Source: New York Times
The riots across many of the largest cities in America make this the opportune time to address one of the customer questions we are often asked – “Where should we locate our data center?”
Let’s begin by reviewing what historically have been the most important factors when choosing a location for your data center.
1. Propensity for Natural Disasters
While taken on an individual basis, most natural disasters are relatively rare. However, if you are in a risk zone the likelihood of a disaster striking is more a matter of “when”, not “if. Therefore, these high-risk areas should be avoided if at all possible. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, forest fires, landslides, tsunamis, and blizzards are all natural risk factors that should be considered.
2. Proximity, Reliability and Price of Power
Data centers need lots of reliable and preferably inexpensive power. While power rates vary within states and from city to city, you likely are not going to find inexpensive power anywhere in Hawaii (the Nation’s most expensive on average) where you can probably do pretty well anywhere in Washington (the Nation’s cheapest on average).
3. Network Access – You’ll Want at Least 2 Major Providers
All your valuable data is worthless if you can’t get access and distribute it reliably. Our recommendation is that you have at least 2 major providers in order to avoid disruption. Fortunately, the FCC has a great interactive tool to help you understand the presence and reliability of providers. Below is a map of Illinois – the darker the blue, the larger the number of service providers.
Source: FCC
4. Proximity to People – Skilled Workers and End Users
Your data center is going to need skilled employees to operate it. Your end users are going to want to access their data without latency issues. Make sense?
5. Access to Affordable Real Estate
You’ll need real estate to house your data center. And, much like power, real estate costs vary widely depending upon a variety of factors. Here is a 3D map courtesy of visualcapitalist.com that shows the relative prices of real estate across the United States. The lighter the shade, the higher the average price per square foot.
6. Avoiding Civil Unrest and Riots
Finally, with the world seemingly simmering and in parts boiling it makes sense to ensure your data center operation is not going to be impacted by civil unrest and rioting. This probably means avoiding the largest cities in most states.
Konsultek Knows Data Centers
Whether you would like a second opinion regarding the proposed location of your new data center, would like us to locate your data center for you or you would like to co-locate your data center within one of our own, Konsultek has the knowledge and expertise to help. Simply pick up the phone and give us a call to begin a dialogue.