Security Readiness With Tier 4 Data Center

The facility used by the house computer systems and its associated components, such as the storage system or the telecommunication systems, is termed as the data center. Usually a data center consists of backup or redundant power supplies, security devices, unnecessary data communications connections and substances of environmental controls such as fire suppression, air conditioning, etc. Generally large industrial houses use a huge amount of electricity which can be compared to the scale of electricity used in a small town and, sometimes, it turns out to be a major source of complexities and pollution in the society in the form of diesel exhaust.  

A four tier system provides a simple and efficient tool for the identification of different data center site infrastructure with the design topologies. The Uptime Institute's tier classification system is an industry standard approach which explains the tier 4 data center as a composition of multiple cooling distribution paths and active powers and unnecessary redundant components. It is an efficient fault tolerant system that provides not less than 99.995% of availability.

Tier 4 data center is measured as the most powerful among all its parts and is less flat on failures. Tier 4 is designed to swarm a charge of grave computer systems and servers with completely superfluous subsystems like cooling, power, network links, storage, etc. It has been designed with compartmentalized safekeeping zones which are monitored by the method of biometric access control. Hence, it can be said that the simplest of all the tiers is a Tier 1 data center whereas tier 4 is a bit complex but includes all fully tolerant apparatus like storage, uplinks, HVAC systems, chillers, servers, etc. Everything in it is dual-powered. In tier 4, no utility power sources are mandatory, though they are commonly used as a low-cost alternative to commercial power. Tier 1 is basically preferred by small business enterprises whereas Tier 4 is used by large companies that prefer utmost security.

Standards are set for data center tiers so as to evaluate the reliability and quality of the web hosting capacity of the data center’s server. Institutes usually use a ranking technique for the four tier system, which they set as a bench mark for measuring the trustworthiness of the data center. The scoring system starts with the tier 1 and gradually heads towards the tier 4 systems. Tier 1 is generally seen to be warehoused with powers and ends, whereas tier 4 offers a 2N outmoded power and cooling with an additional guarantee of 99.99% uptime.

Tier 4 data center is a completely fault-tolerant tool that promises to handle any accidental activity on any occasion without hampering the flow of operations. Tier 4 facilities do not have any scope for failure. The basic concept working behind the system is that a Tier IV design requires double the intensity of the infrastructure present in the Tier 3 design. However, the noteworthy thing is that specification of both, the Tier 3 and Tier 4, data centers demand IT equipments so as to have a dual power input. This would help them to allow the maintenance and security of the power distribution apparatus between the IT equipment and the UPS. 

Therefore, all the large scale firms, that do not like to bargain with the security of its data, prefer Tier 4 data center because of its appreciable superiority and security over its minor members. 

Asia’s largest Tier 4 certified data center, CtrlS Data center India  offers  Cheap VPS hosting, disaster recovery, Managed Services, online backup, online storage, dedicated email solutions, server colocation, secure Dedicated server hosting solutions and Cloud hosting services

 

How CtrlS is Redefining Infrastructure As A Service (Iaas)

Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder and CEO, CTRLS highlights how CtrlS is redefining infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and creating new rules in the outsourcing space.

CIO: Enterprises are beginning to turn source agnostic, and reaching out to third party service providers for their datacenter needs. What is driving this trend?

Sridhar Pinnapureddy: Facilities that can reliably house the data and applications that businesses need are costly to build, and the on-going capital expenditures of in-house facilities can limit growth, slow time to market, and be a distraction from your core business. Since more and more IT Dept are finding it tough to get their capex budgets sanctioned, we have seen an increase in enterprises taking advantage of our services and enjoy significant savings on total cost of ownership. Another important reason for enterprises to look at outsourcing their data centres is security. CtrlS offers a wide range of managed security services that help your organization to prevent potential data compromises, network breaches and unauthorized system access.

CIO: Can you tell us about CtrlS’ policy of total ownership and how it helps CIOs?

SP: At CtrlS, we believe in meeting client expectations and not just to follow a letter or contract. CtrlS’ commitment to its customer is total ownership. When we started off, we realized that we could only make a difference if we came up with a significantly improved and differentiated offering. This resulted in building Asia’s largest Tier 4 datacenter. We have developed the capabilities to provide a complete suite of offerings from platform level services which include datacenter infrastructure, storage, backup, hardware to OS layers, network and security layers. We are operational in Hyderabad and Mumbai, and building another one in Delhi. Our datacenter in Chennai will be operational this year, and the one in Bangalore, the next financial year. This ensures that our geographical reach is substantial, to meet our client’s expectations of having the datacenter closer to their area of operation.

CIO: Running Tier 4 datacenters across several locations can be really capex and skills intensive. How do you manage to get the right funding and talent?

SP: Our data centers at Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi are fully owned by the company, and CtrlS is promoted by the 18 year old Pioneer Group, which has been building the largest available infrastructure in the Datacenter space and we have had several rounds of funding. Our datacenters are built to withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters. We have kept our financials healthy, and our repayment obligations have always been half of our cash flows. This is a guiding principle that we will not grow beyond a 1:5:1 ratio between debt and equity. Our growth rates are close to 100 per cent, making us a very financially healthy company. Our attrition levels are extremely low, as we believe in hiring fresh talent and grooming them. We have a training academy to that effect. Also, once on board, we offer a clear career progression plan which goes upto 16 levels, offering them many options in diverse roles. Our ‘Total Ownership” policy makes our employees extremely proud of the work they do, and they get to do whatever it takes, to make their customer happy, which keeps them motivated.

CIO: How do you take your relationship with the customer from transactional to transformational?

SP: Our ‘Total Ownership’ policy is definitely plays a key role in helping us achieve this. We develop a joint roadmap, which we commit to in being a completely transparent company, and want our customers to look at us more as long term partners and less as vendors. We learn from our customers too. Once the trust is established, we develop a joint roadmap, which we then commit to our customers. We realize that our clients are varied, and we want to give them the flexibility to customize. All of these make our relationship with our customers more than just transactional.

Source :  Smarter Sourcing Strategies - Chat with the Editor at CIO 100 2013 by Gopal Kishore.

Link :  http://www.cio.in/news/smarter-sourcing-strategies-chat-editor-cio-100-2013-458812013

A Buyer’s Guide to Server Collocation

A collocation center, also termed as a data center, offers various products like bandwidth and equipment space on rentals to its customers. It provides facilities like power and cooling and also physical securities for the purpose of storage, networking equipment and server for firms. They charge a certain sum of money to connect the client’s website to various networks and telecommunication service providers with nominal complexity.  It can be termed as establishing an independent server service on the backbone of an established internet. It is mainly popular for consistent high speed connection that it provides from the internet to the server and its low cost.

Collocation services company provides a hosting option for various small business firms, so as to equip them with the same features as of the largest IT firms, with the payment of a nominal charge. The large business houses could build their own internet infrastructure which helps them to make their own servers and they take on a team of IT professionals who helps them to design and manage the site, which smaller firms don’t get. A server collocation  works for those small enterprises by providing the options of simple hosting so as to run their own server off from an internet connection.  However, a recent study has shown that collocation has also been demanded by large IT firms, because of its low cost structure. 

Before buying a collocation services, you would search and choose only credible provider who can give a good services with maximum uptime.  It would also provide a step by step guide to assist the customers in choosing the perfect solution that their business would require. The guide would discuss the benefits of usage, its impact on scalability, compliance with the requirements and also the non benefits of not using the same to the customers. Gradually, it would discuss and explain each and every term individual and the effect that they have on the data center.  Last, but the most important part is that it discusses every business model and the collocation model that would fit into the business model in details. It also provides questions to the probable buyers and the vital considerations to be taken into account before buying the product.

Collocation assists all those customers who don’t want to store the material in warehouses and offices with a secure place to keep the equipments and hardware. It offers security by equipping a business house with fire extinguishers, cameras, generators, multiple connections feeds and filtered power. This now has become very vital for all web bases businesses. The customers or rather the business houses which mostly require a collocation service are online content providers, e-commerce retailers, business to business market and all other businesses who requires a trustworthy internet and large bandwidths. Thus, customer companies should consider purchasing a collocation service to avail the benefits of low cost, nominal infrastructural expenses, improved focus on IT initiated strategies, reliability, intensive time management expansion and for avoiding capital. However, one shouldn’t forget to analyze and select a genuine collocation service provider.

Selection Tips For Best Colocation Service Provider

In our modern corporate world where internet serves as an unavoidable platform for marketing and promotion of business firms, web hosting service is searched by every businessman whose website is visited by tremendous numbers of Internet users. Seeing the demand for hosting servers, many colocation providers have established in the market but only a couple of them succeed in providing appreciable service. 

Every businessman wants to avail best colocation services. There are certain factors that assist website owners in choosing the best collocation provider for them. Some of the most imperative factors are discussed here:-

·  Location: When one chooses to use collocation service, timely upgrades and servicing of equipment is expectable. To avail these upgrades, the user needs to visit collocation provider’s office. No one will like to spend a day as well as conveyance charges to visit provider’s office by airplane. Hence, one should see to it that the location of provider’s office is not far away and can be reached conveniently. However, one should make sure that the provider’s office is not located in natural disaster-prone area and the office receives sufficient electricity throughout the year.

·      Reliability: As high performance of website is the main goal of website owners, it is very important to choose a reliable collocation provider. Uptime ascertains the level of reliability provided by a provider. Although more than 90% reliability is promised by thousands of collocation providers, the best ones manage to offer 99.999% uptime. Collocation service whose uptime contains 5 nines with a decimal after two digits is desired by majority of website owners.

·    Reputation: Available in present market are tremendous numbers of collocation providers. Most of these companies have established few years ago and do not have much experience about the tasks and activities. But, collocation providers who are available in competitive market since decades and show excellence in service are the ones that have good reputation in the market. Hence, before choosing a provider, one should make sure that the hosting company has goodwill in the market.

·     

      Price: If one is looking for the best collocation provider, one should be sure that the best service providers never offer cheapest rates. Genuine collocation providers neither presents their service for the cheapest price not they charge extra dollars from its clients. Thus, one can ascertain that the best firms charge reasonable price for its quality service. 

·      Financial Stability: Web hosting service is not a matter of few days or weeks. It is basically a long term service that is provided to websites to perform well in search engine results. Hence, while choosing a provider, it should be inspected that the appointed firm is financially sound and will exist in the market for atleast 5 more years. 

·     Other factors: Genuine firms do not charge even a single extra penny from its clients for providing additional services. They do not deduct any money for setup of collocation server. Also, it provides various miscellaneous services for free. 

    Apart from these primary factors to choose a collocation provider, one should be sure about one’s budget and seek to appoint a provider within this budget.