Data Centers
– Victoria Kazz, news writer at Cloudwards.net, says:
Paper documents are turning digital every second. File folders have less and less paperwork stuffed in them and cabinets that used to be filled to the brim are starting to empty out. But where is all that critical business or personal information going? The easy answer is the cloud, but behind the cloud umbrella there are infrastructures, servers, networks and buildings solely devoted to securely housing all this digital content.
Appropriately named, data centers, are facilities located throughout the world that process and store digital and online information. From the US to Germany and everywhere in between data centers are opening to provide more and potentially local storage. These centers aim to operate efficiently so information is always accessible and secure for users. Inefficiency can result in lagging networks, server downtime and even lost data. Some centers however, excel because they habitually perform best practices that cause both internal and external success.
For example, these centers take advantage of all their servers, storage, networks and the facility itself for the utmost use of space, physical and digital. Servers with unused space are costing money instead of making money. If they are not being used to capacity, the center has paid for the server but isn’t getting its full return on investment. Facilities with empty rooms still cost money in terms of rent or mortgage on the building. These rooms can be used to store more servers, for more cloud storage or more staff for improved customer service or IT support. Wasted space means wasted money where there is opportunity for growth and achievement.
Just like cloud technology is always changing, another best practice is to have a business structure within the data center that can easily be transformed. Strict, rigid business plans that don’t allow any flexibility can deter progress and be a detriment to the center. On the other hand, high capacity servers allow users to continually store more and more digital content. This means more expensive storage packages and more money for the store company and data center. A stable network provides the basis for improvements like speed or reach when the customer demands change and quickly require enhancements.
The most efficient data centers also know that not everything has to be done in a hands-on, face-to-face process. In fact, in today’s modern, online society, customers expect quick and efficient services. Automating processes within the data center saves time and increases the accuracy of the procedure. Human error accounts for missed security, wrong information and delay in getting activities finished. Instantaneous backup is one less thing staff has to do, and it never gets forgotten about. Now staff can focus on customer service, facility development or availability within the organization.
Optimizing office and server space, being able to seamlessly change to meet customers’ needs and automating processes are three main best practices of data centers. While these facilities often go unrecognized, they are a major part of the success that cloud storage and collaboration has found in recent years. Adopting best practices is a surefire way to improve accuracy, efficiency and in the long-term save time, money and increase growth and development.