You may be looking to consolidate applications and data resources into one scalable and reliable storage location.  Or perhaps regulations require that your data is stored in a facility with state of the art, and regularly audited, security features.

Whatever your reason for looking for an offsite data storage solution, all data centers are not equal in the services they deliver, the security they provide, the certification they have earned, or in the availability and the skill level of technical personnel.

What may seem like an unbelievably good deal is usually just that: unbelievable.  Here are three critical questions that must be answered to decide whether the data center you are considering is worth your trust, as well as the investment of time, money and effort of migration, or a bottomless pit of fees for a data center that is one step away from a sustained power outage, or worse.

ARE THE SECURITY MEASURES AS ROBUST AS ADVERTISED?

Security is a multi-dimensional requirement that takes a number of skill sets to execute the necessary processes to keep your data on the right side of compliance, yet accessible to those who need it.

Ask to see the data center’s certificates and ask how often they are audited.  At Global IP Networks we vigilantly secure your data, network activity and data storage infrastructure, by employing a series of high-tech as well as hand-on security systems.  Our data storage facilities are SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and PCI certified and audited.

Our personnel provide round-the-clock monitoring. Which includes physical checks and walk through of our data center facilities.  We use secure access control, including state-of-the-art biometric readers.  We retain security camera footage for a minimum of 90 days so that any potential issues can be fully investigated.  We only use highly encrypted point-to-point direct lines of communication whenever possible.  Our staff diligently monitors 24/7 both inbound and outbound network traffic for high impact threats.

HOW RESILIENT ARE THE REDUNDANCY CONTINGENCIES?

Assurance that not just the lights will stay on in the case of a severe weather event, natural disaster, rolling blackouts, or some other power outage is mission critical.  Otherwise, what’s the point of a data center?  No matter whether you are a county hospital in need of critical applications or a flower delivery service taking an online order, continuous power is a must.

What you should be specifically looking for is the redundancy rating.  The rating N+1 means, by simple example, 1 backup UPS component for every 4 needed.  What we provide at Global IP is a fully redundant, mirrored system.

Our data centers are rated 2N, which means, again by example, for every four UPS units, there are four backup UPS units.  We employ dual utility feeds from two diverse substations with backup generators on each side.  Our data center Power Distribution Units (PDU) are protected and conditioned by UPS 24×7 to guarantee clean and stable power.

Our ethos is: Your business is our business.  Guaranteeing uninterrupted power and unparalleled data protection is how we make sure you are able to focus on your business.  When touring a facility remember to ask how often the generators are exercised and how much fuel is on hand.  We exercise ours once a week and always have 42 hours of fuel on site along with multiple agreements with fuel vendors, just in case.

HOW DOES THE DATA CENTER SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR ORGANIZATION?

What often gets lost amongst the stacks, cages, and cables is the necessity of providing the customer with excellent, hands-on, efficient service.  It is imperative that the data center does not consider your agreement like a monthly parking tenancy, simply providing a space to stash away gear in an electrified and air conditioned garage.

Our approach is more than just a nod to the seriousness of the investment of trust, time, and money, and the organization’s future success.  When an organization joins any one of our colocation data centers, that organization, its leaders and staff are joining our community.

Yes, we are in the business of bytes and bitrates, but all business is about people.  All of our clients have access to our C-suite, and the rest of our team, right down to the NOC staff.  That means if you have any concern, issue, question, or simply wish to take your IT in a different direction, we are here to work with you to implement a tailored solution that suits your organization’s unique requirements.

THE FOLLOW UP QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE FEES FOR ORDINARY SERVICES OR AMENITIES?

There are many businesses, not just the data storage industry, that put making a marginal profit above providing simple straightforward customer service and care.  Before signing any agreement, cross comparing service fee rate cards could mean the difference between your IT working for you, or you working for it.

Our essential task is to do what is necessary to support you, your organization and to see you achieve your goals, without having to sweat the small stuff.  We include many day-to-day services, like rack and stack, reboot and hardware swap 24/7, at no cost.

If an unexpected event occurs that threatens your goals, like a natural disaster placing your office location off-limits, you have a complimentary home in our business continuity center, which is open to our clients 24/7.  The center includes wifi, a VOIP phone system, crash cart, cubicles, a conference room and a stocked kitchen.

At Global IP Networks we are committed to supporting you. Which allows you to operate your business securely, without interruption, and without worrying about annoying fees.

Interested in learning more about how we can deliver customized data center solutions that will save you time, money, and worry, while keeping your data secure yet efficiently accessible for your organizations needs?  Contact us!