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Many companies are faced with the same dilemma: should we invest in an on-site server room or buy data center services? If you opt for the right, independent, carrier-neutral data center, then outsourcing is always the best option. This blog lists the most important benefits of an external data center versus investing in and maintaining an on-site server room.
1. No investments, you only pay for actual usage
If you opt for an on-site server room, this means making major (CAPEX) investments in equipment and installations. These investments will strongly impact your cash flow.
Whereas if you opt for an external data center, you only have operational costs (OPEX). No investment required, you only pay what you use.
If you need more capacity, you simply rent more capacity. The less capacity you require, the lower the cost. To sum up, with data centers you pay only what you use and you can benefit from the advantages of high-technology, state-of-the art equipment without any investment costs.
2. No maintenance costs
Maintaining an on-site IT and server room calls for a great deal of expertise. This is a huge investment of your company’s time and resources. Relying on a data center is not only cost efficient, it also allows you to focus on your core activities.
3. No need for own expertise
Maintaining an on-site IT and server room calls for a great deal of expertise. This is a huge investment of your company’s time and resources. Relying on a data center is not only cost efficient, it also allows you to focus on your core activities.
4. 99.999% guarantee on continuity
A high-quality external data center can guarantee business continuity, whereas an on-site server room cannot. Thanks to a data center’s high level of expertise and fully focused approach, downtime risks are eliminated.
Our own data centers, for example, have been specifically designed to provide no less than 99.999% availability of power and cooling. All systems have redundant components installed to ensure continuous operation. Therefore, the risk of failures and downtime is far lower than with local server rooms.
5. Guarantee on data security (GDPR) and other certificates
A professional, external data center is certified to meet rigorous standards. For an on-site server room it is virtually impossible to obtain all these certifications. By opting for an external data center, you will achieve full compliance with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).
6. Maximum energy efficiency
Professional data centers invest heavily in reducing their ecological footprint. Energy efficiency is a central objective. These efforts cannot be matched by on-site server rooms. The server set-up of on-site server rooms is often overscaled, making them rather inefficient.
7. Large connectivity and bandwidth at minimum cost
Unlike on-site server rooms, professional external data centers provide high-performance connectivity to all network providers. What’s more, you can also benefit from these high bandwidths at minimum cost. With an on-site server room, you have to invest heavily to provide these bandwidths via a private line.
Title tag: Choosing between an on-site server room and outsourcing to a data center
Description tag: Many companies struggle with choosing between building an on-site server room versus outsourcing to an external data center. We can help you make the right choice.
