Saving Green by Going Green with Data Center Colocation by Carol Genis

As enterprises continue to look for ways to reduce costs and increased efficiencies - out-tasking the IT infrastructure management to data center colocation providers is becoming a key trend. This recent survey by Uptime Institute shows enterprises cutting back on data center spend, while colocation service providers are increasing spend serves to confirm this trend. So, if you're an enterprise looking to colocation for cost savings, how do you go about choosing the right service provider?

First Marblehead, a leading provider of private student loan solutions, recently announced its decision to move data center operations to Iron Mountain. Its move to colocate in Iron Mountain's Boston data center was built on a solid business case with measurable cost savings. Cost alone, however, is not the only issue to consider when making a key decision involving your critical infrastructure, and there are other important criteria that need to be considered.

A major decision factor is how well lit the facility is from a network standpoint. Is there dark fiber servicing the facility to quickly scale network operations? Is there sufficient bandwidth between the facility and nearest carrier hotels? Iron Mountain's Boston data center is carrier neutral with multiple Tier 1 carriers on-net and dark fiber connectivity to Boston's One Summer Street carrier hotel.

Physical security and access control is another key issue - as is compliance with relevant industry regulations and various privacy and protection laws such as SSAE 16/SAS 70, HIPAA, FISMA, PCI DSS and ISO 27001, just to name a few. Experience with disaster recovery is critical should the need arise. Does the facility meet Uptime Institute's Tier III standard for resiliency and availability? The availability of trained personnel on-site 24 7 is another important consideration.

An additional criterion that is becoming increasingly important to many enterprises including First Marblehead is sustainability. More and more companies have established corporate sustainability targets with the goal of reducing their environmental footprint and improving social contribution. As they implement internal programs to achieve these objectives, they are also looking to their business partners and service providers to help them meet their targets. The metric that applies here to data center colocation facilities is the LEED building certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system set by the U. S. Green Building Council for buildings. It is designed to help building owners implement environmentally responsible operations and use energy resources effectively.

The fact that Iron Mountain's data center in Northborough, MA is LEED Gold certified was important to First Marblehead, and is important to iron Mountain's own corporate commitment to sustainable operations. When it comes to your data center and critical infrastructure - you should demand more from your data center provider! With Iron Mountain, you can be confident that you will not only find cost savings but also the security, performance and services that make colocation feel like an extension of your own internal data center footprint.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/data-backup-and-recov...
	See more stories from ironmountain

Most recent headlines