Colocation power costs are driving many companies to move to outsource data centers. The cost of power in the densely-populated areas of the USA is rising, as is the power usage in the data center. Companies who need 99.995% uptime or better from their critical computer systems are investigating data center alternatives in locations where power is less expensive.

Lifeline Data Centers offers power pricing based on a $.055 cost of power. Lifeline’s affordable Midwest colocation facilities help companies reduce costs and improve uptime. Interested? Call Lifeline Data Centers at 317.423.2591

Why must your managed services provider also be your outsource data center provider? Why do organizations assume that they must use their favored managed service provider’s data center facilities?

The skill sets for outsource computer room providers are obviously different from the skill sets for information technology managed service providers. And while there are benefits of having the same provider for continuity of service and “one-throat-to-choke,” choosing separate outsource data center and managed service providers can give you more effective results.

Wouldn’t you be better off with flexible, affordable colocation space where your favorite managed services provider can manage your IT environment, along with the best managed services offerings to match your unique applications? For flexible outsource computer room facilities with 99.995% data center uptime, Call Lifeline Data Centers at 317.423.2591

As a cloud computing data center provider, Lifeline closely watches the cloud industry. As Linda Leung’s article states, revenues and margins are all over the map. One thing is certain: cloud computing service providers are buying more outsource data center facilities like Lifeline.

How much are the major players in cloud computing making from their cloud operations? The answers are all over the map.

Many cloud computing providers are private, and don’t disclose their revenue. Most of the leading publicly-held companies see cloud computing as a promising source of future growth, though perhaps not a large percentage of current revenue. And there’s some significant differences between companies providing software as a service (SaaS) and those offering infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Here’s a look at some of the public companies and their cloud computing revenues:

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Salesforce.com
In February 2009, chairman and CEO Marc Benioff boasted that Salesforce.com (CRM) was the “first billion-dollar cloud computing company,” when the company announced 2009 year-end revenue of $1.077 billion, a 44 percent increase from 2008. All eyes will be on Salesforce.com on Feb. 24 to see if the SaaS provider will maintain its $1 billion revenue status when it reports its fiscal year end results.

more of the Data Center Knowledge article from Linda Leung

With the current enthusiasm about cloud computing, some have argued that cloud platforms will replace the data center, or reduce the need for physical infrastructure. Or perhaps that all the world’s applications will run out of just five huge cloud computign facilities.

more of the Data Center Knowledge article from Rich Miller

Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and other large IT providers insist that data center customers want to deal with fewer, bigger vendors for more of their IT needs. But many IT pros say this “one throat to choke” mantra is self-serving at best and often demonstrably false.

Their response could be summed up this way: “Well, of course HP wants to sell me my servers, my switches, my routers, my storage. But why would I want to source all that from HP, if its storage and networking gear is not up to snuff? Cisco Systems is now, famously, in the server market, but why would I want to trust my data center to a newbie server provider? I want the best server, the best router, the best storage and they come from different vendors.”

In fact, most IT pros say that the mere presence of multiple vendors in their shops ensures that they get better pricing and service from each.

The more throats the better for IT support, pricing
“I have found that to keep a vendor honest and hungry for your business, you should have some competition on-site,” said an IT manager at a large New England medical center.

more of the SearchDataCenter article from Barbara Darrow

Enterprise data center construction has slowed to a crawl in the recession, but there is one spot that’s growing brighter every day. That’s because most companies aren’t building their own data-center space, but they are leasing it in ever-increasing numbers.

In turn, businesses like Digital Realty Trust — which offers move-in ready, enterprise-scale data center facilities that include security and rack-ready raised floor space with redundant power, cooling and network infrastructure — find they can’t get new space online fast enough to meet demand. These firms, sometimes called wholesale data center facility operators, typically cater to large enterprise customers and high-tech firms that need large amounts of floor space.

For its part, Digital Realty Trust has begun focusing more on the enterprise data center market by offering custom data center design, construction and management services. Some enterprises are also working through co-location providers, which provide smaller, caged space in a shared facility and offer less flexibility on the design.

The increased demand for leased data center real estate is being driven by reluctance on the part of IT, and on their executive management, to make the capital investments needed to buy and build the infrastructure for themselves.

more of the ComputerWorld article from Robert L. Mitchell

Part of the irresistible appeal of the term “cloud computing” is the imagery of computing power as light and floating. For most CIOs, nothing is so immovable as the data center.

The whopper data center bets they must make still pivot around brick and mortar. Here are a few companies that made very different decisions to meet their data center needs in the past year–insource, sell, and build.

For additional insight into data center strategy, see also Bob Evans’ Global CIO column, “Data Centers Behaving Boldly: Meet Tech’s New Rock Stars”)

Insource A Data Center

Whitney National Bank decided to insource a data center, under the leadership of Scott Erlichman, senior VP of technology infrastructure for the regional bank. The bank’s 3-year lease was up on co-location space it used for disaster recovery, and the bank found rates had risen 50% or more since 2006, because demand for such space is high. At the same time, the bank already was planning some construction at a site it owned in Alabama, in order to do some back-end work such as check processing. That made insourcing an intriguing option.

more of the Information Week article from Chris Murphy

What is your cost of downtime? If it is high, you may be able to control those costs by employing outsource data center facilities.

Data center facilities downtime events (power, cooling, physical security, and fire suppression) are some of the most common sources of critical downtime in your business. Would a change in your data center facilities improve your data center uptime?

If downtime is expensive to your business, do you require high, tier IV data center uptime levels of 99.995%? Reminder: 99.995% uptime is 36 minutes of downtime per year or less. Very few companies can build affordable data center space at this level of uptime.

Sound CIO strategy must include uptime objectives. For high uptime requirements in large enteprise data centers, most CIOs look to manage:
Uptime service levels
Ongoing power costs
Incremental growth and change

The best outsource data center facilities can offer high levels of uptime, contractually based service levels, incremental bill as-used power costs, and flexible private space. Some even offer multiple carriers in a carrier neutral environment, with no monthly cross-connect fees. Outsource data center costs at the midwest colocation provider Lifeline Data Centers is often less expensive than in-house data center build outs, with a higher levels of data center uptime.

Affordable colocation and 99.995% uptime are NOT mutually exclusive. Make sure you understand your outsource data center’s levels of redundancy and the uptime service level agreements in order to get the best combination of uptime and affordability.

Your staff, your clients, and your vendors are expecting a zero downtime data center. But your budget may not be big enough for that level of data center uptime. How do you balance uptime and affordability in your selection process?

If you’re shopping for an outsource data center, you may be asking providers about their Uptime Institute tier rating. Some might say they are tier III data centers. Others may call themselves tier IV data centers. Most are not certified by the Uptime Institute. The cost of certification is prohibitive for many providers. The Uptime Institute Tier Standard: Topology, and its associated white paper are available FREE of charge at http://uptimeinstitute.org/content/view/302/281/ . Likewise, the cost of Uptime Institute membership is prohibitive for many IT organizations. There are a few other rating systems exist for data center redundancy, including the TIA 942 data center standard. How do you evaluate outsource data center alternatives for uptime?

We believe that the better approach to selecting your outsource computer room provider is clearly understand the provider’s specific levels of redundancy and uptime service level agreements.

How do you find out what levels of redundancy exist? Ask tough questions about:

-Hardened data center buildings
-Data center power redundancy
-Cooling systems redundancy
-Telecom entrance redundancy
-Availability of multiple carriers
-Physical security
-SAS 70 data center compliance

You may need to do your homework to learn about critical power and cooling. But understanding the strict detail of a data center’s architecture and the differences between two facilities can make all the difference in the event of an unforseen problem.

If you’re looking for Midwest colocation and affordable data center space with 99.995% uptime (36 minutes of downtime per year or less), give Lifeline Data Centers a call.

IT outsourcing in 2009 ebbed and flowed as the recession-challenged global economy contracted IT budgets before loosening its grip a bit toward the end of the year. Along the way, many in-house IT jobs were eliminated, and many enterprise CIOs looked outside the office walls for IT outsourcing partners who could replace lost skills and globalize organizations as they anticipate a more hopeful 2010.

CIOs learned a lot in 2009 about the pros and cons of IT outsourcing. We checked back with some of the IT executives whose IT outsourcing arrangements we profiled in 2009 to find out which lessons they will carry forward into 2010.

Create an effective IT outsourcing governance body.

CIO Manfred Immitzer of telecom giant Nokia Siemens Networks B.V. said he would reuse the governance model behind the selection, and now management, of his firm’s new three-year contract with Accenture PLC.

more of the SearchCIO article from Rachel Lebeaux