The thought of switching colocation providers can give any IT director a headache – if not handled properly, it can interrupt business operations and be an unpredictable cost center. However, if you have the right hosting provider, they will help to ensure your move is simplified and cost efficient. What follows is how you can remedy the three biggest headaches when changing colocation providers:
- Move Complications and Excessive Downtime: One of the biggest concerns when moving colocation: How much downtime might your business experience? If you choose the right partner, your migration strategy will be well planned out to limit downtime for your business; essentially, a hassle-free move, with marginal to no changes. Leverage your partner’s expertise to advance with a seamless transition to a new colocation provider.
- Physical to Virtual Migration: When moving colocation providers, it’s easy to focus on the physical move, but what about your virtual plans? Colocation is often used as the connection point to the cloud; therefore, it is imperative that you choose a partner with cloud capabilities. While connecting to the cloud may not be in your immediate plans, the right colocation provider will be prepared to make this transition seamless when the time is right. This will help set the foundation for a successful, long-term partnership.
When making the switch to the cloud, one of the top challenge’s enterprises face is a lack of expertise. One study found that 88% of IT decision makers feel their organization has a lack of expertise in hybrid cloud environments (Enterprise Cloud Index – Conducted by Vanson Bourne). This fundamental lack of expertise can make a move fraught with challenges, including wasted time and money. As reported by the State of the Cloud Report in 2020, a survey of 750 executives found that an estimated 30% of cloud spend is wasted. By partnering with an infrastructure expert, you can keep budgets in check and improve migration efficiency, so that you can limit the headaches you incur during the move and after.
- Getting Locked into a Long-Term Contract: Navigating the ins and outs of a colocation contract can be a daunting task. Of course, you need to make an apples-to-apples comparison and not overlook hidden expenses. Another thing to consider is the flexibility of the contract. How long will you be locked in for? If you go directly to a data storage facility it is highly likely you must make a long-term commitment. Longer term commitments impact an organization’s agility, which is why choosing the right partner who can help you to plan for the future of your infrastructure – and contract accordingly – should be a part of your business strategy. A private data provider can give you a flexible contract term and partner with you to meet your organization’s very specific hosting
At Data Canopy, we pride ourselves in forming lasting partnerships with the companies that we serve to deliver custom-fit solutions that cover your hosting needs now and into the future. Click here for a free assessment with one of our advisors.
