Data centres are crucial for effectively storing the data of your clients, customers, and employees. That said, there are some ways that common mistakes can lead to irreparable and critical damage. Fortunately, here are 6 of the most common mistakes made, along with what you should be doing instead.
1. Issues With Virtualisation
When virtualising your data centre, failing to thoroughly understand the concept or implement it correctly can lead to a multitude of problems – and, these problems can be particularly costly.
Solution:
Host all virtual servers through a single machine simultaneously, making the data centre more efficient.
2. No Consideration of Power and Energy
Despite power being critical to the operations of a data centre, it can be severely overlooked. After all, your location will likely have come pre-equipped with mains power – but assuming that you will have a constant and consistent power supply can be a huge mistake. If there was to be a power surge or a complete outage, your data centre would not be able to function.
Solution:
To provide consistent power to all critical equipment, make sure that you have surge protection and back up power in case of an emergency. For example, a data centre UPS will provide an uninterruptible power supply to your business, minimising business downtime or damage to equipment.
3. No Scalability
When setting up your data centre, you may have only invested in the right amount of equipment and storage to suit your needs at the time. However, failure to have an effective plan for growth can limit your success and lead to your business running inefficiently.
Solution:
Invest in equipment, drive space, RAM, and physical floor space to allow your business the room to organically grow.
4. Substandard Security Policies
Whether you are not up-to-date with storage security, or know nothing at all, having substandard security policies in your data centre can be catastrophic. Any vulnerabilities can be taken advantage of by cyber threats or accidental data leaks alike.
Solution:
Always err on the side of caution – even if your system itself is robust, always implement additional storage security measures as an added level of protection.
5. Sole Focus on the Data
Leading on from above, even if you do implement stringent data security measures, only investing in virtual security can be a mistake in itself. All server rooms have to exist somewhere – and even if your data is stored in the cloud, the system will still be running from equipment in a physical location. Failure to consider the security of the building, then, can cause vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
Solution:
Implement security in the building and server rooms for monitoring and alarm purposes such as CCTV, access control, alarmed doors, and PA systems.
6. Minimal Working Capital
Though a data centre might be set up cost effectively, running it with minimal working capital can be shortsighted. If you don’t have the liquid assets to be able to continue growing the business, it might not survive.
Solution:
Always set your budget based on the long term projections and goals of the business, and have a contingency plan in case of unforeseen circumstances.
These examples can highlight some of the most common mistakes made in data centres. Instead, make sure to consider the solutions to keep your data centre running effectively and efficiently.
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