Ciacfest

Archive for September, 2011

In this day and age many people are running businesses that are so heavily based on Internet transactions, virtual operations and so on that there is a lot of data needed. This data is important because it often times needs to be accessed. That is one reason why a data centre is such a good thing to utilize. Now, if you are a large company or the government, then you will likely have the resources to have your own data center and in some cases, as with large businesses or governments, you might have many data dedicated centers. However, many small businesses will have to use outsourced data centers to meet their data storage needs.

The main question is what is a data centre? Basically it is a place, whether it is a room, the floor of an entire building or sometimes the building itself where data is stored. This facility is home to computer systems that help store data used from everything from phone companies to Internet servers and the list goes on and on. However, what many people do not realize is that these centers are not all the same.

How a data centre typically works is they operate on 4 different levels otherwise known as tiers. Tier 1 is basically known as a simple server room. As the tiers continue to go up, there is more of a demand for secondary or redundant power sources, HVAC sources as well as guaranteed availability of access to the centers. These requirements were created and copy written by the Uptime Institute. They are the common requirements in these centres all over the country and the world.

The common misconception is that a data centre is only used for large companies and governments is actually just plain wrong. These days, even smaller companies are using more complicated computer systems and the data these systems generate need to be stored somewhere.

With the use of shared centers dedicated to the storage of data, companies of all sizes can benefit from having the data stored at an offsite location rather than having the added expense of creating a storage facility on their own. With data storage centers, business can move forward and the data that needs a place to be stored can be held in a safe and accessible place.

Off site data centers can benefit small businesses because most can work within most budget schemes. So, whether you need lots of storage or just a general daily data backup, you can find a data center that will fit your needs.

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The facilities where you can store or keep data, storage systems, computers and all your devices used for telecommunication are known as Data Center planning. They also have a back up facility and air conditioners wherein you can keep these devices cool enough so that they run in a proper condition. They are also equipped with fire extinguishing plants as well as environmental control techniques.

There are big servers which have all the data stored in them and they run on 24 hour basis so that there is proper maintenance of it. Where ever there are data centers the place is much secured and even the workers are completely checked before they enter the place. There is a lot of security check which happens in all the data centers. If the organization in which it is running is quite big they usually take a whole floor in order to set up such data centers.

These days there is a lot of planning in businesses and it would not have been possible had he data centers been not there. They store all the data and make all the planning easier. If there is ever a technical crisis in the office these data centers are of much use. They have all the data back-up. Had they not been there the businesses would have faced a lot of problems in times of crisis. Therefore it is actually very important that you design the whole data center in an effective way since this is the only thing which controls and takes care of all the planning and technical problems. All the gadgets which are present in the office need to have a data core in order to make sure that the whole planning activity has no problems.

If you have a data center in the office you need to ensure that the cooling has to be proper otherwise it would not function effectively. There is a particular temperature level which has to be maintained. As there are a lot of computers, laptops and many other devices which are working in the office they require a cool temperature for their proper working. If there is heat around it may cause harm to the devices and they may stop working or cause malfunctioning. Therefore the cooling should be effective and there should also be proper ventilation facilities.

The layout of the whole planning center is very crucial. It should be well planned and it should be decided well in advance whether a whole floor has to be devoted for that purpose or a particular place in the office which will be devoted for that purpose. A lot of cables have to be put and there should always be regular checking in order to ensure proper working of the data center.

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As businesses go more global and become more adept at outsourcing, there will be an increased demand for virtualization and servers located off-site. This is the situation with many companies who store their data in places away from the office grounds. In layman’s terms, Co-location is simply the process of hosting or getting space in a data center to either increase their server’s capabilities in terms of space or just data storage. Many companies are opting for this method of data storage as backup for their on-site data.

Co-location centres also known as data centers are specifically built for the purpose and have all measures taken to protect your data anytime. Given the nature of the data stored on their servers, all Co-location service providers know the import of not joking with information. Their servers are often equipped with some of the best if not customized encryption software making it impossible for even the guys working at the center to decrypt the data. Co-location has a lot of benefits and some of them are:

1. Reduced Costs and Expenses: Like it or not, installing new servers every time costs money. But with Co-location services, if you decide to move all your data off-site, your costs will be drastically reduced. The server you will be given will strictly be yours meaning that nobody except you will be able to access the data.

2. Pricing is far cheaper: While Co-location generally guarantees that you have access to your data anywhere in the world by a mere click of the mouse, the relatively cheaper pricing makes it a very attractive option to other forms of data storage available.

3. Flexibility and Bandwidth extension: Small business owners can often buy bandwidth in bits. Thus giving them the opportunity of extending or adding to their bandwidth anytime they want one without unnecessarily getting broke.

4. Complete access to the server: When you pay for a space in a Co-location center, the space is strictly meant for you alone. So only you will have access to your data except you give out the password and user ID. You can modify the server as you wish, increase your bandwidth if you want, install applications, encrypt and decrypt your data, upgrade the server as you wish and execute anything you want. Bottom line, you own the monopoly.

5. Safety: In case of any mishaps, you can rely on the centers to preserve your data. While the cost of preserving the data may be too much to handle for a start up company, getting an account with a Co-location company will ensure that your data as they often have anti-inflammatory measures that will seal the server rooms and suck out the oxygen in cases of an inferno, thus leaving the rooms near untouched. Most Co-location companies also have fibreglass protecting their servers in the data rooms.

In all, if you want to be sure of how safe your data is, you can go on a data center virtual tour. This will give you an idea of how protected your data will be in their care.

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Truly securing the data of your company and your customers is vital to business success. In today’s world of identity theft and data thieves, many small companies are unfortunately ill-prepared to handle the heavy weight of the responsibility they have for this data.

Most small businesses understand the importance of providing secure storage for their customers’ data. After all, they’ve seen the results of improper storage of data. When a company has to send out a letter to its customers informing them that their private information has been compromised, customers begin to think twice about doing business with that company.

How Do Most Businesses Compare?
Although most small business know how important it is to securely store data, they don’t always have a good data storage plan in place. Some business do not understand the need for formal planning about data security. Others feel that they can protect their data with simple common sense.

Unfortunately, relying on common sense and no formal plan is a bad recipe for data storage. Storing sensitive data in a responsible, secure way requires detailed formal planning and trained professionals.

What Kind of Data Needs to Be Secure?
Securing data means understand which pieces of information need to be protected and enacting proper procedures and safeguards to keep this information safe. What type of information is high priority when it comes to data security?

- Customer Information
Securing the data of customers should be the number one priority for any business. Without customers, the business would fail. And without data security, the customers will take their business to a competing company. In today’s world-wide economy, customers have many choices. Securing customer data keeps customers happy.

- Product Information
In many industries, protecting information about new and existing products is also a priority. Competing companies may be looking for a leg up and could find that help by using stolen data. Innovation is key to surviving in most businesses, and in order to protect its intellectual property, a company needs to pay attention to data security.

- Employee Information
Most companies have detailed personal information about employees, such as Social Security Numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and employment records. It’s vital to the success of a business to protect the interests of its employees. Employees are what make a company successful.

- Company Information
It is important for many companies to protect financial information and other data about the business. If accessible to unauthorized users, this information could harm the business’s reputation or provide impetus for legal action against the company. Protecting company information is essential.

How Private Data Centers Provide Security
For many companies, the solution to the challenge of data security is hiring a private data center. The private data center is then responsible for providing secure storage for this important data, freeing the company to focus on other areas of business that are integral to success.

Private data centers usually have multiple layers of data security. Physically, private data center buildings usually have security guards and surveillance cameras to watch over the important data around the clock. Card key access is required for physical entry into private data centers, providing a record of who has access to sensitive information.

Many companies find that they value the peace of mind of having their data protected at a private data center. It eliminates the hassle and expense of putting proper security features in place, training existing staff, and hiring new dedicated staff. And knowing that important information is secure helps companies focus on their own products and services.

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A data center is an outside location that houses equipment and information that is used for your business. This information or equipment can be accessed from a remote location. Many businesses use a data center, especially when customer information must be retrieved. This is especially true with customer service centers. When you call with a question or problem, you may get a different call center each time. However, they are able to pull up the same information every single time. This is because they are pulling that information from a data center. This allows for retrieval of information from all authorized parties at any time, which also results in consistency.

With such access, this may make one wonder how secure a data center really is. All of this information is being transferred to and from using a computer can seem somewhat dangerous, especially since much of the information is very sensitive.

That is why it is important that each data center be equipped with top-of-the-line security features that protect that information:

1. Encryption: Encryption is a code that cannot be cracked. The information is transferred in this encrypted form that only the computer it is going to can decipher. The information that leaves the computer is once again encrypted to be stored in the data center. This is what prevents a lot of the information that is going back and from being stolen by hackers.

2. Password protection: It is important for the password to remain protected. If the password is entered incorrectly, then it is important to have a security feature that locks someone out after three attempts. This prevents someone from intruding and in order to unlock it, they must answer a security question.

3. Individual security: This is when each individual receives their own username and password to access the data center. This means the encryption key for each user is unique.

4. Redundant power: A data center that runs on redundant power is one that is going to survive such incidents as blackouts. This means they are running from separate sources of electricity and they also have backup generators. That way, if the power goes out there and not at your facility, you’re still in business.

5. Verification at each end: Every single time a file is written to disk at the data center, their integrity is verified. They are verified each time they are written to the disk. If verification fails, it is transmitted to an identical server.

6. Protocol security: Protocols such as HTTP are vulnerable to hackers, so a secure data security system uses one that hackers do not target.

7. Firewalls: The firewall that is used should be similar to those used on home computers so that the business can connect with backup software and not be locked out.

8. Restricting remote access: This only limits access to certain IP addresses. This is so someone cannot access the data center from another location when they aren’t supposed to.

9. Virus protection: Viruses come in all shapes and sizes and the data center must be protected as well. Virus protection keeps the data center virus free.

10. 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL): This is what you want to see to make sure information is not retrieved or corrupted in any way.

So if you’re looking for a data center that can make your business as successful as you want it to be, these are ten security features that you can look for that will make a large difference in how securely you do business. You can also confidently ensure your customers that their information is safe.

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Not long ago since the development of data centers, the outsourcings of services that can be acquired from a data hub were just a mere idea. Many companies, organizations, and even some individuals recognized the potential profits that they will gain when outsourcing the services of data centers. And so they did. They were very confident enough to do so as they knew about 30% percent of the companies all over the world do not have the manpower to maintain such sophisticated equipment and does not have enough financial resources to purchase an expensive machine.

Because of the fact that some companies do not have the money and facility to obtain private data hubs, they were obligated to use the outsourced services of data centers. It was then that a lot of companies realized the numerous advantages of the outsourced data services compared to private data hubs. Although private data centers have their own respective advantages but the advantages from outsourced data services are rather surprising and come cheaper in terms of cost efficiency.

During the first few years of the data centers’ popularity, the pioneers of data service outsourcing introduced their services in the market to give other companies that were in need of its services, but do not have the money to have one, that the services of data centers can be acquired through them for a respectable price. And because of some companies craving and needing the services that can be acquired from these centers they had no other choice but to have the outsourced services that were offered by data service outsourcing companies. As time went by, companies then later saw the practicality of the outsourced data services as the maintenance for such sophisticated machines and the manpower needed to operate and manage it were eliminated.

Business companies that operate their own data centers are very aware of the hassles involved in maintaining and preserving a data hub. They know for a fact that if their data center experiences any technical problem and shuts down, their business would also be very much affected. And because of such awareness, backup plans and other prevention methods are developed thus leading to more expenses and use of manpower.

Simply because of the many factors and stress involved in operating and maintaining a private data center, some business companies ceased the operation of their own center and went with the outsourced data services. The responsibility of having to keep the business running then falls to the data service outsourcing company.

Today, the outsourcing companies of data services are called collocation companies. It was called collocation as the services that are provided can be used by many, thus, collocation services. Collocation centers are facilities that operate only for the sole purpose of providing their customers with the services they need. These centers are designed to overcome natural disasters and prevent any mishaps from happening giving its customers a state of comfort from unforeseen events. And with very skilled and experienced IT professionals behind the data center, total satisfaction is what a customer would gain.

Author is an AT&T master solution provider from Digital Management Solutions who specializes in helping customers make the most out of their communication and network needs. He works tirelessly to provide powerful, efficient and cost effective solutions, such as at&t datacenters and XO Colo, to address clients’ communications needs.