A data centre is a facility where computer systems and their associated components are physically housed. Data centres include a backup power supply, redundant data communications connections, environmental (climate, etc.) controls, and security devices. Any business that relies upon a computer network and web-based applications can reasonably expect to require the use of a data centre. Some companies build their own data centres on their premises. Many other companies, (especially those with complex business functions that rely heavily on technology) elect to outsource their infrastructure and web hosting to a service that includes use of the vendors data centre. The latter has several different benefits, including:
Both a managed hosting service and dedicated service mean running a server that is not shared with anyone else. Beyond that, the services you get will depend largely on the provider since there is no industry standards set for servers. What this means is that fully managed to one provider may mean the same as self-managed to another provider. It is the term ‘managed’ that causes the confusion.
Its safe to say that most modern businesses are highly dependent on the technology that facilitates their processes. In most cases, losing or accidentally erasing data can be extremely detrimental to a companys operations. In some cases, business will come to a complete standstill if data is lost. For this reason, data recovery strategies have become a necessity. Some businesses choose to create a disaster recovery site in-house. With this strategy, IT executives can choose to outsource disaster recovery or to train in-house staff to perform it. Case studies have shown that outsourced recovery service (whether with an in-house site or an off-site facility) is less likely to fail than outsourced disaster recovery service.
