It’s a sign of the times that one of the most important decisions a company must make these days, is where to store their data.
This is especially pertinent for businesses that operate solely, or predominantly, within the digital realm, as their data is their lifeblood.
Without ready and uninterrupted access to it, your frontline workers simply wouldn’t be able to do their jobs efficiently. Bosses too would also be unable to make informed, high-level decisions, based on all the information collated over a prolonged period of time.
As technological advances evolve at a rapid pace the way organisations conduct their business, and their need for more power and data will just keep increasing.
Subsequently, to keep a pace with this growth, instead of managing this process in-house, many businesses are now choosing to outsource their power needs to organisations like Macquarie Data Centres.
Primarily this is because they do not have the existing corporate infrastructure to cope with it. However, they also see several other clear benefits in doing so as well.
Some of these advantages, have been outlined below for you. Which should come in useful if you have been trying to ascertain the benefits of data centers for your business as well.
Increased Productivity
One of the key benefits of outsourcing to a data center is that it provides you with the capability of delivering higher availability and a much better use of your existing IT assets.
It will also enhance your overall operations, give you greater flexibility and significantly improve your levels of redundancy.
Essentially by trimming their critical infrastructure, most businesses will actually be able to implement a ‘less is more’ strategy that, in the final analysis, will result in an improved end-user experience.
Cost Reductions
One of the main reasons businesses are outsourcing their data retention is because of the significant cost reductions it can offer them.
Data centers can be very expensive to set up. With everything from land purchasing, and construction costs, to installing fiber connections, and key operating systems, to account for, the costs can be astronomical.
So, for multi-national businesses, fully embracing data centers can actually save them millions of dollars across their entire network of offices.
Significant improvement in energy efficiencies
Businesses who have adopted data centers have quickly seen the benefits of significantly improved energy efficiencies.
This has largely been achieved by refreshing their existing hardware, during a program of consolidation, after right-sizing to a platform that is more energy efficient.
Typically, by transitioning to state-of-the-art infrastructure, it results in lower power usage effectiveness (PUE), as well as electricity costs.
By facilitating these cost saving measures, businesses are also able to reallocate and reinvest that capital into other areas of their operation, which may be more lucrative.
Strengthen security and reduce risk
By centralizing the way their data is stored, companies can reduce their data center footprint. This in turn leads to strengthened security and a decrease in risk.
By downsizing their critical infrastructure to a more streamlined model, this helps to minimize the attack landscape.
Furthermore, consolidation like this also reduces risk further for your organization by extirpating outmoded, end-of-support platforms – which otherwise could be prone to system errors or failures.
It also enables businesses to implement a more robust and reliable disaster recovery plan, which incorporates options for replicating their data within the cloud.
The savviest organisations also use their data centers to install highly technical and advanced management systems, processes and tools, which serve to provide real-time transparency and insight into their IT operations.
Greater Compliance
For businesses who operate within industries like healthcare, finance or government, that are highly regulated, compliance is very important.
Data centers are typically set up to meet these compliance requirements and industry regulations. Which means companies can operate without the risk of hefty potential fines hanging over them.
Final Thought
For many businesses there comes a time where they can no longer effectively manage their data needs within their current corporate framework.
If you are thinking of switching to a data center we hope your business will benefit greatly from these advantages.
There are many things to consider when it comes to how to choose a date center that is right for your organisation.
However, once you have decided to outsource your power needs to one, you will be able to fully focus your energy on meeting customer objectives, and not firefighting your IT estate.
