The cover of The Economist’s May 6th, 2017 edition reads, The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. The headline wasn’t so much prophetic as it was an acknowledgment of the world that business had created—one where automation had accelerated and data was being generated at an unimaginable pace. As we fast-forward to 2024 our appetite for data shows no sign of slipping, especially for companies that must compete in increasingly data-driven industries.
Today’s businesses rely heavily on critical applications to run their operations. Everything from customer relationship management (CRM) systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to e-commerce platforms, have become essential tools for managing customer relationships, tracking inventory, processing orders, and more. However, ensuring that these applications are always available, functional, and secure can be a challenge. A well-planned data center strategy can help businesses optimize their critical applications and gain a competitive edge.
Network administrators agree on these key considerations for an effective data center strategy.
- Location, Location, Location – The location of the data center plays a crucial role in the performance and reliability of critical applications. Factors such as proximity to customers, latency, and disaster recovery capabilities must be considered. Businesses should choose a data center location that minimizes latency, reduces network hops, and offers reliable connectivity to ensure optimal application performance.
- Prioritize Reliability in Your Data Center Provider – Partnering with a reliable data center provider can help businesses optimize their critical applications. Managed data center providers offer a range of services, including infrastructure management, security, and compliance, allowing businesses to focus on their core competencies. Additionally, managed data center providers often have access to the latest technologies and best practices, which can help businesses improve the performance, security, and reliability of their critical applications.
- Address Power and Cooling – Critical applications require a reliable power supply and efficient cooling systems to operate optimally. Businesses should invest in uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) and backup generators to ensure that applications remain online during power outages and extreme weather. Additionally, implementing efficient cooling systems can help prevent overheating and extend the lifespan of IT equipment.
- Ensure Your Network Infrastructure is Resilient – A robust network infrastructure is essential for supporting critical applications. Businesses should invest in high-speed, low-latency networks with redundant connections to ensure that applications are always accessible. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and firewalls can help protect against cyberattacks and unauthorized access.
- Hope for the Best but Prepare for Anything – Data loss can have devastating consequences for businesses. A comprehensive data backup and recovery strategy is essential to protect critical data from accidental deletion, hardware failures, and natural disasters. Businesses should regularly back up their data to both on-premises and off-site locations and test their recovery procedures regularly.
- Lean-In to Application Monitoring – Proactive monitoring and management of critical applications can help identify and resolve issues before they impact users. Businesses should implement monitoring tools that track application performance, resource utilization, and security events. Additionally, implementing automated alerting and remediation systems can help resolve issues quickly and minimize downtime.
Fiber – Business Application’s Superhighway Between Data Centers & the Cloud
Carrying that information–the very foundation of those business-critical applications–is a network of fiber optic cables that connect servers, storage devices, and other equipment within the data center. Meanwhile, it is also instrumental in providing a bridge between disparate data centers and indeed the Internet. Fiber also underpins the connection between data centers and the cloud as the backbone of the Internet, transmitting vast amounts of data at incredibly high speeds. It’s capable of handling large bandwidths, allowing for the efficient transfer of data between data centers and cloud environments. Low latency from fiber networks minimizes delays, ensuring seamless communication and real-time data processing. This connectivity enables businesses to leverage cloud computing services, such as storage, analytics, and application hosting, while maintaining high performance and reliability.
Among the key benefits of fiber optics for data centers include:
- High bandwidth – Fiber can transmit large amounts of data at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second or more.
- Low latency – Fiber offers the benefit of low latency, shortening the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another, which is critical for applications that require real-time data processing.
- Reliability – Fiber optic cables are not susceptible to electromagnetic interference, which can cause data errors and disruptions.
- Security – Fiber cables are resilient and therefore difficult to tap into, making them a more secure option for transmitting sensitive data.
In today’s digital age, data is the lifeblood of businesses, which is why data centers have become an essential resource for storing and processing the vast amounts of information that are being created every day. Underpinning the data centers entrusted to critical business applications is a network of fiber optics, which provides the speed, reliability, and security needed to meet the demands of modern businesses.
What’s Your Data Center Strategy?
FiberLight has more than 20 years of experience building into all tiers of data centers and to remote edge micro data centers. In particular, the company has built fiber infrastructure into data centers across Texas, Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay from which it provides both dark fiber and high-capacity data center interconnection via 10g, 100g, and 400g wavelengths as well as ethernet transport.
Learn more about FiberLight’s Data Center connectivity.