Trying to settle on a location for your data center? These criteria should always be kept in mind.
Just like any business decision, choosing a location for a data center requires a good deal of consideration. Decisions surrounding your data center can ultimately impact your daily business happenings, including putting you at security risk or just resulting in a loss of efficiency. Thinking ahead about your data center strategy can set you up for success and that includes making the right considerations when it comes to the location of the data center you opt to work with. Below, we break down some major questions to ask yourself before you settle on a location for your data center.
What Functionality Do You Need?
Defining your goals is the first part of this process and requires you to seriously think about what you need from your data center. Whether it’s a primary site, used for backup data, what your IT situation is, what kind of work will be outsourced, if you’re going to use cloud services or not, and so on are important considerations to make before you settle on an option. Ensuring that your data center can meet your demand for connectivity and latency is likely the biggest functionality question you’ll need to ask yourself, but there may be other factors that can influence your decision.
What Security Requirements Do You Have?
Cybersecurity and physical security are both critical components of a data center, so it’s important to question what security protocols are in place and what you really need. If you’re handling sensitive customer data, protecting that data is essential to your business—we’ve seen what a PR disaster security breaches like this can be, so setting your security up for success is a necessity. If the site of your data center is prone to geographic or technical risks that could impact security, that’s an important distinction to make as well. Familiarize yourself with a data center’s physical and IT security policies and protection measures before you settle on them.
What About Geographical Location?
As fast as high-speed fiber cables may be, proximity still matters. There’s two factors at play here: the proximity of your data center to any website visitors you may have and the proximity in relation to where your business is actually located. Taking a look at the demographics of your visitors can go a long way in determining where an ideal site is: if you’re a smaller business, it’s likely that the bulk of your traffic will come from localities near your business anyway, so choosing a fairly local data center makes sense. If you’re targeting a specific geographical area, though, this could impact your decision. As far as having your data center near your own business goes, this allows for you to visit your data center, interface with them when necessary, and feel more comfortable knowing that you can easily access the facility in the instance that anything goes wrong.
Get in Touch with FiberPlus
FiberPlus has been providing data communication solutions for over 25 years in the Mid Atlantic Region for a number of different markets. What began as a cable installation company for Local Area Networks has grown into a leading provider of innovative technology solutions improving the way our customers communicate and keeping them secure. Our solutions now include:
- Structured Cabling (Fiberoptic, Copper and Coax for inside and outside plant networks)
- Electronic Security Systems (Access Control & CCTV Solutions)
- Wireless Access Point installations
- Public Safety DAS – Emergency Call Stations
- Audio/Video Services (Intercoms and Display Monitors)
- Support Services
- Specialty Systems
- Design/Build Services
FiberPlus promises the communities in which we serve that we will continue to expand and evolve as new technology is introduced within the telecommunications industry.
Have any questions? Interested in one of our services? Call FiberPlus today 800-394-3301, email us at info@fiberplusinc.com, or visit our contact page. Our offices are located in the Washington, DC metro area, Richmond, VA, and Columbus, OH. In Pennsylvania, please call Pennsylvania Networks, Inc. at 814-259-3999.
Do you enjoy clicking “Like” and “Follow?” Be sure to click on our official Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages today!