Outsourcing information storage and management makes businesses sense

Today’s companies are faced with a continuous increase in the volume of data that their business processes generate, combined with more demanding requirements for data storage, retention, availability and security.

Information has become the true universal business currency, placing a data centre - the physical and logical environment in which the company’s business information is stored, accessed and exchanged - at the heart of the IT infrastructure.

Developing the IT infrastructure to run and manage the data centre is a big business challenge, and an ongoing maintenance cost. That’s why today’s enterprises are considering the option of outsourcing data storage and management. As a result of this, IT infrastructure outsourcing has evolved into a multibillion dollar a year industry, with approximately 30% of businesses outsourcing some or the other component of their infrastructure (Forrester). According to research from Forrester’s Paul Roehrig and outsourcing advisory firm TPI, cost savings averaged 12% for firms on the high and low end of deal sizes, while mid-size deals delivered average cost savings reaching 17%.

Typical areas delegated to outsourced data center providers include:

• End-user support and infrastructure operations
• Hardware maintenance and network operations
• Monitoring and management (server, systems, etc.)
• Infrastructure and data security
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
• Disaster recovery, storage management and backup (power, data)
• Full functionality and support of all elements within their data centers

Making an outsourcing decision

There are three critical factors that need to be considered before making a decision to outsource data centre services:

1. Real estate: every data centre facility requires a physical location, which needs to be selected to meet the following considerations:

• Availability and cost of space
• Proximity to connectivity sources and network service providers
• Space and scalability requirements to meet current and future needs
• Ownership options including leasing and buying
• Statutory approvals and regulations required to support the facility

2. Core support infrastructure: the internal environment of a data center facility becomes the next key consideration, including:

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
• Security (manned, access and surveillance)
• Power infrastructure and costs
• Fire suppression systems
• Environmental controls (M&E)

Operations: Every data centre facility and the assets within it must be monitored and managed by people on an ongoing basis:

• The 3 P’s - Pipe (network connectivity), Power (electrical) and Ping (accessibility to assets) must be monitored and managed by staff
• 24x7x365 operational support teams, staffing and skill management
• Security must be ensured
• Managing technology equipment (hardware and software) in addition to their vendors
• Overall facility monitoring and maintenance is required

Outsourcing helps to meet growing business demands without increasing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Integrated Data Centre (IDC) outsourcing is an intelligent consideration for many enterprises in business today. Enterprises that choose to outsource IDC services enjoy tangible business benefits. Data centres are rapidly becoming the locus of convergence for IT and networking in today’s IT-enabled enterprise.

Find the right IDC service provider: A better and certified (ISO 20000, 27001 and 14001) Integrated Data Center services to ensure high standards for infrastructure operations management