Data centres in Portugal

Responses range from PUE figures to uptime percentages to SLAs. But, on their own, these metrics are not representative of the responsibility and trust which companies place in their provider when they sign a fixed term contract. Don’t get me wrong, technical capability and efficiency are critical factors but they cannot, or rather should not, exist in isolation. I hear many stories from customers about their previous third party data centre experiences and reasons for migrating – a trending theme is that there is not enough integrity past the point of signature. To explain what I mean to those who have not yet chosen a provider or for those perhaps experiencing something that falls short of what they signed up for, it’s like this...

Choosing the right data centre provider, is like planning the perfect holiday. You’ll no doubt be looking for the most affordable package for your budget and the best destination. But before you make up your mind, you’ll need to think about a few things; first, you must decide whether to book the holiday yourself or utilise the services of a travel agent. You will save some money if you book yourself but you may have needs and complications that necessitate the hiring of a specialist. You also need to decide the length of time you want to be away. It is certainly true that the longer the trip the better value you get. But if you’re going to commit your family to a long stay you should be looking for detailed positive reviews from people who have been there and used the facilities – can you find such reviews? There are also expenses to remember when budgeting your holiday: travel insurance, car rental, excursions, upgrades, etc... but what about hidden expenses? It will not enhance your trip if you suddenly realise that you are stuck abroad and way over your budget. What extra activities do you want to undertake during your stay – are they available? And what if you need help when you get there? There’s nothing like local knowledge and an experienced rep at your disposal. What happens once you’re in the middle of your stay if your operator becomes insolvent? You may find yourself stuck in a foreign country with your family very exposed. We’ve all heard about this happening – and in the current climate who is to say that it won’t happen again?

So, all considerations made, you make your decision and book your holiday – to Portugal. You sign the paperwork and pay for it. The day finally arrives. You sit on your suitcase, force the zip closed and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands the captain announces the weather conditions and says, “Welcome to Germany.”

“Germany. What do you mean, Germany?” I booked Portugal. We’re supposed to be in Portugal.”
But there have been some changes to the package (which are contractually allowed of course) and now you’re in Germany. You can’t get your money back and, even if you could, it’s now too complicated and expensive to get to Portugal. So, in Germany you must stay. Even worse, your friends are all over Facebook talking about what a wonderful time they’re having in Portugal. That’s where you were meant to be, right?

Across our industry there are too many consumers ending up in countries they didn’t pay to go to, metaphorically speaking. Data centre providers need to become so much more than they are today... they need to become partners and trusted advisors to their customers.
Customers need to be front and centre of everything. What I mean by this relates to more than just customer service and SLAs – those are a given. And as long as there is a half-decent marketing department behind the scenes then you can be sure that this is exactly what you’ll be told.

So, how are consumers expected to separate a data centre provider from a data centre partner? The answer is to look for evidence of specific key values. A company who truly values their customers will be able to demonstrate the following:

Great People: Industry professionals bringing a combination of requisite skills, high energy and post-signature passion for the client and what they do. People who constantly communicate with the client, who constantly are focussed on enabling their clients business to succeed.
Understanding: A team which is prepared and keen to understand the requirement up front to accommodate the unique demands of each customer. The ability to architect a solution to ensure application compatibility within the data centre. Crystal clear demarcations of responsibility – i.e. power to the rack. Willingness to contractually commit to manage an efficient space and to endeavour to drive further efficiencies into delivery throughout the term of the contract, not just at Contract Award . Requirements will change, footprints will reduce and shift – the data centre provision must be flexible to meet those needs.
Security: Zero tolerance of anything that puts client business at risk. We all consider physical security but what about the financial security of the Company you are placing your ‘crown jewels’ with?
Partners: Consumers look for companies who have invested time and money into earning accreditations and forging associations. These transparent relationships help companies to continuously innovate and challenge each other to become thought leaders
Flexibility: Is there burstable space; can each customer temporarily increase your footprint and then reduce back down again? A Partner should be commercially and technically open to aiding customer migration.
Operational Excellence: Uptime is assured by many companies in sets of 9s. But it’s what happens if it does go wrong? How will the Senior Leadership team react? Who owns what? Does the provider have a predetermined senior team that put their hands up and say ‘it’s my responsibility’? A credit note does not always cover the damage of an outage. Is there evidence of continuous innovation? Or evidence of preventive maintenance? How about a company who will contractually commit to driving efficiency. And PUEs should not reflect the best ‘moment in time’ or a lab conditions estimate. Annualised PUEs are what should be offered. Perhaps as an acid test you could ask the provider if they are open to capping their PUEs.
Sustainability: As a customer you need a financially secure partner. A company which asks you for up front disclosure of your future business plans so that they can be built into the design and future planning of a solution. Another question to pose is, once a provider’s data centre is at capacity, how will they evolve the environment to provision for your future requirements? What can they offer you in 5 or even 3 years’ time when the technology / facilities are rapidly becoming dated? Is there a forward thinking plan to keep your business and infrastructure provided for?
When you look past the veneer of customer service, SLAs and marketing, if these values are not present and demonstrable then how much can a data centre provider really claim to care about their customers and, how different can data centres actually be?
The answer is found in the cultural differences between a provider and a Partner. Consumers need to challenge their providers by asking questions which force transparency. Some data centre providers will struggle to evidence these critical values, whilst a data centre Partner will proudly supply you with this information. At this point it becomes easy to select the right package, safe in the knowledge that when you get there, it’s exactly where you planned to go – Portugal!