Wondering what services a data center should provide? You’re not alone in that. The truth is that there’s really no standard guidebook for data center hosts—different companies provide different hardware, software, solutions, and services depending on their location, target audience, and area of expertise.
With that said, there are a few that are more common than the others.
Hosting
Data centers generally offer an incredibly broad range of different hosting and service plans, ranging from cloud solutions to colocation to dedicated servers. Some facilities may even offer shared hosting or virtual private servers.
Installation and Maintenance
This typically includes basic server hardware management as well as power distribution, backup power systems, environmental controls, and networking hardware. The extent to which the host manages all of these factors typically depends on your hosting plan. Managed colocation, for instance,
Disaster Recovery
A data center host that offers disaster recovery services will typically manage backups, archiving, and incident response. The idea is that you can focus on your business while the host takes care of keeping the lights on, even in the midst of a cyber incident. For anyone looking for peace of mind with their data center hosting plan, disaster recovery is arguably a must.
Quality of Service
Typically, a data center host will take care of load balancing, though they may offer several different choices of host to their clients. If you’re colocating, expect the host to at least handle basic network management, as well. Again, managed solutions will take a more active role, monitoring bandwidth and managing network configuration in addition to everything else.
Security
This service may include user authentication, threat detection, mitigation, response, endpoint protection, and Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM). Some data center hosts even collaborate with third-party security providers to give additional peace of mind to their clients.
General Technical Support
24/7 technical support is arguably table stakes for modern data center hosts. Networking issues and cyber incidents don’t operate on a set schedule, after all. You need your host to be available for troubleshooting the moment you encounter trouble, especially if you’ve chosen a managed hosting plan.
Managed Business Services
This could be anything from email and messaging to collaboration. Again, this one is largely dependent on the host and whether or not they maintain any ISV partnerships or have any internally-developed software.
Consultation and Planning
Lastly, many data center hosts will offer their expertise on anything from industry challenges to cybersecurity to technical matters. Never underestimate the value of a consultation with a seasoned expert, even if you aren’t in the market for a managed hosting plan. You might be surprised at how much you can learn if you keep an open mind in this regard. If you’re in search of US-based data center, check out what Liberty Center One can do for you.