A Checklist for Choosing the Right Data Center

Before outsourcing your data center to the first provider you meet, there are some things you need to do and consider. We’ve developed a checklist for choosing the right data center, which is outlined below:

1. Outline the type of collocation provider you are searching for and what you would like the partnership to look like.
2. Set an adequate budget and have service level agreement guidelines ready. Many providers will already have an agreement that is focused on their business goals, rather than your data center goals. When taking the next steps in outsourcing your data center, you want your provider to tailor to your needs, not the other way around. Asking for a higher level of availability with your SLA could help to identify the provider’s knowledge and skill level. Tech Target says that a data center provider rated Tier II by The Uptime Institute shouldn’t be willing to contract for Rated-4 availability at just any price.
3. When you start meeting with providers, be upfront about the level of redundancy and uptime you need. Knowing the providers’ past history in cloud hosting or colocation will help determine if they can aid in effective redundancy for your data center. You can find this out by seeing if the facility is certified in uptime or has a high TIA level. If they are certified at a higher level, this typically means they are effective in their power and cooling redundancy efforts.When you start meeting with providers, be upfront about the level of redundancy and uptime you need.
4. Look for a data center with an infrastructure that has multiple structures of generators, UPS systems and air conditioning tools. A data center consumers 40% more energy than a standard office building, so having more than one of each system in your data center facility will ensure servers stay connected during power failures.
5. Security is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing the right data center provider. Software and hardware tools effectively protect the data center’s network, but there should also be physical security to include multi-factor surveillance. By having the entrances points of the data center surrounded, it will allow the data center to help monitor who is entering and leaving the infrastructure.
6. The host you chose should be compliant with federal, state and industry regulations that your company addresses and allow you to take control and maintain the compliance the company has developed. We place a high level of importance on compliance, and we have the data center certifications to prove it.
7. Before you commit, make sure you physically go to the data center site to ensure that the facility will fit your needs.

Choosing a reliable and power efficient provider will guarantee a high level of uptime.  Use this checklist when looking for a data center, and speak with your IT team to make sure you’re on the same page.

If your company is seriously searching for a reliable data center facility, Lifeline Data Centers provides a 99.995% data center uptime guarantee. Learn more about us by downloading our one sheet:

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.