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Advantages of Data Center Colocation

Recently, the City of Los Angeles opted to changeover all of their desktop productivity software to a cloud-based solution that featured storage in a vendor-owned data center. The primary drivers behind the change were portability of access and lowered IT costs. Additionally, it was found that data center security for data stored would be at least as effective as the system that was currently in place.

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For businesses considering data center storage, it is useful to note that Los Angeles changed over all of their departments, including the police and the legal people that work for them. They had that much confidence in the data center solution, and seem to be benefiting from such a service

So how do the advantages that data center solutions provide apply to your firm?

First of all, having a data center solution as an option shifts the paradigm away from an IT system that is built and administered the way it is due to security concerns. The number one reason companies continue to keep mission-critical software and infrastructure in-house has to do with potential loss of proprietary data. Because most world class data center companies like Digital Realty have proven for large and small customers that their security is even better than most companies can provide for themselves, the new paradigm for businesses becomes one of cost.

Is it more cost effective to utilize hardware and software in-house to serve up a private cloud or an application environment? The answer is ‘it depends’. Certainly there have been very few companies that have opted to shift all of their data and applications to a data center environment. Then again, as your company shifts more of its development time to providing web service applications or web-based applications to employees and clients, data centers are often a much better choice for implementation than leaving the data in-house. The question is more frequently becoming, which data center partner would provide us with the best solution.

Looking for a partner that views your business as being a business partnership instead of just a hosting agreement is a step in the right direction. One of the largest providers of defacto hosting service to small businesses in the United States recently added a consulting wing to add revenue. Customers that cater to the same market have started complaining about being targeted for their clients. This large provider also provides data center hosting, but from the feedback coming from clients that have customers that might use it, they are not going to get any recommendations.

Another criteria is global reach. Looking for a partner that has a geographic footprint that can mirror your company’s growth is important

Finally, most data center partners promise fantastic uptime percentages. Looking under the hood at what the actual experience of the organization is in terms of planning, building, and operating data centers is a good way to validate their claims.

When it comes to providing your business with the best operational technologies available, there is no reason to stick to the same ol’ same ol’ or skimp on a few dollars.  You get what you pay for, and by choosing to integrate data center services into your own business, you can not only save on IT and other related expenses, but you will also be able to provide greater connectivity and operations to your business – allowing you to save money and achieve larger profits over the long haul.

About the author

Vikram

Vikram is a Digital Media Strategy Consultant who helps small business owners grow their
business. He is passionate about blogging, digital marketing, and emerging technologies.

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