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Executive BriefData CenterEvaluation ChecklistIT Innovation. Business Value.Key Elements of a DataCenter Operations Reviewand Due Diligence ProcessThe decision to host your business-critical applications in a managed serviceprovider data center can lower your costs and give your organization access to asecure, scalable, and highly available infrastructure. It can also free up internal ITstaff to work on strategic projects, rather than application and systems monitoringand management.But all data centers do notSecure-24 is aWhen you decide to outsourceleading provider ofyou need to perform duemanaged ITcenter capabilities meet acceptedoperations, hostingbusiness needs.and cloud services,While there is no officialproviding highlydata centers are evaluated areavailableguidelines like those of the Uptime Institutes and ANSI/TIA standards, two of theIT environments andand operational components. Although these standards are a great reference point,expert managementoutpace standards.and support for yourhave equal capabilities.part or all of your IT landscape,diligence to ensure that dataindustry best practice – and yourcertification authority, howoften benchmarked againstcommonly known entities that rank data centers according to their infrastructurethey are by no means an exhaustive guide, since technology advances sometimesbusiness.26955 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, MI 48033Phone: 800-332-0076info@secure-24.comwww.secure-24.com
IT Innovation. Business Value.Data CenterEvaluation ChecklistPhysical FacilitiesThe first criteria for judging a data center is the location itself – the locationshould be in a region with a low incidence of natural disasters, with no historyof flooding, seismic activity, hurricanes, and such. Locations should alsobe chosen to maximize security and access to services and utilities, whileminimizing risks like vibration, crime, industrial pollution, high traffic, and fire.Second is the structure of the building — the physical components of buildingconstruction and features like floor design need to be validated againstaccepted data center construction standards. The building’s systems —electrical, mechanical, fire suppression — also need to be assessed andvalidated. Finally, the facility must have redundancy built into all systems.1Physical Facilities Evaluator Notes Location Building Structure Electrical Systems Mechanical Systems Environmental Management Systems Floor Space & Cabling Physical Security & Monitoring Systems Telephone Systems Fire Suppression & Safety Systems Skilled Workforce AvailabilityExecutive BriefData Center Evaluation Checklistpa g e 2 o f 6
IT Innovation. Business Value.Data CenterEvaluation ChecklistC o ntinu e dOperational EffectivenessIn addition to assessing the physical facilities of the data center,the operations of the entity running the data center must be reviewed toensure a high level of operational effectiveness and stability. The entity shouldhave a proven track record of financial viability as well as an establishedcustomer base.Further, their business practices need to be run in accordance with processesand procedures that are documented, disseminated, and regularly updated toreflect organizational as well as infrastructure changes.2Operational Effectiveness Evaluator Notes Business Stability Organization & Mission Training Daily Operations & Shift Management Asset Management Library & Support Management Contact AdministrationExecutive BriefData Center Evaluation Checklistpa g e 3 o f 6
IT Innovation. Business Value.Data CenterEvaluation ChecklistC o ntinu e dSystems Management EffectivenessData center infrastructure components must be supported by systemmanagement policies and procedures that were designed and implementedto ensure optimal performance. For effective operations, the services thatsupport the data center such as the problem incident reporting system andchange management must be defined, documented and integrated into datacenter operations.3Systems Management Effectiveness Evaluator Notes Service Levels & Uptimes Downtime Scheduling & Processes Computer & Configuration Resource Mgmt Problem Management System Administration & Task Management Systems Operation Security Change Management Non-Disaster Recovery & Backup/RecoveryExecutive BriefData Center Evaluation Checklistpa g e 4 o f 6
IT Innovation. Business Value.Data CenterEvaluation ChecklistC o ntinu e dDisaster Recovery PlanningData centers must have a thorough, well documented and tested disasterrecovery plan to guarantee minimal downtime and to ensure that SLA timesare met. Disaster Recovery Plans are designed to recover the applications,data, and physical network within established critical timeframes andto minimize the impact of a disaster on the business. The data center’sDisaster Recovery Plans should be assessed to ensure that they meet therequirements defined in SLAs and other performance timeframe requirements.4Disaster Recovery Planning Evaluator Notes Business Continuation Planning & Evaluation Recovery Site Analysis Disaster Recovery Plan Operational ReadinessThe preceding four checklists provided the high-level attributesthat need to be assessed as part of data center due diligence.For more detail about the individual attributes, refer to thestandards developed by the Disaster Recovery Instituteor contact Secure-24 at 800-332-0076.Executive BriefData Center Evaluation Checklistpa g e 5 o f 6
IT Innovation. Business Value.Secure-24 — Next Generation Data CentersTo provide the most flexible platform for innovative IT service delivery, Secure-24services are delivered from our next generation, award winning data centers.Data centers built with leading technology and specifically designed to meet yourenterprise requirements – intelligent, scalable, sustainable and secure.Multiple data centers that act interchangeably.Secure-24 employs a multi data center strategy for enhanced businessTo learn more about howoutsourcing your applications andinfrastructure to Secure-24 canhelp your organization achieve itsbusiness goals, contact us at:Secure-2426955 Northwestern HighwaySouthfield, MI 48033continuity. Data centers that are interconnected with a high availability self-healing SONET ring work interchangeably so one data center can act as backuprecovery/ failover for another to create an integrated disaster recovery solution.Agile platform to grow.From global enterprises to government and industry, a focal point of everysuccessful IT infrastructure lies in the data center. Secure-24 managed servicesdata centers provide a foundation for true transformation and the agility torespond quickly, reliably and effectively to today’s—and tomorrow’s—changingwww.secure-24.combusiness requirements.Local: 248.784.1021Whether you’re looking for risk mitigation, disaster recovery solutions, or just toFax: 248.784.1024solution to meet your needs. Call us today to discuss how we can help yourToll-Free: 800.332.0076Info: info@secure-24.comalleviate some of your IT hosting burdens, Secure-24 can provide a customizedcompany, or schedule a tour of our data centers.Sales: sales@secure-24.comHR: HR@secure-24.comSecure-24 is committed to helping your organization succeed by bringingthe best innovations and technology to your IT needs. That’s why we havedeveloped strategic relationships with market-leading business and technologycompanies and emerging players. Working closely with our network ofalliance partners strengthens our ability to deliver genuine business value tothe enterprise and help clients make the most of their IT investments.Executive BriefData Center Evaluation Checklistpa g e 6 o f 6
Data Center Evaluation Checklist Secure-24 is a leading provider of managed IT operations, hosting and cloud services, providing highly available IT environments and expert management and support for your business. 26955 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, MI 48033 Phone: 800-332-0076 info@secure-24.com www.secure-24.com IT Innovation. Business Value. ExutivEc E BriEf Data Center Evaluation .
