Is Using A Colocation Center More Affordable Than Running Your Own Data Centers?

Many organizations operate under the mistaken belief than keeping a data center in house is cheaper than moving the equipment to a colocation center. In reality even most large corporations can't afford to deploy the level of safeguards needed. Server management must excel in six critical areas, and few internal data centers can claim success in all six areas.

Uptime Guarantees

While the 99.99% uptime that most data centers boast sounds impressive, this means that your systems could be down for up to 9 hours per year. Businesses can't afford for systems to be down for even a few minutes. Just like in the airline industry, 99.99% is not good enough. What does it take to get 100% uptime?

The first step is a reliable infrastructure. Although power failures are a common focus of server infrastructure management, a more common point of failure is network traffic. Most corporate servers and even many colocation center facilities have only one point of entry connecting the building's internal network to the corporate WAN or the internet. If that path fails due to network traffic jams or physical damage, the entire server farm is cut off from the outside. Multiple entry points and redundant networks minimize the chance servers will be unavailable to users.

The most common reasons for downtime aren't equipment based. Ongoing network maintenance includes server configurations, O/S upgrades and security patches. A mistyped command, a corrupted file or software incompatibility can cause the entire system to fail. Colocation managed services means highly trained staff and backup plans to restore the system quickly in the event of catastrophe.

Backup Power Source

A ten-second power interruption can cause hours of downtime as servers are rebooted and corrupted files found and replaced. The expense of lost productivity and business can be astronomical. Even a brownout can put strain on systems and damage electronics, leading to equipment failure down the road. Public utilities can't promise 100% reliability, so what safeguards are in place to safeguard data and ensure maximum uptime?

When a server loses power suddenly, the abrupt shutdown can leave corrupt data sometimes requiring a full system restore. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units protect data, but the purpose of a UPS is to allow a computer to shut down gracefully rather than crashing. Even a short power interruption would then require all systems to be brought back up, leading to a long period of downtime.

Few corporate data centers can offer the power redundancy available at a colocation center. Diesel generators and automated switches allow the facility to keep servers running in the event of a lengthy power failure. Multiple generators extend the reliability of the system, allowing uninterrupted service even if the power should fail while one of the generators is being serviced.

Data centers routinely protect themselves against data intrusions such as viruses, trojans and hackers. Automated software scans, hardware firewalls and personnel protocols greatly reduce the chance of data being corrupted or stolen. The greater the security, the greater the cost -- and colocation center facilities have the resources to deploy a level of protection many small and mid-sized companies can afford. Colocation center facilities can protect data in an additional way: physical security.

Unlike the movies, real-life computers are seldom broken into by hackers guessing passwords or using sophisticated software to sneak in through software back doors. Instead, intruders use confidence games, social engineering, and when all else fails a simple crowbar to break into data centers and steal the computers.

Data is valuable and should be protected as carefully as any other expensive commodity. Businesses can't often afford the video surveillance, professional 24-hour security staff, and physical barriers required to truly protect their servers from physical intrusion. Companies don’t keep valuable items in an executive's desk. They store them in safe deposit boxes located in bank vaults because the bank can provide the necessary security. Colocation center facilities provide the same type of protection for data.

Disaster Preparedness

Anything from a small fire in the server room to a massive hurricane that shuts down the city can destroy equipment in data centers. At best this means buying new equipment and restoring the most recent backup. At worst it can send a company into bankruptcy. Although it's important to plan how to clean up after a disaster, a better solution is to protect the equipment so no damage is done.

The most common threat to data centers is fire. Some corporate data centers depend on stock smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, but these do not provide the protection computers need. By the time a typical smoke detector alarms, the damage to the servers has been done. Most fire suppression systems are designed to protect the building and the people -- not the equipment. Look for collocation center providers using the latest in fire detection systems that are designed to detect even an extremely low amount of smoke in the air and activate fire suppression systems well before they can compromise the equipment. Ensure the colocation center uses fire suppression systems which won't damage electronics.

For larger natural disasters, colocation center facilities offer a level of protection and isolation few private businesses can afford. From high-capacity surge suppressers that protect the entire building from lighting strikes, to seismic isolators which safeguard equipment during an earthquake, major disasters require major protection.

Modern businesses are adopting more environmentally conscious practices for reasons ranging from good publicity to a genuine interest in saving the planet. Studies show that as much as 8% of global power generated is used in data centers. Colocation center providers take advantage of the centralized nature of their operations to adopt energy-saving techniques not cost effective for smaller server farms.

The major energy cost in data centers is cooling. Private IT operations may install oversized HVAC systems to cool their servers, systems that are far too powerful for the needs of the rest of the buildings. Or they may struggle to supplement building cooling system with inefficient supplemental cooling units. Server rooms are clumsily retrofit into buildings not designed for the purpose.

A number of colocation center providers are located in structures designed solely to house massive banks of servers. Buildings are designed to keep hot and cold aisles separate, to move the air efficiently throughout the facility, and to position equipment for maximum cooling efficiency. High capacity air conditioning units provide the most efficient cooling for the lowest energy cost. This tight control of ambient conditions ensures all equipment is kept at optimal levels, improving uptime and reducing the chance of equipment failure.

The need to reduce costs in data centers has become more important to just businesses that want to save money. The EPA recently published a report stating that, if left unchecked, data center energy consumption threatens to cost the public and private sector $7.4 billion in annual electricity costs by 2011. By using colocation center facilities that share and divide resources, and that understand the complexities of building energy efficient data centers, you're not only saving money, but taking a step toward solving a very serious global problem.

The best technology is only as good as the people operating it. Businesses find it difficult to attract and retain the level of IT professionals they need to operate their data centers. They may not have personnel qualified to judge who is a good applicant, and may not have the resources to compensate the applicants they wish to hire. This is complicated further by the fact that IT is a 24x7x365 operation, yet many companies can't afford that level of staffing.

Colocation managed services give even the smallest companies’ access to a team of highly trained IT professionals. Colocation center managers know how to find the right people and keep them trained at the leading edge of rapidly changing technologies. With a team of people managing servers, clients don’t have to worry about sick leave or vacation suddenly leaving them short staffed. The IT infrastructure is constantly monitored and in the unlikely event a problem occurs, it will be handled quickly and efficiently before it becomes a crisis.

Using a colocation center and colocation managed services doesn't mean laying off internal IT staff. The servers still belong to you and, though the colocation center typically offers additional IT services if desired, you have ultimate control of how and why these resources are used. Working with a colocation center frees internal IT teams to focus on tasks other than routine maintenance and security.

At first glance, using a colocation center and colocation managed services might seem expensive. However companies that calculate the true total costs often find that building, maintaining, managing, and protecting their own data center costs far more than they had anticipated. After totaling electric bills, security software and hardware purchases, physical security measures, and the human resources involved in hiring and training a large IT staff, it becomes clear that managing internal data centers is actually more expensive than using a colocation center.

After deciding that a colocation center is the right choice for the organization, make sure prospective candidates meet the six critical criteria mentioned above plus one more. When considering any service provider, it is always best to choose candidates who are SAS 70 certified. A SAS 70 certified company is one that has passed a rigorous audit to verify their operational controls work as expected. Anyone can claim efficient operations, but SAS 70 certified organizations have proven it.

Internal data centers simply aren't cost effective for most businesses anymore. There is just no need to fumble with outdated IT management methodologies when colocation center technology and colocation managed services provide the efficiency, reliability and security your data needs.