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As businesses become more reliant on technology, servers have increasing importance to your IT infrastructure. But how do you store servers? What kind of space do they need?For some businesses, data centers are the solution for server storage. But what do data centers do, and how do you know if it’s a match for your business?For over 25 years, WEBIT Services has helped hundreds of satisfied clients in the Chicago area develop effective IT strategies and maintain their networks.By reading this article, you will learn what data centers are, how they function, and their role in modern business operations.
Data centers act as off-site locations for servers and network equipment. Instead of storing your server and network equipment in an IT closet within your office, you lease space within a data center. However, data centers aren’t just about storage. They come equipped with backup power, multiple data paths, and more. This structure helps minimize downtime through redundancy, building IT resilience.Some offices will store their primary server at a data center, connecting to their office network via VPN.Other businesses use data centers as off-site storage for their backup servers. If something happens to their primary server in their office building, the backup server and its data are safe within the data center.
There are two main types of data centers.The first type allows you to lease both space and hardware. You do not own the server, firewall, or other network equipment you use. In this case, the data center is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the equipment it owns.The second type of data center is known as co-location. Like the leasing model, multiple businesses rent server space within a single data center. However, in a co-location setup, you own the servers, and the data center provides the resilient space for them.Clients are responsible for providing and maintaining their network equipment in a co-location model. The data center is responsible for everything “behind the wall”—providing a resilient, secure, and safe location for servers and network equipment.
Data centers construct their space to withstand physical hazards to servers and network equipment.They are set up for optimal cooling so servers do not overheat. Servers are also set on racks 24-36 inches off the ground to prevent potential water damage in case of flooding or leaky pipes.Data centers are built to protect servers from things like a poorly placed sprinkler system (you don’t want to get your network equipment wet) or even fires.Data centers provide safe, optimal storage in a way that may be too expensive for some offices to create. You may be unable to build a server closet with the same optimal cooling, storage, and protection due to your office space or budget limitations.Of course, no space is perfectly protected against all natural disasters. While the data center may have excellent fire prevention, it may not withstand a tornado.
Data centers also provide a redundancy setup that may be too expensive to set up within an office space.They will provide power backups, backup internet providers, backup data paths, etc. All of these build redundancy. If one power source fails, the backup will kick in. This minimizes downtime. Most data centers will guarantee system uptime of “three 9s to five 9s.” This is tech-speak for “99.9%” (three 9s) and “99.999%” (five 9s).The guarantee of 99.999% uptime is significantly more expensive because it provides triplicate rather than duplicate redundancies. For example, you now have three internet sources instead of two.This additional redundancy means you will have almost no downtime in a year due to factors under the data center’s control.A 99.9% uptime guarantee means you may have a maximum of 4 days of downtime within a year due. With a 99.999% guarantee, the downtime possibility drops to only 3 hours a year.If a client experiences downtime, data centers will often reimburse them based on their leased agreement (if you were down a day, you might be refunded for that day of service). However, it’s not common for data centers to compensate clients for lost revenue during downtime.
Data centers are equipped with security measures that regular offices may not have available for their server rooms. They will have cameras, proper security procedures, monitoring, and more to ensure that equipment is safe and only accessed by authorized personnel.
Over time, owning and storing a server at a data center may be more affordable than cloud storage options for large amounts of data.If a business requires its own server, it may find a data center is more affordable than building an ideal IT closet. If a company has a massive amount of data, it may be simpler and more affordable to store it on a server than move it to the cloud.However, if a business does not require a customized server or large cloud storage space, they may find its more affordable to keep the server within their office or stay with cloud storage.This will vary on a case-by-case basis, but is worth exploring.Talk to your IT provider or internal IT team to examine what you’re paying for cloud storage, the price of a suitable server, and local data center options.
First, talk to your IT provider or internal IT team to see if you’re a candidate for a data center.Then, consider the following questions:
Having a local data center is crucial for a few reasons. It allows for easy physical access to your servers, which is essential for maintenance.Regional data security norms and requirements vary, and being close to your data center ensures everyone is on the same page.
Your IT provider can help match you to a suitable data center.While clients rarely directly interact with the data center, the IT provider will handle processes, security access, and even remote monitoring. Think of them as the experts who ensure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Data centers are off-site storage facilities for servers and network equipment. They offer additional redundancy and IT resilience for their clients.If you want to move your server to a data center, consider factors like how much space you want to lease, whether you own or lease your equipment, and the level of redundancy you require.Discuss these aspects with your IT provider or internal IT team to help determine if a data center fits your business. Your IT provider or internal IT team will help you evaluate whether or not your business and IT setup are a good fit for a data center’s services.WEBIT Services has helped hundreds of clients improve and maintain their technology over the years.If you are looking for a new IT provider, schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how WEBIT Services can help.If you aren't ready to make a commitment but would like to learn more about servers and data, we recommend the following articles:
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