Ways to Protect Your Data Center Against Disasters
In today’s internet-driven world, the role of data centers in bringing oxygen to different business verticals so that they can efficiently meet their goals cannot be overlooked. Since the dawn of the Internet, these specialized facilities have marked a significant change in the way that services are offered to customers. These specialized facilities are equipped to house and manage critical business assets. In addition to this, they provide access to the suite of IT capabilities including bandwidth access, network / firewall / asset security, application management, and other computing resources required to run a smooth business process. The facility that supports different industry domains must also be well managed so that its core functionality is not affected by internal and external factors.
Remember Hurricane Sandy that reportedly caused $ 400 million in damage? This hurricane ruined the functionality of many leading companies in New York and New Jersey. Just FYI, this disastrous event is labeled the most expensive hurricane in the nation. Apparently, the downtime caused by this catastrophic event has caused anger and dissatisfaction from customers. It goes without saying that natural calamities are a predominant factor in data center failures. Well, we all know that nobody is perfect; room for improvement is still available everywhere, and this statement is considered appropriate for data center scenarios as well.
If the reports are to be believed, human errors are the most frequent and main threat to the existence of companies. No matter if it has occurred due to an abrupt disconnection of the IT team or the inadvertent deletion of a business-critical file from the systems, the problems caused by the internal management team are quite significant. Another report in this regard suggests that approximately 70% of all downtime problems are caused by people. This is actually a very concerning figure, as the average cost of downtime is roughly $ 700,000 or more.
In this article, you will learn about the ways different companies have chosen to mitigate these dangerous events:
Today, most companies are investing in training programs to avoid downtime problems that occur due to improper configuration of IT equipment, damaged configurations, or poor maintenance practices. in partial or total failure of the infrastructure. Other downtime problems are due to improper equipment labeling or due to overloaded power supplies.
Well, the real-time communication solution is the best way to tackle all the challenges mentioned above. Businesses must lay a concrete foundation for comprehensive disaster recovery planning. There are several data center hosting service providers on the market today offering supercharged disaster recovery plans to their customers. It is also observed that most organizations turn to professional vendors as they lack the internal resources and pieces of equipment, and the dexterity to match the required disaster recovery procedures.
How disaster recovery proves to be a beneficial alternative
According to experts, those who take advantage of a variety of recovery and business continuity services, cloud hosting solutions, test services, including disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), can efficiently combat unwarranted problems.
These solutions are typically hosted in a dedicated environment or in the cloud, which in turn ensures maximum protection for business-critical assets. It primarily involves the assessment, design, provisioning, and backup of the installation with the help of failover testing. Best of all, cloud-enabled BC / DR solutions are powered by global data centers, enabling service providers to deliver solutions through infrastructure as a service (IaaS) technology. Failover technology enables business owners to maintain high availability in today’s competitive world.
However, partnering with a vendor that offers a variety of compute and storage capabilities is recommended to implement disaster recovery-enabled infrastructures. Also, it is important to note that these solutions (offered by these vendors) are backed by strict security and full compliance at every level.
Cloud-based DRaaS: An Effective Alternative
Cloud-based DRaaS has the power to recover data in a jiffy, which is undeniably impossible when using conventional recovery solutions. Minimal investment in hardware and software applications leads to significant cost reductions. Since the cloud computing model works on a pay-per-use basis, it gives organizations enough flexibility and scalability to manage their applications without facing downtime issues. Best of all, it eliminates the obligation to implement physical run books, which ultimately increase automation and accuracy in business operations.
Don’t be overconfident that mistakes can’t be at the end of your life. Remember, even a small IT mistake can wipe out your overall business processing.
By partnering with a professional benefactor for reliable service, disasters can be mitigated. Cloud-enabled solutions are highly automated, reducing the threat of IT failures that typically occur due to human disruption. Again, it goes without saying that all organizations should look for shielding solutions that protect their mission-critical systems, powered by DRaaS.
To conclude, additional care and advanced care solutions supported by disaster recovery, including continuity plans, can help organizations capitalize on various market opportunities without fear of catastrophic circumstances.