Your data center is more important to your business than you could ever know. And if you want to optimize your company’s security and finances, you have to pay attention to what’s going on behind “closed doors.” Otherwise, you could end up compromised on multiple levels.
Getting the Most Out of Your Data Center
The volume of data your business processes on a daily basis has exponentially increased over the past several years. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, the type of customers you target, or even the products and services you sell. If you have any online presence, your digital footprint is growing at a tremendous rate.
Structured data, unstructured data, customer data, content management – it’s all being housed in your data center. If you want to protect your business from cyber threats and simultaneously keep costs manageable, you need a plan. You can learn more about data centres with Macquarie Data Centres.
Here are several helpful data center tips for 2022 and beyond:
- Prioritize Governance From the Start
Data governance – which is the term used to describe the people, processes, and technologies you need to manage and protect your organization’s data assets – is something you have to take more seriously than ever before. It must be at the forefront of any good IT data center strategy.
There’s an assumption in the business world that more data always means more value, but this isn’t necessarily true. The sooner you learn this, the better your results will be.
“Businesses naturally accumulate data they don’t need, adopting the bad habit of stockpiling it unnecessarily and complicating the process of deciphering what data is most valuable,” IT expert Thomas LaRock mentions. “These greater volumes of data create the need for greater and more complex governance, as each individual data point must be assessed for its sensitivity, storage requirements, and real business value.”
Keeping this in mind, governance must become a focal point. It’s the only way to gain/regain control over your most important data and IT assets.
- Invest in Data Center Infrastructure Management
It’s important to keep track of your data center infrastructure components and hardware. This is best approached through formal data center infrastructure management (DCIM), which is basically a system that combines IT with Data Center Ops to create optimal data center performance. It relies on things like monitoring, discovery, reporting, and visualization.
If you don’t currently have a DCIM, perhaps this is a good time to explore options from different providers. If nothing else, you’ll learn a lot from your conversations with different service partners and providers.
- Frequently Test Your Backup and Recovery
It’s one thing to have a backup system. It’s another thing entirely to know that your backup system works when needed. This is why we highly recommend frequently testing your backup and recovery system. Ideally, you should do this at least once per quarter. (Though once per month will instill even greater confidence).
Don’t be the company that spends money developing a backup and recovery system, only to realize that it didn’t actually work when called upon. Frequent testing acts as a dress rehearsal – strengthening your business and ensuring you’re ready for the real thing.
- Fix and Eliminate Redundancies
When upgrading data centers, businesses often find redundancies. It should be your goal to identify and eliminate these issues to avoid/reduce outages and losses throughout your business.
It’s not uncommon for larger organizations to find redundant servers. If you find one in your data center, there are options. One option is obviously to get rid of the server. Another is to consider splitting redundant servers (i.e. for load balancing) and/or migrating them to the cloud.
- Enhance Your Security Infrastructure
Did you know that nearly 81 percent of organizations suffered at least one successful cyberattack last year? Or that 35 percent suffered six or more successful cyberattacks?
It’s no longer a matter of if your business will suffer an attack. It’s simply a matter of when (and whether or not it’ll be successful). By making a proactive investment in your security infrastructure, you can lessen the damage.
Set Your Business Up for Success
Creating a successful business for the future requires a proactive approach on multiple fronts. This includes the strategic management of your data center and everything associated with it.
Use this article as a starting point to lower data center costs, enhance cybersecurity, and promote greater profitability throughout your organization. Every company is different, but these tips can be universally applied.