How to Choose a Reliable Data Center Provider for Your Business

In the era of massive digital transformation, data centers have become an essential requirement for businesses to be able to survive and stay relevant. However, it’s worth noting that not all data center providers are equally reliable, and the trap of data center downtime can be avoided if businesses know how to choose the right provider. Following the panel discussion by EPI and Telkom DWS titled How to Choose a Reliable Data Center Provider for Your Business, we’re going to take a closer look at what it means to choose the right data center provider and how to do it.

What types of businesses need a data center?

According to Rudi Setiawan, CEO of Wowrack Indonesia, and Muhammad Rifqi, neuCentrIX DC Specialist, there are two types of businesses that need a data center. First, businesses that rely on numerous applications in their business processes — HRIS, SCM, and ERP software; CRM, project management, social media management tools; and other types of apps. Second, businesses that rely on remote work because their employees and operations aren’t centralized on one specific location. Data centers guarantee maximum uptime and security which will ensure company data is constantly accessible and remote employees stay productive.

How should a reliable data center be defined?

Essentially, a data center is considered reliable for three factors: infrastructure, processes, and human resources. According to Moses Huwae, Managing Director of EPI Certification Pte Ltd Indonesia, to ensure maximum performance and excellent customer experience, a data center needs to have not only properly designed and constructed infrastructure but also effective business processes, such as customer support procedures. It should also deploy qualified and experienced personnel who can really help customers in the case of troubles. Moreover, Rifqi added that, in terms of business, data center providers should also have a clear roadmap to ensure they keep adapting to changes and stay relevant in the future.

How do businesses choose the right data center provider?

Before making a consideration, it’s important for businesses to know their requirements and priorities. As Rifqi stated, organizations that need to prioritize security, such as government and financial institutions, might want to opt for a data center located in a safer, more secluded area to minimize attacks and breaches. Meanwhile, companies that prioritize customer experience, such as e-commerce platforms, social media platforms, digital wallets, and online transportation apps, might want to choose locations which are more accessible for instant troubleshooting.

Once businesses have established what they need, they can choose a data center provider by considering several factors: location (the characteristics of the area where a data center is built: Is it near water sources? Is it disaster prone? Is it vulnerable to terrorist attacks?), physical infrastructure (architecture, power supplies, ventilation, cooling systems, fire suppression, backup generators, connections to external networks, etc.), availability (not only uptime rate but also the customer support), flexibility (multiple component redundancy, such as power and networks, so the system can stay online even if more than one component fails), scalability (the ability of a data center to scale up when required), and security (standard security measures, physical and virtual, including disaster mitigation and recovery plan).

All the factors mentioned above are summarized as the data center certification criteria. Moses mentioned that the ANSI/TIA-942 certification specifies the requirements for a proper data center, covering aspects like infrastructure, location, architectural, electrical, mechanical, safety, and security. Therefore, the easiest way for businesses to ensure a data center checks all the boxes is by seeing if it is professionally certified. Another way is to see the provider’s track record and customer feedback to see how their customer support team handles issues.

What happens if a business chooses the wrong provider?

The worst case scenario is data loss. In addition, Rudy shared his company’s experience of choosing “the wrong” provider and having to go through three to four power outages in a month. What he considers a poor choice unfortunately led him to poor customer experience and numerous customer complaints.

What unique values does neuCentrIX offer compared to other data center providers?

Rifqi shares why neuCentrIX is a reliable data center provider. First, neuCentrIX’s data centers have been certified ANSI/TIA-942 which guarantees all the factors mentioned before including superior infrastructure and network quality. neuCentrIX is connected not only to Telkom’s fiber optic network which covers a wide range of areas but also other top internet service providers in Indonesia, providing more flexibility to customers. neuCentrIX also has a busy data center ecosystem which is a good place for its customers to connect with each other through service sales and purchase activities.

Moreover, neuCentrIX currently has data centers located in 13 cities in Indonesia. Besides fulfilling demands in areas outside Jabodetabek, these data centers play an important role as backups and disaster recovery centers. In the future, these data centers will be seamlessly connected and become parts of one big ecosystem, making neuCentrIX more powerful to be able to fulfill Indonesia’s digital requirements.