How does this solution help enterprises enhance their security posture?
In addition to the multiple layers of physical security previously mentioned, there are third-party audits that data center providers can achieve that result in the highest levels of reliability and data integrity for their customers.
One of the most significant third-party validations of a data center’s security is the SAS70 Type II audit. This audit is an independent review of the control objectives and activities in place to ensure all controls are valid and enforced. Controls include building access and security, data center access and security, data storage, customer information security and change procedures for equipment and systems. Data center providers that have completed the SAS70 audit can provide a copy of the audit report to their customers to verify that the controls in place are adequate for the customers’ requirements. And the fact that the audit is performed by a third party will alleviate the need for colocation customers to perform their own audits for their IT infrastructure.
How can an IT off-site solution specifically improve a company’s bottom line?
Replacing capital outlays with operational expenses that can be scaled as needed has immediate impact on a company’s bottom line as it faces the need to optimize its IT infrastructure spend. Additionally, the 100 percent uptime service level agreements achieved through a colocation solution will safeguard a company from the financial ramifications of any potential instance of downtime.
Another bottom-line benefit to an IT off-site solution is the economies of scale offered by data center providers. The blended network of premium carriers and shared systems for cooling and security are much more affordable when outsourced and shared amongst multiple clients.
What else should a company look for in a colocation provider?
While an off-site solution comes with many improvements and benefits for a company, it is really just the foundational layer when it comes to the full benefits provided by outsourcing its IT infrastructure. Beyond SAS70 Type II compliant characteristics offered, companies should look for data center providers that also offer growth in terms of additional services and solutions. Common growth requirements include the outsourcing of managed services to improve monitoring and performance optimization systems as well as managed security services. The ability to offer elastic hosting options including managed virtualization and multi-site replication are important factors to look for as well, to ensure that the data center provider can accommodate the maximum scalability for a company’s IT infrastructure now and years from now.
Evans Mullan is the chief operating officer of Latisys. Reach him at [email protected].
