You may assume that you can host your data center anywhere with reliable electricity and internet access. While these aspects are necessary, the location you choose can also significantly influence your performance and many other elements. Continue reading to learn more about why location matters when it comes to data centers.
Keep Everything Close By
The physical location of the data center where you house your servers can considerably influence the performance and latency of your website. If your server is situated a considerable distance from its users, data and information will have to traverse longer distances. When it comes to attracting new clients and retaining existing ones, it’s critical to keep these benchmarks as high as possible. Closer proximity to your servers can improve the client experience and your business’s efficiency.
Consider Where Traffic Is Coming From
You should also consider where the bulk of your traffic will come from when choosing a data center location. Admittedly, this information is often difficult to predict. However, if you work in a localized region or single state, you should almost always choose the closest and most-reliable data center possible.
Prepare for Natural Disasters
Finding a well-built data center ready to withstand any potential natural disasters in the region is essential. For example, if hurricanes are commonplace in your area but the data center cannot withstand high winds or flooding, your data is at risk.
Look to have a disaster recovery site in a strategic position far enough away from your central data center location so catastrophic events are unlikely to impact both places. That said, it should remain close enough that your response latency is low and client satisfaction is high.
Maintain Physical Access
Having local access to equipment and storage is also helpful for transferring vast amounts of data to your network. Copying massive volumes of data over communications systems could take several days and cost your company when you pay for bandwidth. Choosing a neighboring site that you can physically reach is preferable.
Understanding why location matters when it comes to data centers can help you make the best choice for your business. AMCO Enclosures offers customizable seismic server racks to protect your data should the best location for your center be an area prone to earthquakes. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions about how our products can keep your data secure!