There are a great many benefits to cloud computing, and cloud services are at an all-time high – however, there isn’t much you can do when clouds suddenly cease, which is occasionally known to happen. Providers will draft comprehensive service level agreements to help cover your back, but what else can you do to ensure maximum cloud cover should the worst happen and you’re faced with unexpected down-time?
Data centres explained
Your cloud resides in one or more data centres based anywhere in the world. Not all clouds offer optimal security, but even the most vigilant and secure providers cannot always prevent data centre down-time caused by natural events such as storm damage, a fire or power outage. Many providers also rely on third party data centres for business hosting solutions, making things even more complicated.
To ensure your cloud provider is offering the most reliable and secure service, there are a few questions you can ask about the data centre behind your cloud. These include:
Location
Where is the data centre located?
Continued access
If your cloud provider or relevant data centre organisation should go into administration, it is crucial there will be steps in place to ensure you can still access or retrieve your data, such as an escrow agreement. Check what options are available should this happen.
Disaster recovery
If the worst should happen, are there sufficient fail-safe measures and back-up systems in place? Data centres should be at least ‘Tier 3’ in this regard.
Security
Is the data centre located near flood plains, or where natural disasters are known to happen? Any one of these should trigger alarm bells.
Power
Your data centre should be well-equipped to power the latest high density racks for sufficient cloud hosting; think 10KW minimum, or up to 60KW per rack. Is the mains supply powered directly off the national grid to reduce any surges or spikes in electricity?
Connectivity
Which carriers and ISPs are associated with your data centre? In the event of failure, a variety of networks with competitive prices will allow for continued access to your data.
Amazon Web Services
One of the most reliable and trustworthy cloud computing systems is offered by Amazon Web Services. To find out more about how AWS could benefit you, contact Cloud Comrade today.
Speak to the cloud computing experts at Cloud Comrade
At Cloud Comrade, we specialise in providing our clients in Singapore and South East Asia with best in class cloud technology solutions that put them ahead of their competitors and which keep their critical data highly accessible and secure. Ready to take your business forward? So are we:www.cloudcomrade.com/
