Bad stuff happens, it happens all the time; you know it will – but hopefully not on your watch. So it’s critical to be out in front, prepared, ready to flip the switch. And while the physical considerations – building, space, power, etc. can’t be understated – maintaining the connectivity between and among data and its users is an absolute. When it comes to advanced preparedness for enterprise-grade data center connectivity the trade-offs for connectivity center around availability, flexibility, and costs.
Availability means working with a service provider that has depth in key metro centers, with reach across the continent and around the globe, with the lowest possible latency between your business sites and processing centers. Availability means your service provider has the network reliability to ensure the connections are there when you need them the most and the security to protect the data across the network.
Transport technology options abound- waves, private lines, Layer 2 Ethernet, Layer 3 MPLS VPN. So the decision (and a hybrid solution certainly is a valid strategy) needs to consider the business model, applications, geographic and mobility characteristics of users and information, security requirements, and so on. For example, a web-centric business needs a private network interconnecting multiple data centers, so an any-to-any Layer 2 Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) with usage-based billing capability could be employed. The network connections are always in place, but bandwidth costs can be carefully controlled. In contrast, a financial services organization that needs very low latency might prefer wavelengths or private lines – less flexible and more costly – that provide maximum security and control. Here are a few more examples:
Options – choices – trade-offs… no right, no wrong, but best fit is critical and for that you need the right service provider. We have the options and the expertise to help you get out in front – because bad stuff happens.
About Chris Smith
