When is Hosting your data the right decision? (Part 3 of 3)

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the increasing complexity of information systems that in turn drives up costs.  In Part 2 I addressed the issue of staffing and planning for the skill sets needed to support this increased complexity so your organization can meet its needs.

In this final installment on our “Key 3” assessment areas, I’ll discuss Sustainability.

Sustainability (the Cost of Loss)

With data that is critical to an organization’s lasting success, placing that information in a secure, professionally managed and constantly refreshed facility becomes a topic that is not only important, but vital to the fiscal health and sustainability of an organization.

Like the staffing assessment, assessing Sustainability can be uncomfortable.  Frankly, it’s another reason why clients ask us to help them.  No one likes to plan for a crisis.  Whether we help you, or you take a stab at it, it’s important to understand and assess the risk and projected financial consequences of losing critical information.  What information is critical to keep your organization running?  What systems and processes are in place to ensure backup, redundancy and continuity in case of a crisis or system failure?  These are all critical data points.

So once these questions can be quantified on paper, for better or worse you have the beginnings of your plan for sustainability.  Once you know the issues, then you know what you need.  In an increasing number of cases,  Brush Mountain’s Regional Data Center model starts to make a great deal of sense.  Having key data and systems in a secure, managed facility with fully redundant systems and IT staff monitoring the site 24/7365 ensures that you are informed and prepared with facilities and resources that would otherwise be cost prohibitive.

Be watching for my next topic where I’ll give some insight into the anatomy of a move into a data center.

In the meantime, join the conversation with us on Facebook! Are there any particular areas in my Key 3 that you struggle with the most?  Or suggest a topic for one of my upcoming posts!