The internet has created a wealth of information that companies can use to gain incredible consumer insights to improve their products or services. This unprecedented amount of data is invaluable to modern organisations, however, knowing where to store all of it can be a problem.
Historically, data has been stored client-side in dedicated server rooms, but this can be costly and requires constant maintenance to ensure IT systems are operating effectively. In recent years, colocation has gained popularity with several companies offering highly flexible services at competitive prices.
Data management firm Telehouse have researched and created a new infographic around how lack of data management can put businesses at risk. Research showed 46% of UK businesses identified at least one cybersecurity breach or attack in the last 12 months.
The infographic shows 12 outcomes of poor data management. Read on to find out how a colocation service can help your business ensure effective data management.
Expert advice and services
Running and maintaining your data management is difficult; your IT department will have to dedicate a significant amount of resources to its upkeep which is probably not the most productive use of their time. Colocation allows a remote team of experts to manage the data centre for you, allowing your IT department to focus on more crucial tasks.
It’s also unlikely that you have an IT team that is available any time of the day, 365 days a year when a server decides to break down at 11:30 pm on a bank holiday. Colocation providers have specialised data centres with an expert team that will help prevent this from even happening. If it does they will have you up and running much faster than your business probably can.
Colocation providers have data centres with diverse power and distribution feeds, multiple generator systems and advanced cooling systems. What this means is that in the event of a disaster your data is incredibly well protected, and downtime is effectively 0%.
Cost-effective
As previously mentioned, maintaining your own onsite data centre is costly; without the burden of storage and maintenance costs, colocation is often the cheaper alternative.
You’d be surprised how hidden costs such as testing and maintaining UPS systems and the replacement of UPS batteries adds up and can have a direct impact on your business’s profitability.
Data centres also have the time and resource to invest in continually improving their services; this not only means improved efficiency but also greener technologies. Being green is not only about saving the environment; it can have massive cost savings and help reduce your business’s carbon footprint. The 3% Report published by World Wildlife Fund and CPD suggests that ‘the return on investment (ROI) for lean and green [business improvements] is approximately 233%’.
Infrastructure flexibility and security
Whatever size your business may be, the key to business survival and success is growth. A growing business is likely to have increasing data storage needs which can be difficult to achieve quickly. Colocation services can provide the much-needed additional capacity at a low cost and have you up and running in no time.
The more data your business stores, unfortunately, the more of a target it is for cybercriminals. 2017 has been a particularly busy year for cybercrime with high-profile breaches like WannaCry, reaffirming the need for robust data security. A colocation centre worth its money will have ISO 27001 accredited processes for high-level data security and multiple layers of physical security to ensure your data isn’t compromised and is kept safe.
Colocation is a good choice for many businesses, especially when having the expertise and equipment on-site proves expensive and a drain on resources.
