Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

July 21, 2010

Four Requirements a Data Center Must Have

Data centers for dedicated servers must have reliable equipment and methods for protecting the data from virtual threats as well as physical threats. Since the data center is the grit of dedicated server hosting, it must be secure and safe during all situations that may arise.

There are four primary requirements that a data center must have to conserve and protect their client’s data in order to competitive in the dedicated hosting provider market. Since most dedicated server hosting providers offer these basic features, it should be easy to find a quality host. The four requisite’s include:

1. Temperature and weather controlled environment
2. Disaster recovery
3. Backup and redundant power
4. Enhanced building security

High temperatures and humidity can be an equipment killer. Consequently it’s beneficial to select a data center that has cooling systems in place with temperature and humidity controls available. Air conditioning is a must at the bare minimum. Even if the data center is located in a cold to mild climate, this is still a requirement as the servers also generate a great deal of heat.

If an earthquake, fire, flood, terrorist attack or any other type of disaster occurs, the data center will be prepared to protect all the servers and other equipment. With a disaster recovery plan to overcome these obstacles, the data center will be ready for any type of issue.

Although this is becoming standard, it’s still important to discuss the backup and redundant power situation. If the power goes out during a storm, it’s vital to find out the length of time it takes to start running again. The best dedicated hosting providers have little to no downtime which is attributed to redundant power and backup generators.

The final requisite is to ensure advanced building security is available, especially if important information is being stored on the servers. This includes cameras, badges and entry points that don’t allow any individual into the building. Although most data centers offer this type of protection, it’s always useful to inquire.

This can be tremendously helpful information when looking for a new dedicated server hosting provider. If a provider does not offer some or all of these features, it’s best to find one that does. Since there are so many issues that can affect important data stored on the server, such as temperature, weather, disasters, hackers and spammers; it’s imperative to ensure the provider has contingency plans in place to avoid major problems.

Tags: controlled environment,  disaster recovery,  dedicated hosting,  dedicated server,  data center