Most people, the name data center is not new. Moreover, for companies with a large scale, they are certainly no strangers to data centers. However, not everyone really understands about data centers. However, large-scale companies definitely need a data center. Is it just a big company? Of course not! However, not all companies understand about data centers. Therefore, there is such a thing as a data center consultant.
This data center consultant is very important for companies that do not really understand the existence of a data center but need it.
Table of Contents
Getting to Know the Data Center
Before discussing what you need to pay attention to in choosing a data center consultant, it’s good for you to know in advance what is meant by a data center.
Today, many modern companies use computers in almost all aspects of conducting business and in their communications, information storage, accounting, and day-to-day business functions. A data center is a centralized physical facility where a company’s computers, networks, storage, and other IT equipment that supports business operations live. The computers in the data center contain or facilitate the applications, services, and data that are critical to the business.
What is a Data Center?
A data center is a facility that provides shared access to applications and data using a complex network, compute, and storage infrastructure. Industry standards exist to assist in designing, building, and maintaining data center facilities and infrastructure to ensure data is secure and readily available.
You need to know, data centers come in all sizes, from small server rooms to geographically distributed clusters of buildings, but they all have one thing in common: they are critical business assets where companies often invest in and implement the latest advances in networked data centers, computing. and storage technology.
Functions of the Data Center
Judging from the name alone, this data center consultant is due to staffing problems, not all employees in the office have good talents about managing data centers. Given these staffing issues, what can a data center manager do in an understaffed and overworked environment?
They can supplement with data center consultants and automation tools. A good data center manager can compensate for personnel shortages and do more work with less staff by using several different software. The data center consultant is indeed a third party in your company.
The following are the functions of the data center that you need to know:
Backup
Automatically back up servers and data on a scheduled basis.
Obedience
Define and implement role-based access policies for internal and external regulatory requirements, such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Configuration/Setup
- Change management
- Device configuration
- App installation
- Unattended installation and image-based, script-based, or template-based provisioning
- User and file sharing creation
- Printer management
- Group policy for access and management
Discovery
Define and document what is running on your network.
Help Desk
- User problem
- Incident management
- Predefined solutions
- Reporting
Monitoring
- Monitor mission critical network components
- Alert call responders when problems occur
- Uptime reporting
Patching
Automatically downloads and sends server updates and hotfixes to client machines.
Preparation
Provide additional hardware and capacity, including network hardware, storage, new virtual machines, and telecommunications provisioning.
Repair
After detecting a problem, run the specified script, program, service, or task to fix the problem.
Scheduling
Initiate recurring IT maintenance tasks or processes that are scheduled to run on your server or on your network.
Service Desk
Offers a catalog of IT services that users can request and provide, using the Information Technology Services Management (ITSM) framework.
Threat Management
- Manage anti-virus and anti-malware deployment
- Provide daily definition updates and program updates
- Report and resolve detected issues
- Detect and deal with denial of service attacks, hacks, and external threats.
Things to note
Now you already know the meaning of data center and data center functions. If you already intend to create a data center that you use for your company, what do you need to pay attention to to create a good data center?
There are several points that you should pay attention to in creating a good data center, including:
1. Power Supply
The electricity needs of a data center can be very large. Take the time to plan for the needs you have today, and the potential needs you will have in the future.
2. Processing and Storage System
All data centers have their capacity limits without upgrading the infrastructure. Variables such as network reliability, speed, and even security can give you an idea of how strong a network is being built.
Assuming you choose a data center that supports fiber optic cables, you need to make sure they have the space and power to meet your future needs. Identify how much you can need as your company grows so you can plan to get more bandwidth from the start.
3. Security System
Having a proper security system is very important for a data center. Since it houses all of your company’s data and applications, a breach could mean disaster for your business.
The data center must use software and technology that protects your assets, but must also have strong physical security. The data center must have proper locks, surveillance, and depending on its size, even security personnel.
4. Bandwidth
A core requirement for accurately estimating bandwidth requirements is to build a system to monitor and track network metrics.
5. IP Provider
Instead of building and operating a private data center, businesses can opt for colocation, choose to lease or lease data center capacity offered by remote colocation providers and access colocation via a WAN, such as the internet.
Colocation focuses on IT and is intended to provide some level of data center support for business clients. At the lowest level, colocation providers maintain and offer client access to basic facilities, including physical building space, power, cooling, physical security, and telecommunications access for WAN support.
What are the things to look for when choosing a data center consultant?
When you already know how important data center is, now is the time to choose a data center consultant.
A data center consultant does play a very important role in data center management. For that, there are several things you need to consider in choosing the best data center consultant.
Why Can’t Just Choose a Data Center Consultant?
You should not arbitrarily choose a data center consultant. A good consultant can support your company’s business. On the other hand, a bad data center consultant will actually harm your company.
What are the consequences when you choose a data center consultant carelessly?
1. Reduced Productivity
If you are not concerned with choosing a data center consultant, it will not make your company’s productivity increase, it will decrease. Choose a data center consultant with long and professional experience, for sure they will really take care of your data center well so you can focus on your business activities.
2. Tarnished Business Reputation
When you choose a bad data center consultant, this will end up tarnishing your business reputation. Surely a good company infrastructure will increase your company’s reputation, right? If not? Then your company’s reputation will be bad and you will find it difficult to get customers.
3. Lost Transaction
Online transactions are now very widely used. Just imagine when the data center is down, how much your company will lose. Therefore, making sure the data center consultant you hire is competent to be able to deal with a data center down quickly and even prevent it, is a better thing.
4. Data Lost or Stolen
An untrusted data center consultant will actually make your company data lost or stolen. Isn’t it dangerous?
