Why Companies Should Choose a Michigan Data Center

Real Estate

Monday, 10 May 2010 21:56

Written by Mike Klein

A company's data center is a crucial part of its IT infrastructure and a company's IT infrastructure is critical to the company's overall operation. For today's average business if any portion of the IT infrastructure becomes unavailable, the entire company's operation can come to a halt causing lost time, productivity, and profit.

When choosing a colocation data center, a company should consider a location that is both cost effective and minimizes the risk of natural disasters. A Michigan data center offers the perfect environment to keep a data center running with minimal down time and lower operating costs.

An area with a low risk for natural disasters and has a cool, mild climate is the best location for a data center. A Michigan data center uniquely meets all of these requirements. A Michigan data center can deliver colocation more cost effectively, more reliably and with a Midwest work ethic that is rarely available at other data centers across the country.

What makes a Michigan data center more stable than those in other locations and the best choice for companies?

1. A low risk of earthquakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Mapping project in 2008 shows that the entire state of Michigan has an extremely low peak ground acceleration (PGA). This is a measurement conducted by precise instruments and reflects how hard the earth shakes in a given area. This indicates that the disturbance of the operation of a Michigan data center by an earthquake is extremely unlikely.

2. A low risk of tornados and hurricanes.

A Michigan data center faces a significantly lower risk of experiencing tornadoes and hurricanes in comparison to the rest of the U.S. According to an American Red Cross map detailing national hurricane hazard areas, Michigan data centers sit in the lowest risk zone. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) Tornado Hazard Map depicts the number of recorded tornadoes per 1,000 square mile area between 1953 and 2004 in the U.S. Michigan is among the states with the lowest tornado risk experiencing only one to five tornadoes for the entire 50 year span. A Michigan data center is at a much lower risk for a severe outage due to the very low occurrence of hurricanes and tornadoes compared to the rest of the country.

3. A history of the lowest number of major natural disasters in the United States.

According to NOAA, from 1980 to 2009, Michigan experienced the lowest number of natural disasters causing $1 billion or more in damage. In fact, only Alaska has fewer major natural disasters than Michigan.

4. A favorable climate.

A Michigan data center runs more cost effectively in the state's cool, mild climate. The average outdoor temperature a Michigan data center faces across the year ranges from 25 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, lowering the overall cost of cooling the data center as compared to much of the country. This provides a significant cost advantage for every Michigan data center with free cooling for all and only four months of the year with temperatures that average over 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. A Michigan data center has lower power costs and more inexpensive property costs.

A Michigan data center can translate the lower cost it takes to keep the facility cool due to the cold climate as savings for clients. Inexpensive real estate and reasonable power costs in Michigan can also drive significant colocation cost savings. However, when companies are deciding which Michigan data center to choose they should not pick based on cost alone. Companies should ask enough questions to clarify all of the services offered by each provider and compare those to their current and potential future needs.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) around 70 percent of all power outages are due to weather. Minimal extreme weather conditions equal less data center and operational downtime for companies. A Michigan data center will experience fewer natural disasters, has a more favorable climate, and typically incurs lower facility costs that can be translated into lower costs for their clients. A Michigan data center is the best choice for businesses looking to outsource.

About Online Tech

Online Tech owns and manages two SAS-70 secure and reliable multi-tenant Michigan data centers. With a full range of colocation and managed dedicated server offerings, Online Tech reduces IT data center costs, operational risks and downtime and insures their clients’ servers are always on, always online, and always safe. For more about our Michigan data center, visit http://www.onlinetech.com/managed_hosting/data_centers/.

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