Why Cloud-Based Companies Need Carrier-Neutral Data Centers
While it may seem that the Cloud and data or colocation centers are competitors, in reality, Cloud-based companies are increasingly using data centers to outsource their massive data storage needs. In recent years, businesses have been moving to the Cloud at an increasingly high rate. While the Cloud creates a new market within the data center industry, data centers are uniquely certified and able to support large data and application needs specific to Cloud companies, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
Global Cloud traffic is expected to grow 4.5-fold (a 35% combined annual growth rate) by 2017, according to the Cisco Global Cloud Index. With Cloud-based businesses and traffic on the rise, preparing for growth by future-proofing its business should be a Cloud-based company’s number one priority. This includes having the infrastructure in place to run critical applications and store massive amounts of data and for most growing companies, building your own center is not a viable, or financially sound, option. According to Data Realty, excluding the cost of the constant maintenance required and assuming just the capital costs of $250,000 to build, the break-even point is approximately 40-60 months away.
Though we’ve established an outsourced data center is often a smarter investment for a growing company (opposed to the alternative in-house build), outsourced data centers also provide a myriad of benefits to these companies.
Multi-Cloud Support:
Certain data centers offer multi-cloud support (public, private and hybrid Cloud environments), which ensures that applications can integrate seamlessly within the data center’s environment. An easily extensible architecture and low latency to meet any and all application requirements and allows multiple types of Cloud-based companies to integrate within one environment.
Ability to Scale:
With an outsourced data center, you will have the ability to seamlessly scale as most next-generation facilities are designed to handle all future Cloud applications and growth. By having the option to scale up with additional cabinets and the constant support of an expert technical team to handle the cooling, power and maintenance needs of high-density equipment, data center providers have the correct infrastructure to support the IT demands that a growing Cloud company needs.
Improved Security:
Dedicated data centers have multiple layers of physical and logical security to protect your infrastructure. Additionally, by outsourcing, you benefit from 24/7 security detail and biometric technologies at all access points, providing comfort in knowing that data is protected with the most advanced technologies.
Carrier-Neutral:
Full-service, carrier-neutral data centers provide multiple benefits, such as better reliability, redundancy, flexibility and a lower total cost of ownership.
One of the most important aspects of determining whether or not to outsource data center needs is whether or not it will save your company money? With a carrier-neutral data center, Cloud-based businesses are able to choose from a number of carriers that best match its pricing and performance needs. It is always possible that a carrier network can go down, but with access to a network of carriers, you are able to build redundancy due to a decreased potential for carrier failure, in turn, ensuring your critical infrastructure is protected and available 24/7. As every carrier has a different route, using multiple carriers to travel different fiber or copper routes delivers dependable services to locations extending your overall reach. When there is an expert team maintaining your infrastructure alongside a network of carriers, you can expect flexibility and speed-of-service. Additionally, as there are minimal network handoffs with multiple carriers in one facility, Cloud-based companies benefit from data being transferred quickly and efficiently, ensuring reliability of performance.
Ultimately, it is up to each company to determine the best storage approach for their specific Cloud and data storage needs. A carrier-neutral facility is fully equipped with the right infrastructure and hands-on support to allow for future business growth. With an increased reliability, redundancy, flexibility, reach and lower TCO, outsourcing data storage needs to a carrier-neutral center is something all Cloud-based companies should consider.
Disclaimer: This article was written by a guest contributor in his/her personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of editors at CloudWedge.com.
