Why Your Managed Service Provider Should Have a Data Center.
Your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is your trusted partner, keeping your information technology at peak performance, and—most important—helping your business grow. But if your managed service provider doesn’t have its own data center, your company is missing out on a competitive edge.
What is a data center?
Most people know the basics: a data center is a hardened building crammed with racks of servers that securely store, manage and disseminate data. The data center’s primary purpose is to protect the servers—and the files, folders and applications they hold—from intrusion, corruption, downtime or any other damage. Data centers make much of modern business possible.
Safely stored and accessible, data does amazing things.
It could be as simple as a financial database—or as complex as a powerful virtualized application, responding to requests from around the world. Companies with a high volume of data, or a need for an application development environment, rely on data centers to conduct business.
Why should your MSP have its own data center?
It might seem not to matter, since you can access your data wherever it’s stored. If you’re just looking for secure backup or virtualization services, your data could be next door or on the other side of the continent. Either way, you’ll be able to access it in an instant.
What should you look for in an MSP? It’s simpler and more efficient to rely on just one company.
If you’re contracting with an MSP and hiring a separate vendor for data center services, it’s not the most efficient setup. Multiple vendors mean multiple phone calls and inevitable lag between companies. Though only a small proportion of MSPs have their own data centers, the better ones can offer you redundant backups in their own secure data center facility.
Features that a data center must have.
Security, security, security. 
A data center should protect against physical as well as virtual threats. A well-equipped data center will have measures and equipment in place to prevent fire and ensure necessary cooling of hardware so the physical devices can remain safe.
Data centers should restrict access to the facility and vet their workers. Building security should be tight, including controls such as biometric scanners.
A data center should make redundant backups of your data in case one version becomes corrupted. They should have redundant servers in a separate site(s) in case of catastrophic failure or disaster. They should also have strong encryption and data security measures.
Be sure any data center you are considering is SOC-II Certified. If your MSP has its own data center and this certification, you are partnering with a provider whose data center meets high industry standards.
What should you look for in an MSP?
The best MSPs will take the time to get to know your business, anticipate your needs, communicate openly and respond quickly. Your MSP’s data center holds your business’s most precious assets. You need absolute assurance that they’ll keep your data safe and work tirelessly to keep you up and agile.
This is especially important if a disaster occurs. Your MSP should be able to troubleshoot files quickly. Of course, MSP’s with their own data centers have an easier time of it, so you’ve got the peace of mind that they’ll bet your business back online swiftly.
But beyond the file-level responsibility of an MSP, there’s a business-level promise of synergy and strategy. Your MSP should be more than just about fixing broken things. They should be active participants in your business planning and be included in your strategy to minimize disaster.
Want to learn more about how to choose the right MSP? Download our free guide 9 Key Criteria for Choosing a Managed Services Provider!
Interested in learning more about managed services from Dynamic Quest or its data centers?
