Outsourced data centre maintenance or in-house management

Which data centre maintenance structure is right for your business?

Owning a Data Centre or having an internal server room onsite can be a fact of life for enterprises of all sizes. As companies grow and budgets evolve, the question of whether to keep this function in-house or outsource its management to experts becomes even more complicated.

Even though the current trend of moving to the cloud seems to be the way forward, it isn’t a viable solution for everyone. Depending on your business needs, getting the balance right between a combination of both internal and external data centre services can be an effective alternative, and can deliver excellent value for money. IT managers in dynamic enterprises are struggling with rapid expansion, shortage of physical space, outdated IT systems, the pressure to cut costs and existing IT systems being stretched to their limits. At the same time, the challenges every company faces are unique. There is no universal solution, so IT teams need to assess what answer works best for their particular situation. Which brings us to the big question: Should Data Centre functions be kept in-house, or outsourced to a Data Centre expert? Let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of each option.

In-house data centre maintenance

Having an in-house data centre or server room onsite means you have a self-contained data centre. Therefore, all cooling, power and backup, bandwidth, and security requirements are monitored and managed by your own team.

Benefits of in-house management

• Ownership – As the sole manager, you can modify, manage and expand as you see fit
• Customisable security – You can monitor access and implement changes as needed
• Onsite hardware – Your team has convenient access for maintenance and troubleshooting
• Control – You have full access to your critical data
• Licensing costs – No unexpected surprises

Limitations of in-house management

• Responsibility – All infrastructure and Data Centre management duties fall to the in-house team
• Operational costs – You have to bear infrastructure and operational costs on an ongoing basis
• Staff overheads – You will need more staff to maintain the IT infrastructure
• More hours – With the increased workload of running a Data Centre, staff will spend more time on IT maintenance
• Competencies – Internal staff won’t have the expertise or knowledge of the DC experts
• Monitoring – Critical infrastructure is not monitored to the level that DC experts can provide in detecting problems
• Standardisation – larger companies with a series of data centres, result with no set of standards for operation

Outsourced data centre maintenance

Data centre maintenance outsourcing is when you have a team of DC specialists who go beyond the traditional management of a data centre. It now includes design, operation, testing, monitoring and support of your data centre – all within your four walls.

Benefits of outsourcing maintenance

• Reduced costs – Benefits of buying strength through reputable vendors
• Less hassle – A sole provider will offer better internet connectivity and pricing options
• Maximised uptime – There will be options to utilise redundant internet and power connections, which will help maximise uptime
• Offsite backup – Mirrored data centres for disaster recovery purposes available to minimise operations impact and downtime
• Enhanced security – Enhanced security features available
• Tech support – Depending on your requirements, dedicated onsite technical experts will be available to resolve any issues
• Tracking and reporting – Critical infrastructure is regularly tracked and monitored to avoid wasted operational costs and potential downtime
• Audits – Detailed audits carried out to identify any potential issues
• Growth-ready – Expansion options available

Limitations of outsourcing maintenance

• Limited access – Access needs to be granted for outsourced DC experts
• Loss of control – Trust is placed in external staff and no longer sits with internal employees
• Possible downtime – Troubleshooting and scheduled maintenance times are required
• Compliance – Meeting regulation standards remains the responsibility of business, not the chosen data centre provider
• Accountability – Responsibility with the business, not the data centre provider when due diligence is not practiced

Why compromise?

Each option has its own strengths and drawbacks, but ultimately when considering how best to meet your organisation’s data centre needs, it is essential that a full range of factors are considered.

With Interactive, you don’t need to settle for one or the other – you can retain your internal data centre or server room on-site and also benefit from the efficiencies, knowledge and experience of our data centre experts. If you would like further information on what to consider when evaluating your business requirements, and how best to tailor a solution that is right for you, get in touch for a consultation with our team of data centre experts.