SERVERCHOICE

DATA CE N T R E S

DATA CENTRE CHECKLIST

Your essential guide to choosing
the right data centre
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YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHOOSING

THE RIGHT DATA CENTRE
Choosing the right data centre can be confusing. There are hundreds of
facilities and providers out there, with some better for certain needs
than others. Some can be stratospheric in their cost, whilst some might
look like a bargain, but ongoing costs can make you rue the day you set
eyes on them.

Good data centre operators are the ones who take time and effort to make sure that
you have ample opportunity to view the deliverable product at the end. However the
best data centre operators are the ones who also encourage you to see the
mechanical and electrical infrastructure behind the scenes, who allow you to view the
security measures, show their accreditations and make their uptime statistics and SLA
available upfront.

It’s important to take your time and evaluate potential data centre partners carefully.
After all, they provide the foundations on which all aspects of your business will rest.
You need to be sure they can accommodate not only your initial requirement, but can
also continue to be flexible and help you as your business grows.

“It’s important to take your time and evaluate all potential data centre
partners carefully.”
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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Check off each section as you go to keep track of the answers and use
these sheets to help you match the information against your selection
criteria.

This guide has been designed to help you focus on key areas of data centres before, during,
and after you tour the facility. For the best outcome, decide which aspects of the facility are
most important to you and take extra time to ask questions about the specific data centre and
the operator themselves. Don’t be afraid to ask for evidence to back up the operator’s claims.
Data centres are required to keep many records for compliance, and should be happy to
provide this to you, though you may need to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for evidence to back up the operator’s claims”

DATA CENTRE INFO

Operator Name Sales Contact Name

Registered Address Sales Contact Email

Data Centre Name Sales Contact Phone

Data Centre Address Visit Date

OPERATOR
Headquartered in the UK

UK-based sales representative

UK-based support

UK-based finance team

UK-based management team

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BUILDING, LOCATION, AMENITIES

Designed and constructed to Tier III (or above)

Individually lockable cabinets

1,200mm deep cabinets to ensure there’s enough room for deep equipment, power rails & cabling

Able to accommodate your growth (either by offering reserved racks or a Right of First Refusal)

Located outside of a 100 year flood zone (ask for evidence from Environment Agency)

Located away from major highways and high-traffic roads

Located away from underground railways

Located away from major final approach flight paths

Located away from major crime areas

Easily accessible from your main place of work

Located near conveniently accessible restaurants or shops

Able to offer relocation services to help you move

Able to offer free, secure Wi-Fi internet connectivity throughout the facility, including inside the data halls

Free rest areas with hot and cold drinks, and microwave facilities

Meeting and conference rooms available to use free of charge

Dedicated loading bay and goods lifts

Monitor and keyboard trolleys on data floor

Trolleys and pallet trucks available

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Fire Suppression
Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus (VESDA) systems installed

Fire suppression system installed (gas or water mist)

If gas: is at the correct pressure (needle on indicator should be in the green zone)

If water: is a dry-pipe, zoned system

Supports multiple activations before recharge is needed

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CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Power
Minimum of two power feeds to each cabinet

Intelligent PDUs available

Static Transfer Switches (STS) available to support single-fed equipment

Able to support high-density power

Able to increase power to cabinets to support your growth at a later date

Multiple power feeds into building

Minimum of N+1 on generators

Dual starter systems on generators

Minimum of N+1 on UPS systems

24/7 UPS battery monitoring

At least 10 minutes autonomy on batteries

At least 24 hours autonomy on diesel backup

At least two fuel suppliers

Fuel resupply within 8 hours

Generators tested on-load monthly

Testing regime available for inspection

Cooling
Minimum of N+1 on cooling systems

Able to cool high-density cabinets

Hot & cold aisle methodology

At least one of the aisles is enclosed to optimise airflow and reduce air mixing

Provide blanking panels free of charge to optimise airflow

Adhere to ASHRAE standards for humidity and temperature management

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COMPLIANCE & STANDARDS

Operator will support your independent audits, free of charge

PCI DSS (card data) with AoC available to view

ISO 27001 (information security) with certificate available to view

ISO 9001 (quality) with certificate available to view

ISO 14001 (environmental) with certificate available to view

ISO 45001 / ISO 18001 (OHAS) with certificate available to view

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plans in-place and annually tested

Redacted versions of these plans available for inspection on-site

SERVICE & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

On-site 24/7 remote hands

Direct line to remote hands team

Possible to prioritise remote hands intervention based on severity

Single, dedicated account manager assigned to your account

Single account manager for all services, whether they’re colo, connectivity, cloud or security

Quarterly service review meetings offered

Ability to pool power allocation across multiple facilities

Ability to pool IP transit across multiple facilities

Up-to-date documentation & drawings for the facility available on-site for inspection

Flexible contract & commercial terms available to support your growth

Provision of reserved capacity or ‘right of first refusal’ to support your growth

Demonstrated 100% uptime record

Operator supports local businesses & good causes

Operator makes available the contact details for each Head of Department

Can demonstrate commitment to energy efficiency

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CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Security Systems
Not multi-tenanted building

Perimeter fence

Fence has tremor sensors fitted

Pedestrian airlock

Vehicle airlock

Multi-factor authentication used (minimum 2)

Passes programmed only to allow access to specific areas

Government-issued photographic identification required to gain access

Ability to add additional security measures to your area

Digital, full colour, HD CCTV throughout the facility

CCTV footage retained off-site for at least 90 days

Additional cybersecurity services available, such as penetration testing, VA scans, SIEM/logging, etc

Staff are DBS and credit checked prior to employment

On-going security training for internal personnel

Networks
IP transit services available from the operator

MPLS/leased line services available from the operator

Possible to connect to the major cloud providers from the facility

Possible to reach other network operators

Possible to connect to other data centres easily

Possible to take cloud and managed services from the operator

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DATA CENTRES

SPEAK TO OUR DATA CENTRE

EXPERTS TODAY
Find out more about the latest data centre technology and see
how our data centres compare

www.serverchoice.com enquiries@serverchoice.com 01438 532 300