Category Archive for : ‘Data Center Pricing Model’

Is Indianapolis the right place for my disaster recovery colocation?

Colocation (also known as outsource data center) comes in all shapes and sizes.  Studies by multiple research organizations find that Midwest colocation continues to be a great value.  Every organization’s needs are different.  Do you need the disaster recovery to provide virtual server images, physical IT and network equipment, or just be a “high-tech landlord?”

The largest data center provider in Indiana, Lifeline Data Centers,   offers a unique combination of features that are well-suited for the IT-savvy organization looking for disaster

Good data center strategy includes considering the long-term costs of power for the data center, and managing those costs on a long-term basis. Many companies have found that outsource data center facilities (colocation) can help them reduce data center power costs, while improving critical systems availability (uptime).

Companies that pay over 6 centers per kilowatt hour stand to save money by considering outsource data center facilities. Some of these high-tech data center facilities offer power billed as you use it. Lower power costs in the data center mean lower long-term IT

Data center power costs are a big part of the IT budget.  Doesn’t it make sense to put your data center where power is cheap?

A few years ago, it was very costly to consider out-of-town options for your enterprise data center or disaster recovery center.  But

changes in telecom pricing
better data center remote management tools
ongoing concerns about protecting the business from disaster

give companies more geographically diverse options to search for low data center power costs.

Once you find the right place for your data center, will you build or rent?  Outsource data

We are constantly talking to large companies on the east and west coasts about our Midwest colocation facilities.  They are interested in using our facilities for one or more of three  functions:

Enterprise data center – the company is considering moving their primary data center facility into an outsource data center
Disaster recovery center – the company is building a secondary or tertiary data center to provide additional compute and/or to protect against a failure in the primary site
Network core – the company needs a central hub to support the large wide

Is affordable colocation possible?  It is, especially in the Midwest.  A few outsource data center facilities offer:

• 99.995% uptime
• pricing models where you can pay-as-you-grow
• fair power billing based on actual electrical usage
• no cross connect fees in a carrier neutral data center facilities
• Fair pricing on managed services, if you need them.
• data center certification such as SAS70, TIA 942 that helps you avoid the costs of these certifications

Are you shopping for off-site data center facilities?  Look for these features.  Many clients overpay for their colocation facilities.  Don’t be one of them.

Last month a small business owner came in to talk about using our data center (colocation) facilities to house his money-making, customer-facing computer systems.  He has had some downtime at his main office, both with electrical problems and with his telecom carrier.  He realizes he needs to do something to improve his computer system reliability,  but he came in with the mindset that there is no such thing as affordable colocation.

The reality is that his needs are not much different from large enterprise data centers.   How so?

He realizes that downtime

In part 1 of this series, I talked about how pricing models for outsource data center and colocation providers vary greatly.  To recap, a colocation facility typically provides

hardened building
redundant power
redundant cooling
rack space, private cages, or both
security
access to telecommunications services
professional services

From this list of seven services, the first five relate to facilities, or physical plant.  It’s pretty easy to compare building quality, power and cooling infrastructures.  But outsource data center providers differ greatly on how they offer up space to clients.  And security can also vary greatly.

Some outsource data centers offer

Last week, a potential client followed up with me after receiving quotes from my company, Lifeline Data Centers, and a couple of other Midwest colocation firms, including a Chicago colocation facility. He was baffled at all the different pricing models he received;  no two quotes looked the same.  How could he compare apples to apples?

We have heard this same story from many clients,  even if they’re only shopping locally or regionally for Midwest colocation facilities.

An outsource data center facility typically provides:

hardened building
redundant power
redundant cooling
rack space, private cages, or both
security
access to