Lifeline Data Centers » Colocation Compliance

Should your outsourced data center provider also be your IT services provider?

Doug Theis — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:00:34 +0000

Should your outsourced data center (colocation) provider also be your IT services provider?

Your purchasing department would probably say yes. Your legal department might too. One throat to choke. They’re looking at the problem from a vendor management perspective, and fewer vendors is better. Or is it?

Ask yourself these questions:

What if you love the data center facility but the quality of the IT services offered are marginal?

What if you already have vendors for specific IT services?

What if you prefer to choose best of breed vendors for specific projects and technical support?

What if your staff does most of the IT work?

Would it be more sensible to separate the choice of data center provider from the choice of IT services provider?

Most companies that choose wholesale data centers over self-built data centers make the decision based on the uptime they get per dollar spent. That’s because these pure data centers, also known as wholesale colocation, concentrate on one thing: mission critical facilities. 99.995% uptime requires incredible attention to detail with hardened data center buildings, redundant power, cooling, telecom access, and data center regulatory compliance. But not all colocation providers are alike; data center reliability varies greatly based on the companies power, cooling, telecom systems, and compliance. If data center uptime is important, then the sensible approach would be to pick the best-designed facility for your needs.

Does it make sense to reject the best-fit data center facilities provider because they don’t do router work, or AS/400 support, or eCommerce platform support? The answer could be yes. It depends on your organization’s applications and your own staff’s talent in supporting these business-specific applications and their platforms. When considering full-service providers, make sure that you understand the quality of the data center behind the provider’s services. You have the option to pick your own wholesale colocation facility and require your vendors to support the hardware in your colocation space.

If you’re purchasing rack space from a full-service provider, you may be paying too much for your colocation space. Especially if your provider maintains a large staff of IT Support Engineers. Bench time is expensive, and unless these Engineers are fully utilized, your rack space pays for part of the Engineers’ wages. Make sure you consider competitive pricing from other colocation facilities. Data center pricing models are excellent indicators of what vendors value and how they handle their overhead.

Your outsource data center provider does not have to be your IT services provider. You have options. You can choose the best among data center vendors with a little homework.

What’s the difference between cloud computing and colocation?

Doug Theis — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:13:15 +0000

What’s the difference between cloud computing and colocation? My company, Lifeline Data Centers, is often asked this question. And whether its a Google search or a conversation at a cocktail party, we’re hearing the question more frequently.

Here’s a simple version:

Cloud computing is a fancy name for software and/or hardware that is available via the Internet.
Colocation is high-tech real estate, or outsourced data center space, where you can operate your company-owned software and hardware.

Here’s another way to look at it:

Picture cloud computing as a highly reliable (99.995% uptime) computer room full of network equipment, servers, disk storage, software and connectivity, all ready to use for a monthly fee.
Picture colocation as an highly reliable computer room that’s empty, waiting for your network equipment, hardware, disk storage, software and connectivity to complete the picture.

Both approaches have value. Smaller companies and startup companies may prefer a cloud computing model because it does not require much internal Information Technology expertise to operate. Startup costs can be low with cloud computing, and the barriers to entry are usually small.

Larger companies and companies with strong Information Technology departments often choose colocation, also known as wholesale colocation or wholesale data centers, to house their computer rooms. These companies value colocation’s flexibility for growth and change. Data center capital costs are enormous, and building your own no longer makes sense for many companies that need high levels of reliability. Many cloud computing data centers are housed in wholesale colocation facilities, because the cloud services vendors appreciate the control and cost management benefits of wholesale colocation.

It is also very common for companies to have both internal data center space and cloud computing services. Many companies use software-as-a-service(SaaS) such as Salesforce.com, LinkedIn.com, and ConstantContact.com in addition to having hardware and software of their own.

Both approaches can solve problems like data center compliance and certification requirements, which are expensive and difficult to maintain. SAS 70 data centers, SSAE 16 data centers, TIA 942 certifications and required by many clients and vendors as a condition for doing business. Wholesale colocation and cloud computing services can meet these compliance requirements with little or no extra work from the client company.

Which solution is right for you? For more information, give us a call at 317.423.2591.

Is data center compliance costing you?

Doug Theis — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:44:01 +0000

Is data center compliance costing you? How much is your organization spending in time and money to meet the data center certification and data center compliance requirements?

Data center compliance requirements are increasing. Federal and state requirements are on the rise. Organizations are now faced with clients and vendors who require data center compliance.

Physical compliance can often be the most capital intensive and expensive. Data center security and certification requirements can make outsource colocation facilities more cost effective than doing it in-house .

Colocation facilities focus on many certifications and compliance requirements. Here are a few:

SAS-70 data center compliance
HIPAA
FDA
PCI
FISMA
Sarbanes-Oxley
TIA-942 compliant data center

Do the math. Does it make sense for an outsource computer room to do the compliance and certification work for you?

Your high-tech landlord – Is affordable colocation your most imporant real estate?

Doug Theis — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:35:21 +0000

Your high-tech landlord – Is affordable colocation your company’s most important real estate?

Your data center is probably more important to your business than it was 10 years ago. Organizations of all sizes have come to expect 99.995% uptime (the same level as a Tier IV data center) to keep revenues flowing and to retain customers, and to communicate with key vendors.

But it is shockingly expensive to build an enterprise data center with such requirements. Some of the requirements to meet such high levels of uptime include:

Hardened data center facilities: In Midwest data centers, F5 tornado resistant data centers are important.
Data center power redundancy: Can you afford two utility feeds, two generators, and two UPS systems?
Data center cooling redundancy: You’ll need at least two air conditioning systems with double the air conditioning your require.
Data center compliance and certifications: Vendors, clients and the government are requiring expensive certifications such as SAS 70 certified data centers and TIA 942 compliant data centers.
Security: Physical data center security includes the costs, implementation and maintenance of access cards, PIN pads, locking cabinets, and security cameras with staffing to monitor them.

Some companies choose to “get out of the hardware business” and move their critical applications to cloud service providers like Rackspace and Amazon. Many find that the cost of such a move can be expensive, variable, and hard to forecast.

Other companies choose the high-tech landlord route. They search for an outsource data center with key features:

Experience – Companies are choosing outsource colocation facilities that have a track record
Leadership – Are the owners involved in day-to-day operations?
Carrier neutral data center – Multiple telecom providers are available
No cross-connect fees – No monthly fees to remain connected to the telecom carriers
Simple data center pricing model – Easy to understand and easy to forecast
Ability to grow and change – Can you get extra space if you need it?

Do you have the IT expertise you need to make your business successful? Do you need a venue to deliver your mission critical applications? If the answer is yes, contact a high-tech landlord to find out more.

What are companies asking for when it comes to wholesale colocation facilities?

Doug Theis — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:16:41 +0000

What are companies asking for when it comes to wholesale colocation facilities?

99.995% uptime or better – That’s 27 minutes of downtime per year or less. Uptime Institute tier IV data centers are certified to meet this level of data center uptime. Regardless of certification, uptime is the single most important reason that companies use outsource data centers. That means N+N data center redudancy, including redundant power feeds, generators and UPS systems. It also includes redundant data center cooling, and multiple telecom paths.

SAS 70 data center – Companies expect that their wholesale data center provider maintain a SAS 70 Type II data center certification. This colocation compliance certifies that the data center provider has written a list of controls for the business, the provider adheres to the controls, and that the provider has been audited by an third party.

Hardened data center – especially with Midwest colocation and Midwest data centers, F5 tornado resistant data center buildings are a must. Tornado is the highest risk in much of the Midwest.

Data center pricing model – Companies seem increasingly aggravated at the complexities of the pricing model for colocation facilities. Companies want affordable colocation facilities with room for growth in both floor space and power.

Data center power costs – What is the cost of power? Does the provider charge pay based on usage or on circuit size? How does the provider charge for air conditioning power?

Carrier diversity – What carriers do you have? Lifeline Data centers is a carrier neutral data center with no cross connect fees. More carriers are generally better. No cross-connect fees is always better.

There are dozens of other questions that we hear. Most companies are concerned with the highest level of uptime and carrier access at the lowest cost. Affordable colocation with no cross connect fees are available at Lifeline Data Centers, 317.423.2591.

Why are companies moving primary data centers to wholesale colocation facilities like Lifeline Data Centers? Part 4

Doug Theis — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:48:26 +0000

Why are companies moving primary data centers to wholesale colocation facilities like Lifeline Data Centers? More companies are using outsource data centers to meet data center certification and data center compliance requirements.

There are dozens of data center certifications. Popular data center certifications include SAS 70 Type II, TIA-942 compliant data centers, and Uptime Institute Tier IV data center ratings.

SAS 70 certified data centers define a set of controls and commit to adhere to those controls. Some call that the fox guarding the hen house. SAS 70 Type II data centers audit the adherence to these controls using a third party auditor. SAS 70 is being replaced by a new standard, SSAE 16.

TIA-942 was designed by the Telecom Industry Association. It is a granular look at the design and implementation of a data center or telecom facility. TIA 942 compliant data centers offer high levels of uptime. With data centers, redundancy is a good thing. N+N data center redundancy is sought by most companies, because it translates to a higher level of data center uptime. Redundancy refers to the existence backup system for every important system, including redundant utility feeds, redundant generators, redundant UPS systems, redundant data center cooling, and redundant telecommunications. Two of everything is expensive, but it’s the only way to guarantee high levels of uptime.

The Uptime Institute tiering system is probably the most talked about certification, though few data centers carry the actual certification. The tiering system rates data centers based how they are designed, focusing on the power architecture and other features inside the four walls of the data center. Tier IV data centers are designed to deliver 99.995% uptime. The benefit of these redundancy certifications is that they help companies evaluate providers’ relative levels of uptime with the theoretical goal of a zero downtime data center. Companies that are shopping for outsource data center may choose to combine certification requirements with a “see for yourself” approach to the outsource computer room’s N+N data center redundancy.

Data center compliance is about passing audits. Common audits in the data center include HIPAA, Sarbanes Oxley, FDA, FISMA, NIST, and PCI. Wholesale colocation providers should meet a company’s industry, government, vendor and client compliance requirements. A good provider will come to the table with the company when an audit is taking place. This doesn’t take the compliance burden away from a company; it allows the company to address the physical security and compliance problems by handing them off to the wholesale data center.

Why are companies moving primary data centers to wholesale colocation facilities? Outsource data centers offer a way to “buy” data center certifications and compliance. Companies can avoid the incremental FTE burden of data center compliance issues. And the right data center provider will act as a trusted agent of the company when the auditors come to call.

In Part 5 of this series, we’ll address how wholesale colocation can solve data center consolidation challenges.

Affordable colocation, data center compliance and 99.995% uptime are not mutually exclusive

Doug Theis — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:08:40 +0000

Affordable colocation, data center compliance and 99.995% uptime are not mutually exclusive.

Many organizations will need to make significant changes to their enterprise data center in the next few years. These changes are driven by a number of factors:

Limits on data center power, data center cooling, and floor space at the in-house data center
Government regulations, more data center certification and data center compliance requirements
Higher data center uptime requirements: expectations of your systems uptime is higher than ever
Server and storage virtualization: the purchase of new power-hungry servers and storage area networks
Business continuity and disaster recovery projects that include additional data center space off-site
The availability of cheaper bandwidth and transport and the potential for significant cost savings

These ongoing changes to the data center and your client expectations are driving more businesses to consider wholesale colocation, a specific type of outsource data center facility. Companies are using wholesale data centers in three broad ways:

As a primary data center environment where the most critical applications reside
As a disaster recovery center or secondary site for SAN, data replication, and other business continuity applications
As the center of a wide area network. Note, this is beneficial only if provider is a carrier neutral data center with plenty of telecom providers and no cross-connect fees.

IT organizations that “do the math” often discover that renting space in a wholesale data center can result in significant costs savings and an improvement in data center uptime. It’s because “building your own” can be cost-prohibitive when you consider the data center capital costs of dual power feeds, dual generators, dual power conditioning systems, and redundant data center cooling systems.

But in order to achieve the highest reliability and the most cost savings, you must be selective with your wholesale data center provider. Here’s a list of questions to ask:

Are your facilities hardened data centers, or in the Midwest, F5 tornado resistant data centers?
Do you offer rack space or private cages?
Is your data center pricing model easy to understand?
How do you bill for power: do I pay based on usage or based on circuit size?
How do you bill for rack space usage: do I pay as I grow?
Are you SAS 70 Type II certified?
How do you handle data center compliance and audits?
Do you have multiple locations?
Are you a carrier neutral data center?
How many telecom providers are available?
Do you charge monthly cross-connect fees for the privilege of staying connected to the carriers?
What IT services are available, and how are they billed?
Are you publicly or privately held?
Are the owners involved in day-to-day operations?
Are you growing?
What are you doing to keep power costs down?
Do you have staging and office space?
Who are your other clients?

The good news is: affordable colocation, data center compliance, and 99.995% uptime (which is the expectation for a Tier IV data center) are NOT mutually exclusive. Lifeline Data Center provides wholesale colocation in a carrier neutral data center with no cross connect fees. For more information, call me at Lifeline, 317.423.2591 or fill out the form below.

Data center downtime: how much can you take?

Doug Theis — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:18:20 +0000

How much data center downtime can your company take?

What is the cost of downtime?
How many hours would it take for the company leadership to be concerned? Cost: discomfort.
How long would it take for your customers to start complaining? Cost: grave concern.
How many hours before your customers turn to your competition to serve their needs? Cost: real revenues and profits.

Most large companies evaluate how much downtime they can take per computer application. The customer-facing ordering system may be more important than the accounting system it feeds, but less important than e-mail. Companies create a matrix of applications and levels of criticality. They use this matrix to develop their data center requirements. If 99.995% uptime (28 minutes of downtime per year or less) is required, many companies outsource the computer room facilities to affordable colocation facilities.
These computer room outsourcers offer data center power redundancy, cooling redundancy, and data center certifications. An ever-growing list of federal and state regulations is driving many companies to outsource computer room facilities as an easy way to “make the grade.”

Companies have lots of choices when it comes to outsource data center. Many savvy companies prefer wholesale colocation. Wholesale colocation offers floor/rack space, power and cooling. Some wholesale colocation facilities are high availability, carrier neutral data centers that offer a unique ability to deliver easy-to-change configurations and access to multiple telecommunications carriers with no cross connect fees.

Need better reliability in your computer systems? Need to reduce your downtime? Talk to the high uptime data center professionals at Lifeline Data Centers, 317.423.2591.

It’s tornado season. Is your data in a F5 tornado resistant data center?

Doug Theis — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:48:18 +0000

Is your data in a F5 tornado resistant data center? The risk of tornado is the biggest threat for Midwest data center facilities. Whether it’s Midwest colocation or in-house data centers, how do companies protect against the threat of tornado?

The most common approach for protecting against tornadoes is to use a hardened data center, built of steel-reinforced concrete. Underground entrances for power and telecommunications are important. Absence of flood plain is important. TIA-942 compliant data centers adhere to all of the important hardening guidelines. Is your data center TI-942 compliant?

Looking for affordable colocation in hardened data center facilities with 99.995% uptime and data center certifications? Call Lifeline Data Centers in Indianapolis at 317.423.2591.

What are the cost components of your data center?

Doug Theis — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:02:20 +0000

What are the cost components of your data center? How are you spending money to maintain your computing environment?

In-house data centers spend money on

Floor space or real estate
Power to the servers and network equipment (sometimes untracked)
Power to the air conditioners needed to cool the server and network equipment (often untracked)
Generators, power conditioning/UPS, HVAC systems
Security systems
Maintenance of the generators, HVAC and UPS ad security equipment
FTE support for the facilities side of IT
Bandwidth and transport: limited choices and retail pricing from telecom carriers

Companies using outsourced data centers often spend on

Rack space in shared environments
Power costs based on something other than usage
Expensive private suites
Bandwidth and transport: limited choices and retail pricing from telecom carriers

Regardless, companies often purchase inferior services:

No hardened data center facilities, or facilities not built to withstand a regional disaster
Limits on power per rack, cooling and space that can drive up future costs
Significant single points of failure in the power and cooling systems
Time and money for internal IT resources to solve facilities and physical plant problems

Lifeline Data Centers is different. Lifeline offers outsource data center facilities with:

Data center expertise
High data center high uptime
A simple data center pricing model that allows you to pay as you grow
Mulitiple carriers in a carrier neutral data center
No cross connect fees

Call Lifeline Data Centers at 317.423.2591 to learn how you can reduce costs while improving data center uptime.

Lifeline Data Centers » Colocation Compliance

Should your outsourced data center provider also be your IT services provider?

More Posts

What’s the difference between cloud computing and colocation?

More Posts

Is data center compliance costing you?

More Posts

Your high-tech landlord – Is affordable colocation your most imporant real estate?

More Posts

What are companies asking for when it comes to wholesale colocation facilities?

More Posts

Why are companies moving primary data centers to wholesale colocation facilities like Lifeline Data Centers? Part 4

More Posts

Affordable colocation, data center compliance and 99.995% uptime are not mutually exclusive

More Posts

Data center downtime: how much can you take?

More Posts

It’s tornado season. Is your data in a F5 tornado resistant data center?

More Posts

What are the cost components of your data center?

More Posts