Businesses often use data centers to backup and protect their vital information and data as well as the information and data of their customers and clients. Since using a data center can be a huge expense, business have to do their research about the best locations for data centers in order to make sure they’re getting their money’s worth and so that they can be sure that all of their data and information is being kept in a safe place.
What to Look For When Considering a Location
No matter what location you’re looking at for a data center, there are certain factors that you’ll want to check out with the center before making a final decision. Since more power is being used now than ever before, the location you choose for your data center should have steady access to power. Check to see if there have been any blackouts or brownouts in the immediate area. Should the data center ever lose power, it could cost you money as well as business.
Something else to look for is a data center is a location that’s in a cool climate. Data centers generate a lot of heat, and unless that heat can be kept in check, the equipment is in danger of overheating and failing. Another reason that you’ll want to find a data center that’s in a cool climate is that you won’t have to pay more for the cost of cooling. So not only will be helping to save your data, you’ll also be helping to save yourself some money.
Pay attention to the geography of the data center’s location. Is it located on or near a fault line, below sea level, on a flood plain or in the path of air traffic? If so, those might be places that you’ll want to avoid to keep from putting your data and information at unnecessary risk.
It should go without saying, but you’ll want to make sure that the data center has excellent security to keep your information and data as well as the personal data of your clients and customers as safe as possible. Recent compliance regulations have made it so that you have to store your data within the nation or region that you collected in. Check to make sure that you’re following all regulations for your protection and the protection of your customers.
Locations with the Best Annual Operating Costs
Certain locations have lower annual operating costs than other. One of the least expensive locations is Rolla, Missouri with a total annual labor cost of $6,235,281 and a total operating cost of $11,988,699. Another option for a location with a low annual operating cost is Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which has a total annual labor cost of roughly $5,989,000 and a total operating cost of approximately $11,908,760. Bloomington, Indiana has a yearly labor cost of $6,094,411 and a total operating cost of $11,834,591.
Other recommended locations for data centers are New York State, Ontario, Eastern Washington State, Colorado and the Netherlands. While New York City has high real estate costs that aren’t very tempting for individuals looking for data center locations, other parts of New York have perfect sites. The state also has tax exemptions for data centers in addition to a dependable power infrastructure. The Providence of Ontario is located in Canada, which has become one of the best places on the globe for business. Ontario has a solid infrastructure and an international airport as well. Other advantages include low risk for natural disasters and little government interference with corporate data. Just make sure that you won’t be breaking any privacy regulations by setting up your data center there.
Locations with the Worst Annual Operating Costs
Locations that are the most expensive for data centers include Oakland, CA, which has an annual labor cost of approximately $7,469,700 and a yearly operating cost of $18,879,982. Boston is another expensive location with a total annual labor cost of $7,287,955 and a yearly operating cost of $19,079,992 while Newark, New Jersey has a yearly operating cost of $19,245,362. One of the most expensive locations is New York City, which has a yearly labor cost of roughly $7,533,300 and a yearly operating cost of about $28,067,100.
Cooler Climates Equal Cooler Costs
It’s estimated that data centers consume an estimated 30 billion watts of electricity. The Environmental Protection Agency predicts that data center energy consumption will increase by 12% each year. Choosing a location for your data center near a body of water with cool temperatures and chilly waters will go a long way in naturally cooling and protecting the data center. In the US, Michigan offers one of the most favorable year-round climates, even in the summer. Data centers located in the southwestern or southern regions are areas that tend to have the most powered cooling data centers. A Michigan data center earned the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification. What this means is that the data center performed in the top 25% of similarly performing facilities in America for energy efficiency and also adhered to energy efficient performance regulations that are set by the EPA.
Severity of Natural Disasters
Should a natural disaster strike in the area your data center is located in, there’s a chance that you could lose all of the data and information stored there. The geographical area you choose for your data center should be in a safe region, such as the Midwest, or anywhere else where there’s a low occurrence of floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes. Michigan is another low risk area when it comes to natural disasters.
Other locations that have occurrences of natural disasters include the Great Lakes region, Texas and California.
Once you’ve found the perfect location for your data center, you’ll want to make sure that the workforce is competent, experienced and possibly even licensed depending on the types of programs that they’ll be using. As you’re researching possible locations for your data center, do some research on the knowledge and talent of the region’s workforce. Having the perfect location for a data center won’t do you much good if the employees don’t have a clue about what they’re doing or how to do it.
Data centers are all about location. Even if you have to spend more money than you’d like to find the perfect spot for your data center, it will undoubtedly be worth it in the long run.
