling – Servers are a whirring, hard-working bunch and when temperatures rise or fluctuate it can wear on hardware. Keeping a cool and consistent environment can take an amazing amount of effort and expense. To maintain this environment there are things like Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units, raised flooring to evenly cool the cabinets, hot aisle containment, an outdoor misting system in the summer months to increase efficiency, monitoring of temperature and humidity, and regular, professional maintenance. Phew!
2. Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) – It’s not just a matter of inconvenience, many businesses rely on servers that are up and running without interruption. Down time can mean loss of sales, email, data access, and sanity. When all power is supplied via UPS, which is essentially a large cabinet of batteries, the switch to an alternate power source goes unnoticed should there be any reason that the city power plants can’t deliver power. All batteries should be tested regularly and replaced on schedule and as needed.
3. Generator Backed Power – Once the city power goes out, the UPS needs enough power to keep the datacenter running for a few minutes. This is plenty of time for the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) to move the UPS over to generator power. These machines are primed and ready whenever they’re needed. This process only takes a matter of seconds and can prevent hours or days of picking up the pieces after a server outage. Of course, a supply of fuel and refueling contracts are important to keep the generators running as long as necessary until the city power is back on.
4. Physical Security – Access to your equipment should be limited and, preferably, monitored. You only want authorized personnel to access your equipment, whether with an assigned badge for 24×7 access into the building and datacenter or by checking out a temporary badge. Security systems put in place to capture and store footage of the datacenter, log all access and monitor datacenter activity are great standard security measures to have. All of the datacenter staff should get a thorough background check and training on security and privacy best practices.
5. Reliable Network Connectivity – You want a reliable, fast and high performance production network designed by certified engineers with uptime and quality in mind. Redundant hardware, BGP4 based routing tuned for performance, dedicated routers for peering to prevent carrier issues from affecting multiple services, direct peering with multiple Tier 1 carriers and regional exchanges – it also doesn’t hurt to have available HSRP and redundant internet connections from separate routers.
6. Annual Auditing of Policies and Procedures – Many datacenters strive to provide great services by holding themselves to high standards. Is there a way to find out who among them back up their claims of high standards, perhaps by providing a convenient report? Yes! Datacenters that apply for and pass SSAE 16 auditing are proven to have policies and standard procedures in place. SSAE 16 Type 2 auditing, performed annually, ensures that those policies and procedures are put into practice. Whenever a customer or prospective client asks for a copy of the audit report, we’re happy to provide it.
Data102 has done all of the above and we strive to improve, satisfying our customer’s requirements whenever possible.
Do you have any questions about our datacenter or any of our products and services? We’d love to hear from you!
