Implementing or having a data infrastructure that is secure, efficient, and provides high service value while minimizing costs and increasing revenue is a significant challenge for companies in general, especially when decisions have to be made based on available resources and real expertise, right?
Every day, end-users are becoming more demanding and want everything at their fingertips with just a click. This forces companies to enhance their digital infrastructures if they want to compete in an increasingly complex market with new business models.
As mentioned at the beginning, this is not an easy decision, even with the knowledge at hand. That's why, on many occasions, companies decide to host all or part of their infrastructure with specialized providers. In essence, data centers that host third-party infrastructure, offering services that address a portion or a significant portion of these customers' needs.
In essence, the main function of these Colocation or Hosting companies is to provide physical spaces for hosting IT infrastructure while providing the necessary energy, climate control, and security services.
Furthermore, as is logical, many of these companies offer various additional services, such as multiple connectivity options, 24x7 support services, server maintenance contracts, access control to the machines, and so on, all the while continuously improving their own infrastructure to provide better services.
We can also find that some of these companies include or offer dedicated hosting or cloud services, providing hybrid architectures for those who need them.
According to the industry, Colocation Data Centers are in a growth trend, at least until 2025. It appears that many companies with their own data centers (referred to as On-Premise) are migrating their infrastructure to these hosting centers in search of increased profitability. However, it's also true that some still have reservations and prefer to keep their infrastructure in their own buildings.
In general, the advantages of Colocation are well-received by users. High levels of connectivity, reduced construction costs, maintenance, redundancy, and scalability are important advantages for them, but...
Today, new business models are changing certain patterns, so customers need more support and a greater volume of real-time information..
We are receiving more and more inquiries every day. Many companies are raising certain questions about their colocation contracts. As an example, they wonder:
Do I have 100% remote management of the entire IT infrastructure? Having remote control over climate, energy, and IT assets is crucial for them
Are the SLAs really aligned with my needs? Contracts, in many cases, are tedious and complex. Simplifying the SLAs and tailoring them to their specific needs has its advantages.
Can I anticipate potential risk situations? Not many Colocation Data Centers include predictive tasks in their daily operations for risk situations. Therefore, effective management can reduce and mitigate potential service outages before they occur
Can I have KPI reports for the audits I need to conduct that align with the company's policy? Having valid and detailed real-time KPI and Analytics reports allows the infrastructure to be in alignment with the business strategy at all times.
Can I plan for possible data center growth or changes? Having this information and adjusting spaces based on real needs without the need for extensive paperwork and hours of work enables greater efficiency and decision-making for the future. .
Am I efficiently managing my resources based on the received documentation? Having this information in real-time is the foundation for determining the scope and magnitude of resources. .
Am I at the forefront regarding my service? To provide better digital service, it's essential to anticipate competition and carry out the necessary and organized deployment for more efficient IT infrastructure management, while reducing costs and increasing profits
Do I have proper traceability of my IT services? Cybersecurity in critical infrastructure environments demands a thorough and complex understanding of each and every service, equipment, and process involved in asset management.
To address these and many more questions that aren't covered in this blog, it is crucial for these Data Centers to have comprehensive infrastructure management applications. These applications should be made available as an additional service to their clients, thereby enhancing service quality, increasing profitability, and improving efficiency for all parties involved. This approach makes the infrastructure more resilient in the face of any VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) environment.
Implementing a top-tier DCiM and customizing it to the specific needs of the business will allow both Colocation Data Centers and their hosted clients to have
Automated and guided management with significant reductions in process failures.
Real-time control of all information sources, complete alarm monitoring and real-tim ,e infrastructure monitoring, along with updated reporting and thresholds configured in alignment with the business.
Proactivity that allows us to identify potential risk situations, preventing service outages or quickly pinpointing vulnerable points in the infrastructure with just a single click.
Alignment with the business to enhance profitability, with processes linked to the company's objectives and core business.
Integration of all information and systems. Bringing together all ITSM, Business Intelligence, CMDB asset integration, virtualization tools, and electromechanical systems under a single umbrella solution enables the integration of all their information for quicker, more efficient, and reliable decision-making
In conclusion, as mentioned at the beginning, implementing or having effective management of critical IT infrastructure is vital for the interests of all companies, regardless of their size or where they have their infrastructure hosted.
Therefore, if you want to learn more about this, we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns that are important to you in this regard. There's no obligation; we simply want to assist you and share our experience with you.
