Years ago, businesses relied upon having to maintain physical servers onsite. Today, that’s all changed. Infrastructure has shifted away from this traditional concept to one of virtualization— businesses are no longer anchored to the idea of storing their applications and data onsite, or even in one place. That being said, every organization, large and small, needs to maintain a data center or have access to someone else’s. This can mean renting space with a colocation company, handing tasks over to a managed service provider (MSP), or paying for cloud-based services.
Maintaining physical servers are cumbersome for many small- and medium-sized businesses, so they have turned to using data service centers as a solution. If you are not using one yet, here are four reasons why you should be taking advantage of this solution.
1. It is Cost-effective
Building and maintaining an onsite data center is a major expense that requires ongoing resources— which can be a big strain on any budget. Since small businesses typically don’t have this kind of money, space, or staffing, it is usually impossible for them to have their data hub on premises. Yet, they still need this technology. As a smaller-sized business, you can enjoy the same benefits that larger companies do by turning to a data service center to manage your storage and other technology needs. These include benefits such as:
- • Applications that run seamlessly
- • Data that is always stored and able to be accessed safely and securely
- • All of your needs—space, connectivity, power, cooling, and security (including firewalls and intrusion protection)—are all managed for you
- • Routine data backups are performed regularly
- • Backup generators that are always at the ready
Imagine what all these features would cost if you had to maintain these onsite yourself. With a colocation partner or Managed Service Provider, you will gain all of these benefits without the overhead.
2. Maintain a competitive edge
Data analytics have become crucial to any business’s strategy and computing resources are an important component to be able to glean vital information that can be derived from data. A significant benefit of turning to a colocation or MSP is that, as a small business, you will have increased computing resources and can utilize the same “big data” analytics the bigger companies do, elevating your business to the same competitive level.
3. Scalability as you need it
Data is being generated at a tremendous pace. By 2020, it’s anticipated 1.7 MB of data will be created every second for every single person on earth. That’s mind-blowing. Going forward, your business data needs are going to continue to grow rapidly. A major benefit of turning to a data service center is that scalability is not a problem; you can increase your needs incrementally as you go.
4. Stronger security access and ensured compliance
Security has become a priority no business can ignore. Aside from the fact that data is an incredibly valuable asset to protect, the legal and compliance factors associated with securing data must also be considered. By partnering with a data service center, you can enjoy the state-of-the-art security mechanisms that they put in place. Since data is at the heart of these companies, they will have the level of security you need with 100% monitoring, enabling you to better manage all aspects of security.
Compliance is often a challenge for any business. Modern data service centers are designed with compliance in mind—they are required to undergo regular audits that ensure that they adhere to the highest standards. As a business owner, you can rest assured your company will not violate any industry or regulatory rules.
On top off all of these benefits, when you partner with a colocation or MSP you will still have control of your data and hardware systems 24/7. It will be exactly as if you were running things yourself. Interested in learning more about our data service center and how it can benefit your company? Contact us today to speak to one of our in-house IT experts.