What factors did you consider when choosing a provider?
There were several factors that were important for us to consider:
- I have had bad experiences with power issues at some lower-tiered data centers, so I consider different tiers in which the data centers are rated. So if the data center is housing processes or applications that make us money, we wanted a higher-tiered data center with multiple power sources, multiple grid, generators, etc. I look at what we plan to do, then find a colocation provider to fit it.
- Another factor I considered was how much of my staff lives around the area because we have high retention rates.
- Responding in a timely manner is also important. It won’t make or break my decision, but I’m more willing to leave if I get bad customer service.
- In the past, we needed to do a lot of data shuffling. We’ve had to move out of data centers before because they ran out of room, so now I look for colocation providers that have abundant space available.
What advantages have you seen as a result?
In the past, we were constantly losing things because of power/cooling issues. We don’t have that issue anymore. Previously, air conditioners would die and overheated servers would lock up. Now, there’s no more running out to buy large fans.
Another big advantage is we have room to grow. I’m not going to have to pack everything up and switch data centers again. That is a very expensive process, which can take months to do, and it’s a waste of time.
If I need another cage full of racks, I can get that rather quickly from my data center instead of having to build it myself or finding another data center provider.
Without the cooling/power issues, we have increased uptime. Servers aren’t popping circuits because of the air conditioning giving out in the little server closet.
Now we can focus on positive improvements in our environment without having to worry about the infrastructure. We don’t have to calculate power circuits and cooling anymore. You had to figure out, once you put this in, can the air conditioner keep up with it? Now, it’s not my problem anymore. I just say, ‘Hey, I need two more power circuits in rack nine,’ and it happens.
You don’t have to deal with electricians’ permits, labor groups or facility management. You just snap your fingers and it’s done.
Jeff Bagnall is manager of IT Engineering at Enova Financial. Reach him at (312) 676-1581 or [email protected].
