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On Premise data centers still make sense for a lot of companies. Despite the rising popularity of cloud offerings, not every application or system truly belongs in the cloud. What seems like a great opportunity for a majority of businesses may not be a great opportunity for all businesses. There are still some places where the cloud is not a good fit. The Cloud Connectiv team has built data centers in every continent in the world. Our team of experts can help you decide if on Premise data center is the best choice for your business. From security to speed, there are a number of compelling reasons to keep certain data and applications in-house instead of moving to a remote or hosted solution.

Connected Globally, Quickly, Securely

When it comes to connectivity, colocation means a business is connected globally, quickly and securely. We find that many companies with onsite server rooms often do not have onsite access to a resilient Internet connection, nor do they have dedicated personnel monitoring traffic flow to ensure they always remain on.

Colocation enables organizations to benefit from faster networking and resilient connectivity at a fairly low price. Delivering 100 mbps of bandwidth might be hard at an office location and trying to create a redundant solution is often financially nonviable. Data centers are connected to multiple transit providers and also have large bandwidth pipes meaning that businesses often benefit from a better service for less cost.

With these considerations in mind, some organizations start to look to cloud solutions rather than colocation. However, cloud does not provide organizations with a fully auditable system and the ability to have full control over their own infrastructure. Colocation often enables businesses to avoid spending money on storage bills in the cloud as it is often cheaper to store information on their own servers.

From the periodic necessary replacement of UPS batteries, to the maintenance and testing of UPS systems, the hidden costs of sustaining your infrastructure to optimal levels can be surprising. As part of a standard colocation solution, organizations instantly benefit from high level security with ISO 27001 accredited processes, onsite security teams and infrastructure.

Additionally, data centers have the time, resources and impetus to continually invest in and research green technologies. This means that businesses can reduce their carbon footprint at their office locations and benefit from continual efficiency saving research. Companies that move their servers from in-house server rooms typically save 90 percent on their own carbon emissions.

Location, Location, Location

Choosing a colocation provider away from a city or data center hub with optimal connectivity options both to the capital, Europe and further afield means having the advantages of all central data centers with the added benefits of having attractive power capabilities and the security of being away from centrally targeted terrorist activity. Out-of-town colocation providers allow businesses to take full advantage of the capital infrastructure without the premium costs associated with it.

A colocation solution provides companies with a variety of opportunities, with exceptional SLAs and having data secured off-site, providing organizations with added levels of risk management and the chance to invest in better equipment and state-of-the-art servers. This can enable IT teams the possibility to explore options such as virtualization and condense the amount of racks and servers required.
Colocation providers are able to meet business requirements at a lower cost than if the service was kept in-house. Data centers and colocation providers have the ability to have businesses up and running within hours, as well as provide the flexibility to grow alongside your organization. Colocation space, power, bandwidth and connection speeds can all be increased where required to ensure that all sizes of colocation clients can be catered to.

1 Speed:
Despite the increase in faster broadband connectivity, there are some areas where circuits still lack the speed to take an office to the cloud. Some companies are locked into onerous long-term contracts for slower technology (like a T1 line). Others are in areas where their ISP doesn’t have the infrastructure to provide business-class connection speeds. If you have 50 employees trying to use the same cloud-based applications through a 3Mbps pipe, then your network is going to slow to a crawl. In both situations, having an on-premise server means decreased latency and increased efficiency.
2 Reliability:
Slower ISP speeds are only part of the problem for many companies. Unreliable connectivity plagues many areas and locations as service providers struggle to balance the infrastructure needs of businesses and consumers. Businesses that are far from distribution centers or on the edge of residential neighborhoods may experience sporadic connectivity. While a few moments of downtime may seem inconsequential on the surface, the costs can be significant if data is lost when a function gets hung up in a dropped connection.
3 Security:
Most enterprise-level cloud applications tout security because users are so concerned about the safe-keeping of their data. For a cloud application or service to thrive, it must be able to demonstrate security and protection in order to earn (and keep) the customer but what if the promised levels of security are not reached? Some information and data are simply too precious to risk even the smallest possibility of a security breach or intrusion, and some environments face restrictions and compliance needs that simply can’t be addressed through a cloud solution. For example, ITAR restrictions are complicated and require (among other things) that each person with access to the client’s data is a United States citizen. Some cloud providers simply don’t have the ability to offer ITAR-compliant solutions to end-users.
4
I once worked selling Microsoft Office licensing to small businesses. A potential client asked me, “What happens to my data if Microsoft goes out of business.” At first I found the question funny, but then realized that the client deserved an answer. Even though it was unlikely that Microsoft would cease to exist and take his company data with it, he was really asking who had the ultimate control of his customer data and applications. Any cloud solution you consider should be scrutinized the same way. Who is in control? Your IT department and administrators?Or the cloud provider? What happens if they close forever or are purchased by another company or experience a fundamental change in how they do business?
5 Flexibility:
One of the most common objections to moving to the cloud is centered around flexibility. Nevermind changing the size of the font or editing folder structure, we are talking about the flexibility to integrate and customize the way data is manipulated and the way the application works. This concern is most certainly valid. For example, if your applications or data require customized dashboards or if you need to integrate a third party application (such as merging Crystal Reports with financial software) then a one-size-fits all cloud solution might not work for your needs. Furthermore, finding a customized cloud solution that does work well with all of your other applications and needs can often be cost-prohibitive to even large enterprises.
The allure of shutting down your server room or closing your server closet for good in favor of web-based solutions isn’t going away.