There are many reasons that companies maintain their servers within their own in-house data center. However, one of the main reasons is that it allows for complete control. Although renting or leasing a data center space offsite may be more economical, in the long run the benefits of an in-house data center may warrant the added expense. Controlling data is not only a matter of security, it can also factor into compliance issues depending on the nature of the business. If your company’s servers are currently far from home, then here is why you should consider bringing them in-house right now.

Total Control

The facilities you create to house your servers are now under your total control. You can modify your systems at your convenience without traveling to a remote location to perform hardware, software upgrades/repairs or without relying on third party services to perform those functions. The ability to be versatile allows for customization, which can be very useful if your systems are large, complicated, or if they run diverse or specialized applications. Versatility enables you to adapt to any shifting business or market demands

Added Security Equals Peace of Mind

In today’s business environment securing company and customer data is a high priority. Shifting the data storage to an internal server room ultimately shifts the control of any associated risk back to the company. This level of security is not only a risk management benefit for the company, but can also be used as a key selling feature. The added security benefit of an in-house data center may provide confidence to potential vendors and prospects when considering a business relationship with your company, in contrast to a competitor who outsources data storage.

Flexibility

Surprisingly many companies believe that they “just don’t have the room” for an onsite data center of any size. In actuality, the only space a company needs is an area that can accommodate the racks and allows for ease of access to these racks. Approximately 24″ between a wall and the back or front of the rack is the minimum amount of space needed.

Using upgraded equipment provides an added benefit to the overall layout. The newer the servers, the more clients you can handle, which streamlines your operation and enables you do more with your current rack space. In addition, the buildup of an onsite data center is typically vertical, which helps to consolidate space.

Cost Effective

Although the financial burden involved with infrastructure and maintenance for an onsite server is often thought to be significant, the “upfront” costs for moving to an offsite data center can be surprisingly high as well. Especially if you opt for collocation in a data center, where you provide the hardware and the software, as both of those components alone can result in major spending.

Bringing your data center in house may result in long term savings. When selecting either a soft wall enclosure that may contain any number of racks and allow for sound and temperature control in a small space or corner of your office, or a hard wall system with swing or sliding doors in a separate room, the cost is significantly less than the upfront offsite data center costs and often are a onetime purchase. The ability to resize and reconfigure as needed based on your growth, provides added flexibility and value with only minimal additional cost.

When considering whether to make use of a third party server data center or opt for your own in-house server room, you will have a plethora of factors to consider. However, it will mostly come down to company preferences and budget. Consulting with an enclosure specialist is the recommended first step. An in-depth assessment of your data center needs including: size, temperature control and future expansion options, will help the enclosure specialist design a data center based on the parameters provided and minimize any surprises that may impact the company’s budget.

Contact a data center enclosure specialist at AmCraft today for a complimentary needs assessment.