It's no secret that building your own data center can be a tremendously costly endeavor. The cost of the land, the equipment, and the staffing can be prohibitive in many cases. If your company is just getting started or is still in a growth phase, that money would likely be better spent on other things. 

If you're not a data-oriented business, it can feel like an unnecessary expense. 

But what if there were a way to keep your data safe and accessible without the overhead costs of building out your own data center? 

There is. It's called cloud computing services. Cloud computing services allow businesses to access a fully functioning data center at a fraction of the cost of building and maintaining one for themselves. 

What's the cost of building a data center? 

According to a 2016 study, it costs $250,000 to build a data center and $500,000 per year to run it. 

Data centers are the backbone of any business, and as such, they must be well designed to support current and future business needs. The cost of building a data center can vary widely depending on many factors. 

Yet, it's not just the cost of the building and the computers and the people running it. It's also the cost of electricity to power it, and it's a pretty big facility with not-insignificant cooling needs.  

The cost of building a data center depends on what kind of infrastructure you're using, what kind of space you need, and how much of that space is currently occupied by things like desks and people. 

And those are just the beginning of the variables—there are plenty more to consider when you're thinking about the cost of building a data center. For example: Are you going to build your own servers or store them elsewhere? Will you need to power your servers with electricity from the grid, or will you include some kind of backup generator in your calculations? 

If a data center's capacity is stretched, it will take time to increase the infrastructure 

Datacenter capacity is critical to the success of your business, and as such, it's necessary to understand how to manage it best. 

The amount of data that your organization is storing has probably grown significantly since you first installed a data center. This growth will likely continue for the foreseeable future. If you can't store all of this data, it can impact the performance of your business and even lead to downtime. 

First and foremost, you must consider how much space you need. Please do not assume that it will always be enough because a certain amount of space was sufficient a few years ago. Instead, please take a look at how much storage capacity you have in place right now and determine whether or not it is enough for what needs to be done today and tomorrow. 

If you find that there isn't enough room in your data center to meet these needs, it may be time to invest in more infrastructure. Of course, this doesn't mean buying new servers or hard drives; instead, consider cloud computing services. 

In-house data center management is expensive 

In-house data center management has many hidden costs that can quickly add up and make it expensive. 

The first cost is the initial setup, which includes purchasing the hardware and software necessary to support your data center. This will likely be a considerable expense—perhaps thousands of dollars per machine. The following cost is maintenance, which requires time and labor from one or more of your employees. This is usually ongoing as new hardware or software is needed for your business operations. 

All this doesn't even begin to touch on the IT staff costs that are required to manage your in-house data center. This is one of the biggest expenses, and probably one reason why you're looking into outsourcing your data center needs in the first place. It's hard to find qualified people for these positions—the ones who are good enough at their jobs to justify their salaries. And even if you do find them, it's still costly to keep them on staff year after year. 

And don't forget about the hidden costs associated with your own data center: Power outages and downtime can hit you where it hurts most—your bottom line—with significant cost in lost revenue and productivity. 

Cloud computing services are the way of the future. And it’s here. 

If you aren’t using cloud computing to manage your data center, you lose money, time, and efficiency. It’s that simple. 

Cloud computing allows for greater flexibility and scalability. You can add as many servers as you need when you need them—no more waiting for a data center to be built from scratch or expanded. No more paying upfront costs on hardware and software—you pay only for what you use. 

Keeping up with the latest technology is far simpler than it used to be—everything is automatic. You no longer have to update your hardware yourself—it happens automatically through the cloud. Your systems are always equipped with the latest security features so you can ensure that your customers’ data is protected at all times (and your company will avoid any associated fines). 

And because everything is virtualized in the cloud, there’s no such thing as downtime anymore with cloud computing. There is instant access to a backup system if something goes wrong, so your business never has to miss a beat again. 

Outsourcing reduces operating expenses 

When it comes to outsourcing the management of your data center, many managers are stuck in traditional thinking. They believe that the savings they get from outsourcing are nominal, and that their company doesn't require a team of data center consultants to manage their physical and virtual IT infrastructure. 

Sadly, this kind of thinking is outdated. Today's data centers need to be managed by experts who can keep up with the latest technology trends and integrate them into your company's strategies. Not only that, but as technology becomes more complex, you need a team with expertise in all facets of IT—from high-level strategy and planning to technical certifications and best practices for integrating new vendors with existing systems. 

In addition, by working with a provider specializing in data center management, companies can see a reduction in operating expenses of up to 80% because they are no longer responsible for providing hardware and software as part of their own data center. 

Outsourcing allows companies to use custom hardware and software solutions kept on their premises but run by an outside provider. This is an essential consideration as companies increasingly need to store sensitive customer information or intellectual property. 

Companies can ensure that their data centers remain secure and cost-effective by working with a specialized cloud computing services provider. 

If you're not outsourcing your data center management, it may be time to rethink your strategy.  

Outsourcing offers organizations the opportunity to focus on their core competencies 

Outsourcing your data center management offers organizations the opportunity to focus on their core competencies. 

Data center management is a complex and ever-changing field, requiring constant attention and sophisticated knowledge of new technologies to ensure the organization's data needs are being met. This leaves organizations with two choices: Invest massive amounts of time, money, and resources into developing an in-house team capable of managing their data center operations, or outsource this function to a third party specializing in this kind of work. 

By choosing to outsource data center management, an organization can take advantage of the fact that at SSI, we have teams whose sole responsibility is to stay current on all of the latest developments in the field and make sure their clients' data needs are always being met. This allows the organization to focus on what they do best while leaving data center management to those who can do it best. 

Outsource data center management to free up time for your employees 

Managing a data center is an enormous responsibility. 

...But it doesn't have to be yours. 

When you outsource the management of your data center to SSI, your employees can get back to focusing on the business, not the details of managing data resources and applications. We take care of the nitty-gritty so all of your employees can do what they're best at, whether that's dreaming up new products or keeping your company running smoothly from day to day. 

We'll help you manage technology, and we'll give careful attention to security and compliance issues, all while working with your existing team, policies, and procedures. 

Cloud computing services can help provide IT solutions that are more secure, scalable and flexible 

Cloud computing services can help provide IT solutions that are more secure, scalable, and flexible because the data storage and retrieval requirements for businesses of all sizes have become increasingly complex. 

By moving your data center to a cloud-based system, you can quickly access information from anywhere, allowing you to work remotely and more efficiently. This will also save time and money on training employees on using new technology and reduce costs associated with maintaining equipment such as servers. 

Large companies with high capacity needs or small businesses who want an easy way to store their data can use cloud computing services. The benefits include:  

• Security: Your information is protected by encryption, so even if hackers get into it, they won't be able to read what's inside. 

• Flexibility: You can adjust your storage needs at any time without losing anything valuable. 

• Scalability: Your storage options grow with your business needs. 

• Cost savings: Since there's no hardware required, there will be fewer maintenance costs associated with maintaining equipment such as servers. 

In summary  

You want to keep your operations lean and mean, but sometimes it feels like you're managing a full-blown data center. With all of the moving parts, it's easy for things to get out of hand. 

And that's where we come in. Cloud computing services can help provide your organization with many benefits, including security, scalability, and reduced operating expenses.  

You already know that cloud computing can help improve your data security by preventing unauthorized access to your network or physical device, but did you know that it can also help reduce the impact of a disaster? When you're using a cloud-based infrastructure, if something happens at one of your data centers—like an earthquake—you can bring everything back online in another data center without worrying about lost files or productivity halts. 

We understand that transitioning to cloud-based services can be daunting. You probably have many questions: How do I know which cloud provider will offer the best service? How much downtime will there be? What if my employees don't want to use the new tools? 

That's why we want to walk with you through this process. We've been helping companies like yours transition to cloud solutions for more than 20 years, and we'd love to partner with you as your trusted cloud computing services provider.