Powering the internet is no easy task. It takes data centers chock full of servers all across the globe. Each of these data centers can only support so much, so the vastness of the network is apparent by the shear quantity of data centers that exist across every corner of the planet. In February, we wrote about why data center locations matter to webmasters. Today we will be discussing why these locations are important to providers.
6 Things Providers Should Consider
When offering colocation services, it’s important to weigh several factors that will impact the performance and longevity of your data center. Included in this list will be several factors your potential customers will be considering before they choose a provider:
- Latency: No customer wants high wait times. Most webmasters choose data centers that are in close proximity to their targeted end users because the closer their server is to those users, the quicker data can be transferred. This creates a better experience for those end users by eliminating lag time between user servers and the data center.
- Outage Recovery: Barring any natural disaster, outages across entire data centers are very rare. But they can happen. In areas where this might be more likely, it is important for providers to be sure that any data and/or uptime lost due to such an outage can be promptly corrected. This means not only implementing a strong failover strategy to keep servers online, but also an adequate backup recovery system to ensure that no data is lost.
- Power Usage: Even though there have been some major developments in the renewable energies field in recent years, energy is still a finite resource. It’s important to note that servers and infrastructure require a substantial amount of electricity. Data centers are only as strong as their power source.
- Political Influence: Many nations have strict laws about data storage, transfer and management. Some state and local governments in the United States have moved to pass legislation restricting these activities as well. Before opening a data center anywhere, it’s important to understand the long-term political viability of the endeavor. Operating in an area that may experience a sudden change in the law can spell major problems for clients.
- Criminal Activity: Data centers don’t typically advertise their presence. That’s because racks upon racks of servers can amount to a tremendous payday to savvy criminals. The price thieves may earn from the hardware is miniscule compared to what they can expect in return for the data they may be able to capture if they are ever able to successfully penetrate a data center.
- Natural Climate: While natural disasters, such as tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes, may not happen every day, it’s important to remember that they are more common in some places than others. If you’re planning to open a data center in an area that’s prone to natural disaster, secondary locations with a reliable failover plan in place is a must.
Our Values
At SemoWeb, it’s important to us that we maintain a culture of sustainable hosting practices. That’s why we put our customers first. We want to be the VPS provider you know you can rely on. That’s why our colocation services utilize global infrastructure shared with our sister companies. There should never be a question of whether or not we’ll be here when you need us. And while we are based out of the world’s energy capital, Houston, Texas, we also make sure to take nothing for granted and keep our environmental footprint in check.