Hosting 365

A lot of companies are guilty of over using the phrase ‘world-class’ when it comes to their products and services - ourselves included, so I know I’m in a glass house here! Businesses used to say ‘guaranteed quality’ all the time, but that’s a given now - if you’re service isn’t ‘quality’ you won’t have a business for long. Of course, we think we are world class so it’s okay to say it.
In terms of hosting companies and data centres though, what does world-class mean? We think to call a data centre ‘world class’, it has to have the following:

• Global peering for best IP transit
• Multiple fibre providers for both greater bandwidth and redundant connectivity
• Resilient power - electricity provision, UPS and batteries, and diesel generators
• Great staff - people with the knowledge and experience to run all the elements of a data centre
• Enterprise hardware - network hardware and servers that are capable of running 24×7 efficiently and effectively
• Bulletproof Security - cctv, access control, manned security, biometrics

Of course there’s a lot more, but these are the essential points.

Now, for a hosting company to call it’s infrastructure ‘world class’, we think it’s very simple - it has to own it’s own data centre to the above specifications. Not rent space in one, not outsource to one, actually own and operate one. Why? Because that means that the company has the abilities to fix any issues on-site in real-time (not through remote access or a third-party technician). It also means that the hosting company has really talented staff and a depth of skills (since there’s a lot required to run a data centre) rather than just being a sales outfit with minimal support and no access to YOUR server.

Of course the other benefit of working with a hosting company that has a data centre, is you can actually go and tour the facility, meet the people, see your server, and decide for yourself if the company is good enough for your business. I don’t think any firm should host a web site with a company they haven’t phyisically been to - it’s just too important to be done on-line with no viable proof of the hosting companies ability to deliver on it’s promises.

On that note … I’d like to extend an open-invitation to all readers to come in and take a tour of our facilities. Coffee and cake is on me!

For a more formal and detailed version, you can read about our data centre here.
What do you think? What does it take to be a world class hosting company? Give us your feedback and we’ll do our best to meet your suggestions.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 6th, 2006 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Hosting365. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.