The year 2012 has proven to be, and continues to prove to be, the year of companies expanding their business into data centers. According to a recent survey done by Digital Realty Trust, 43% of businesses say that they plan to expand in 2012, and 44% are planning for expansion in 2013. This survey was conducted via the Internet in early 2012, and it spoke to IT decision makers from all across North America. Of these respondents who said they had plans to expand, 78% said they planned to do so with a partner.
If you are in the majority of North American businesses planning to expand your operations and partner with a digital company, here are a few tips to help guide you when deciding how to choose your best partner.
- Choose a prime location
California, Texas, Chicago and NY data centers are some of the most sought after locations for expansion. In fact, only 65% of companies prefer their home city.
- Decide if co-location is right for you
Colocation is where you can store your servers on site at the center. If your company is based in San Francisco and requires a close proximity to your servers and data, look for a San Francisco data center. This way, you are never too far away from your new servers.
- Interview potential partners
Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions when talking to a potential partner. They will be held responsible for handling some of the most powerful tools to help your business grow, so it is important to ask all of your questions up front.
- Do your due diligence
Research firms are another great resource to help businesses find the right company for their expansion. These firms have the ability to do an in-depth analysis of various security measures, server management and maintenance and operational reliability. Their findings can either reaffirm what the prospect told you or prove otherwise. Either way, it is better to find out up front.
No matter which partner you choose for your business’s expansion, doing due diligence and conducting interviews to find out key intelligence is crucial. Choosing the right partner can make your business stronger, but choosing the wrong one can be detrimental to your success. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions necessary to find out if they are a good fit for your business model before trusting your company’s valuable knowledge to their servers.
To many people, writing is nothing more than putting pen to paper, but to Mike, it’s what he does best. His favorite subject happens to be technology. If you would like more information regarding digital realty trust, please visit www.digitalrealtytrust.com