Resource
Which Data Centre maintenance structure is right for your business
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.
The Good
- 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
The Bad
• 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
"Data centres require increasingly costly resources to operate, to ensure efficiency in energy, technology and skilled personnel, is keeping it in-house the right choice?"
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.
The Good
- 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
- Service desk support – 24/7 Australian based support
- Growth-ready – Expansion options available
The Bad
- 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
- Downtime – Troubleshooting and scheduled maintenance times are required
- Compliance – Meeting regulation standards remains the responsibility of business, not Data Centre, experts
- Accountability – Responsibility and answerability lies with the business, not the Data Centre provider when due diligence is not practised
- Cost – Operational costs lie with the data centre owner
"Getting the balance right between a combination of both internal and external data centre services can deliver excellent value
for money."
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.
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 The Interactive Data Centre Team.
With Interactive, you can retain your internal data centre or server room on-site. However, you also benefit, from the efficiencies, knowledge and experience of our data centre experts.
Learn more about Data Centre Care or Talk to an expert now.
