Hosting Solutions on the rise says Andrew Gilbert, MD of Node4

According to industry estimates, the number of data centre facilities in the UK is rising dramatically. Many of the units, particularly in London, are up to 80% full, a huge increase from the 25% figure that was 5 years ago.

This rise in demand is reflected by the increase of SME’s looking to outsource their data storage in a top-class facility in order to improve business continuity in a fast-moving industry, meaning that the large data centres across the country need to ensure that they provide the best possible service.

It is not just a simple, basic data centre that the smaller businesses are looking for, but an on-hand technical support team who can take care of every IT need. A smaller company does not have the time or resources to handle the amount of communications technology that is needed for a business to stay on top of their game, and so a fully managed service is what they are willing to pay for.

However, more often than not, the larger SME will have the staff to deal with their IT and communications needs themselves and so a convenient location for the technical department to easily visit, is what they are looking for in a data centre, and with London facilities filling up fast, an easily accessible location is crucial. But if skilled hands at the managed data centre are available to provide remote access for the customer, then the location would not be a priority.

But why does the larger business look to outsource their storage if they have technical staff in-house? The choice is mainly down to the fact that by outsourcing they will avoid the significant capital expenditure that comes with building their own facility up to the standard of the larger, purpose built data centres.

51% of businesses have a business continuity strategy in place, a figure which again only sets to rise in the future. The main thing standing in the way of a smooth running business is potential IT failures so it is vital that the facility managers of the larger data centre ensure that the correct procedures are in place to minimise potential risks.

Resilience in a hosting facility is top of the list when looking for a suitable home for any business core. Losing service is too great a risk to take if the main parts of the business, such as a telephony application and servers are located in a facility with no back-up process. A generator, in particular an N+1 generator, is a must if a business is to survive through a potential power cut.

Other features that need to be addressed along with power and generators in a hosting facility are characteristics such as an efficient air conditioning unit which is crucial for your servers to operate at maximum capacity, along with a monitoring system to alert the facility manager to a change in temperature which could give an early warning of a larger problem.

Security is also a big factor in the SME’s decision making process. At Node4 we have seen security become a growing issue that customers are concerned with when deciding where to house the core of their business. Swipe card access, top-of-the-range CCTV system, and on-site security presence is a must to ensure that the customer feels safe and secure leaving the hub of their business in your hands.

Within the next 5 years, industry watchers expect as much as 30% of all IP-based Unified Communications to be hosted, increasing this strain on hosting facilities even further. It makes business sense to have all applications, including the telephony system; hosted in one facility therefore a resilient connection to transfer both voice and data to the business location will be essential. Room to expand the space as the business grows is crucial to prevent a need to move everything to a different facility regularly.

Here at Node4 we have noticed that the typical SME is beginning to look for a hosted telephony application that will provide them with immediate price reductions along with lower costs in both voice and data communications. A hosted IP telephony application will give the business everything they are looking for along with on-hand technical support with minimal cost outlay. A per extension rental basis will also prevent the loss of capital as platform technology evolves rapidly.

In an industry that progresses what sometimes seems like weekly, a reliable, secure, resilient and expandable hosting facility is what the SME is now looking for to ensure that their business keeps up to speed with the rest of the world.

Published: 30/11/2007