Migrating to a new data center facility presents major
challenges that must be addressed to avoid costly mistakes. In particular,
moving all or part of your IT operation to a data center colocation provider
requires not only a thorough evaluation of the facility, but also of the
provider’s stability. Here are five aspects of data center migration that must
thoroughly analyze:
How the Provider Got into the Data Center Business
A data center colocation provider must thoroughly understands the industry, not a company that saw the growth and profitability prospects and decided to jump into the business.
Does it have a long track record operating colocation data centers? How did it enter the industry and grow its business? Did it purchase data center operations from multiple providers? A significant amount of merger and acquisition activity in a provider’s background may create some instability.
How the Provider Services its Customers
A good provider will have local, on-site expertise and assistance available whenever customers need it, as well as a track record of quick response times. A provider with many acquisitions in its history may have trouble providing consistent service. Restructured workforces and employee attrition could lead to service issues.
How the Provider Determines its Data Center Footprint
If a provider acquires another data center provider’s locations, it may end up with facilities within close proximity of each other. If this is the case, the acquiring provider may decide to eliminate some locations. The best option is to partner with a provider that owns and strategically locates its facilities.
How the Provider Bundles its Services
A major benefit for data center customers is access to facility resources and network connectivity.
For example, once the network and data center services are decoupled, a significant portion of the value proposition is lost. Customers will need to deal with two service providers that may not be able to offer seamless and cost-efficient service. One-stop shopping experiences backed by strong SLAs and competent on-site staff create an attractive value proposition.
How Reliable are Provider Services?
Since unexpected outages could cost in terms of lost revenue, productivity and more, a data center colocation provider should be selected with the fewest number of service outages in their history. To determine the level of reliability, we want to analyze a provider’s security systems, fire suppression systems, environmental controls and other measures. For example, working with Security Operations Center (SOC)-certified data centers can help assure businesses that the facility offers state-of-the-art systems and procedures
How the Provider Got into the Data Center Business
A data center colocation provider must thoroughly understands the industry, not a company that saw the growth and profitability prospects and decided to jump into the business.
Does it have a long track record operating colocation data centers? How did it enter the industry and grow its business? Did it purchase data center operations from multiple providers? A significant amount of merger and acquisition activity in a provider’s background may create some instability.
How the Provider Services its Customers
A good provider will have local, on-site expertise and assistance available whenever customers need it, as well as a track record of quick response times. A provider with many acquisitions in its history may have trouble providing consistent service. Restructured workforces and employee attrition could lead to service issues.
How the Provider Determines its Data Center Footprint
If a provider acquires another data center provider’s locations, it may end up with facilities within close proximity of each other. If this is the case, the acquiring provider may decide to eliminate some locations. The best option is to partner with a provider that owns and strategically locates its facilities.
How the Provider Bundles its Services
A major benefit for data center customers is access to facility resources and network connectivity.
For example, once the network and data center services are decoupled, a significant portion of the value proposition is lost. Customers will need to deal with two service providers that may not be able to offer seamless and cost-efficient service. One-stop shopping experiences backed by strong SLAs and competent on-site staff create an attractive value proposition.
How Reliable are Provider Services?
Since unexpected outages could cost in terms of lost revenue, productivity and more, a data center colocation provider should be selected with the fewest number of service outages in their history. To determine the level of reliability, we want to analyze a provider’s security systems, fire suppression systems, environmental controls and other measures. For example, working with Security Operations Center (SOC)-certified data centers can help assure businesses that the facility offers state-of-the-art systems and procedures
