Is it Time? 3 Sure Signs That You May Need a Data Center Upgrade

At times, the signs are obvious that you need to address the challenges facing your company’s data center. Aging equipment, excessive downtime and business expansion typically point to an immediate need to analyze alternative solutions. However, with data center downtime averaging about $8,000 a minute in costs, it makes sense to plan ahead … before any of those serious problems start cropping up.

Here are 3 signs that your team should start considering a data center upgrade.

1. You’re running out of space. Just about every business owner starts an enterprise with plans to expand. Since that type of growth generally doesn’t happen overnight, you may soon find that your physical space is becoming insufficient for staff and equipment. While squeezing employees into less space can work temporarily, it can present serious issues for your data center needs. As your need for more power grows, you will require additional servers. As a result, additional cooling systems will be needed to dissipate the heat generated. All this requires more floor space to accommodate the additional equipment.

2. You don’t have a solid backup system. If your operations are like most companies in America, you’ve likely experienced an unplanned data center outage in the past year or two. According to a recent study, 91 percent of data centers fall into that category. With that degree of inevitability, many companies minimize the risks of downtime and, as a result, loss productivity and unsatisfied clients, by building out or outsourcing data center redundancies to provide an additional generator, UPS system, and cooling system.

3. Compliance requirements are difficult to maintain. Whether you’re trying to maintain your own standards for efficiency or meet governmental guidelines, ensuring that your data center is current can be challenging. With the data center industry growing, a lot of attention is focused on ways to keep the impact on the environment minimal. Recent research determined that data centers are expected to consume 139 billion kilowatt-hours in 2020, up from 91 billion in 2013. The impact worldwide is significant. Reports show companies already are spending $26 billion to power and cool servers globally. At the same time, experts are pointing out that many data centers are inefficiently designed, consuming energy 24/7 regardless of their level of use.

Inevitably, the demands on your data center will increase, whether it’s resulting from growth within your organization or by external forces such as new government regulations. You can address those concerns by investing in new in-house equipment and developing redundancies of your data center. While this can be a significant expense, an expert consultant can help you determine whether this is the best option for your organization.

Many companies are finding that outsourcing their data center needs is a more viable option, addressing issues with space limitations, backup systems and compliance and certification needs. Wholesale data centers are designed to accommodate your company’s needs as your growth and requirements dictate.

Lifeline Data Centers can help you determine the best data center solution for your company’s future needs. Contact us today. We can show you around our facility, as well as outline the best options for your specifications.

Other resources:

• Infographic: The 22 Data Center Compliance Acronyms You Need to Know
• White Paper: Why Data Center Compartmentalization is Important
• Lifeline One Sheet: What You Need to Know About Lifeline Data Centers

Rich Banta

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Rich is responsible for Compliance and Certifications, Data Center Operations, Information Technology, and Client Concierge Services. Rich has an extensive background in server and network management, large scale wide-area networks, storage, business continuity, and monitoring. Rich is a former CTO of a major health care system. Rich is hands-on every day in the data centers. He also holds many certifications, including: CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor CRISC – Certified in Risk & Information Systems Management CDCE – Certified Data Center Expert CDCDP – Certified Data Center Design Professional