Data Centers Buyer’s Guides
When you think of buying a data center, the more you plan, the better the outcome. However, settling for a poorly established data center might take a severe toll on the server uptime and availability. To avoid such situations in the future, it is imperative to buy a well-designed data center for providing all-round support for your businesses and workflows in the long run.
Go through the below-mentioned checklist and ensure that you don’t overlook even a single factor.
Settle for a better location:
Your data center is worth billions of business. So, don’t settle for a random location. Instead, choose a place with guaranteed security, high geographical stability, and mostly away from natural disasters and unexpected issues. Then, only sign up for the location once you are entirely confident that the location is situated in a risk-free environment.
Choose the Datacenter type wisely:
The type of data center you choose is critical as it directly impacts the efficiency of your workflows. There are four data center types, and two among them are proven to be more redundant.
Tier3 data center offers N+1 availability. These tier3 data centers possess all resources you need for an ideal data center functioning along with a set of backups. In addition, they guarantee 99.98% uptime.
Tier4 data centers offer 2N+1 availability. A tier4 data center comprises double the amount of data center resources you need along with the backup set. They are also called fault-tolerant data centers. Tier4 DCs guarantee 99.99% uptime.
List your Datacenter requirements beforehand:
To avoid any confusion in the future, it is better to jot down all your requirements beforehand and stick to the list. These are the necessary data center essentials.
Technology requirements:
Assessing your technology such as servers, storage, and network needed will immensely help you. It would be best to decide what servers go in your data center and the databases required for maintaining the data. Planning your capacity will take a lot of time but is worth every second you invested.
Prepare yourself for a load of research and keep digging until you find the perfect equipment that can fulfill all your needs.
Rack needs:
Servers are becoming more and more powerful with every passing day. As a result, data centers have tended to take in high-density rack designs that can accommodate and comply with the growing server demands.
You should ensure that you are concentrating your servers in high-density racks to use optimum power. For that, you need to decide how many racks you’ll need to handle the listed servers.
Security:
No matter how much high-end technology you use in your data center and however redundant they might be, it is nothing but vain without proper protection. You have to be very careful and alert while choosing security features for your data centers.
Find out the security facility that offers layered security. Only those with the authorized access can retrieve the data from the server. Install firewalls for shielding your files, media, and crucial data against malwares and third-party intrusions.
For all-round security, install monitoring software and physical barriers to keep taps on the entire data center network.
Power requirements:
An uninterrupted power supply is the key to optimum availability. Servers have to work round-the-clock and will consume power for cooling as well. Estimate the amount of power your racks will need and make room for extra power supplies as well. Power usually costs higher compared to all our resources. Buying power from certified and authentic vendors will benefit you in the future.
Budget:
Going way over your budget to buy high-end data center infrastructure will trouble you in the long run. You should remember that signing up for a data center is a long-term investment. Apart from the initial costs, you’ll need to take care of maintenance and upgrade costs as well. So stick to the budget no matter what. You’ll definitely find the DC that helps you meet your needs with ultimate potential.
Look out for additional costs:
A data center is more than just machines. Just like any other thing in the world, a data center comes with a few additional costs. Prepare yourself for the land taxes and building amenities as well. Offices, work cubicles, conference rooms, phones, printers, storage rooms, and other office equipment fall under amenities. On the other hand, computers, servers, and other equipment you buy are liable for property taxes.
Although, there are a few design requirements and investment guidelines, which, when followed, can exempt you from this property tax. Make sure you find a provider who can give you that.
Sign up for AMC if needed:
If you are concerned about managing and maintaining the data center along with your regular business workflows, you can always opt for data center AMC services. There are multiple DC providers online who can help you with data center management, upgrades, backups, 24/7 technical help, and other services.
Choosing the vendor:
This is the most crucial task in the data center buyer’s guide. There are multiple websites online that can provide you the most nuanced data centers at the most appreciable prices.
Before choosing a vendor, make sure you compare the prices with multiple DC merchants. Then, narrow your choices down to three and analyze the packages and services they offer.
Choosing the right vendor might indeed take some time, but your efforts won’t be wasted. So take your time and go for the vendor who can create a perfect data center environment for you.
Conclusion:
Buying a data center can be the most exciting moment for any organization. But it is advisable to follow a thorough approach for buying. There are a lot to consider and narrow down while buying a data center. And no one can do this in a day. The more you refer and plan, the more you’ll enjoy working with the data center. Remember that you are not only investing in a data center. You are also investing in the years of growth and success of your organization.
