Data centre Providers

Data is the lifeblood of your organization. Because it is such a vital part of any company, there has been a significant growth in the amount of money and resources that are invested to reduce the risk and increase the protection of data. Rather than relying on internal data storage, companies have seen the importance of redundant data and the need to store it offsite.

As the demand for these facilities increases in large business centres such as Toronto and Vancouver, an increased number of data centre providers have come to market.

Things to consider

From an organizations perspective, there are a number of things that need to be considered as part of your decision to select a data centre provider. Not every data centre is the same. While their services offerings are similar, some may offer extended services, different levels of services, custom options, in addition to service agreements varying from provider to provider.

Here are some things to consider when selecting a provider:

• Variety of offerings: Does the provider offer a number of services options? Do they offer shared dedicated, and colocation hosting packages?
  
• Bandwidth: Does the provider guarantee an effective infrastructure with suitable bandwidth to host your data? Do they guarantee uptime and have a number of bandwidth plan options so you can select a plan that fits your company needs?
  
• Cooling system: Does the provider have an effective cooling strategy to ensure that your servers do not overheat? Optimal temperature is important in data centres to ensure your servers run as efficiently as possible.
  
• Load balancing: Does the provider offer load balancing services that will help to manage high volumes of traffic and prevent your server from crashing?
  
• Disaster recovery and backup: What steps are taken to ensure you data is backed up and can be effectively restored in case of a disaster?
  
• Power supply: Does the data centre have a modern power supply that is active 24/7 and all year long? Do they have redundant power supply back-up systems in place?
  
• Firewalls and security: Does the provider have a high-quality firewall in place to ensure that your servers are protected from outside threats? What other physical and online security measures to they use?
  
• Location: While a data centre does not have to reside close to your company office, it does need to be physically located in an area that is safe from threats such as natural disasters. A data centre in hurricane alley would increase the risk of your data being lost or compromised. The safer the location the better.

Data centres in Canada

There is no shortage of data centres across Canada, with the majority being in Toronto and the GTA, Montreal, and Vancouver. Here are some of the data centre providers that are available to companies in Canada:

• Peer 1 ( Located in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal)
  
• Caneris
  
• Toronto North
  
• CentriLogic
  
• WeDoHosting
  
• ARIMA Networks
  
• Dynaworx
  
• iWeb-HD
  
• AbapLab Data centre
  
• Kolotek
  
• Cologix (6 data centre locations to choose from)
  
• D3 Toronto IDC
  
• Telehouse Toronto
  
• NETRACK server
  
• Amanah
  
• Millenium Data Systems
  
• SevenL Networks
  
• Capris Hosting
  
• Colosseum Online Inc.

Since the data centre you select does not have to be in close proximity, companies are free to select a data centre anywhere in Canada. So, don’t be afraid to shop around and consider data centres that are not close to your head office.