Top 3 things about your data in the Cloud. Part 1 - The Data Center
Posted by John Panico on Mon, Mar 22, 2010
One of the most common questions I get when meeting with small business owners is "Dude, where's my car?". Actually, it's "John, where's my data?". Sorry, I just couldn't resist plugging one of my favorite stupid, but funny movies that offered a parallel segway into my post today.
Knowing where your data lives in the Cloud is an important question to ask all Cloud vendors and should be part of your criteria for evaluation. To help answer this question, I am putting together a series of posts that will answer the top 3 things every small business owner should know about storing their data in the Cloud.
#1 - World Class Data Center Facility
First, and foremost, I discuss the Data Center. Most Cloud providers have either invested in their own data center or leverage someone else's data center to host their infrastructure. When referring to world class, this typically means it is a SAS 70 Type II certified facility, situated on a dual utility power grid. The state of the art facility will also include biometric security, redundancy in all critical systems, on-site Network Operations Centers (NOCs) and qualified engineer's 24/7/365. At Virtual Resources, we leverage DBSi's data centers to host our production Cloud infrastructure. DBSi is the region's leading data center vendor with over 28 years of industry service.
In addition to a SAS 70 Type II certification, world class data centers (like DBSi) will support multiple compliancies like GLB, SEC and HIPAA. The latest advances in physical security are a must. At DBSi, one of their security measures is a "mantrap entrance". Basically, a revolving door will admit a badged visitor, but if the access has been revoked, the revolving door will stop and "trap" the person inside the revolving door. Hmmm, wouldn't want to be that guy! Redundant critical systems come in the form of power, cooling, fire suppression, fiber and telecom providers. This might be as my kids say "TMI" (too much information) and more than you would ever want to know about Cloud Data Centers, but it's the first level of defense for securing and protecting your data.
In closing, let me explain what this means to a small business owner considering moving their data to a cloud provider with a world class data center. Simply put... more physical security and protection than you would normally have access to in your office building. Most (not all) small businesses keep their server and network infrastructure in a closet that was built for general storage within their office space. I have seen hundreds of these closet spaces and they all look the same. There is lots of dust, a single source of power, no cooling or fire suppression and for sure no "mantrap" revolving door!
But, its going to be okay... there is a solution. Small businesses can now leverage the cloud to gain access to this type of enterprise class security and protection. Look for Part 2 of this installment which will discuss the actual infrastructure that hosts your business critical data.