Why Should you Know about Data Center Locations Before Choosing a QuickBooks Hosting Provider?

​You probably have known that hosting QuickBooks on cloud servers offers more opportunities for collaborative work than both the desktop and online versions. 

​Cloud servers are not made of invisible infrastructure. There are physical data locations on which infrastructure that manage your hosted data are located. Before service providers site their data locations, many factors are considered. As an end-user, you should also consider whether the location of your service provider’s data center will positively impact your business or otherwise. Below are the reasons you must know about data center locations before choosing a service provider.

​1. Server Request and Response Time

​Cloud servers that are closer to you tend to be faster with server requests and response time. Time is money. You can't afford to choose a service provider whose data center is very far from your location. There are many data center locations in the US and Canada. It is advisable to use a service provider that has its data center located closest to you. You may also consider using a service provider outside your country especially when your business is closer to the border. Compare cost implications and service delivery between the closest service provider in your country, and the one across the border.

2. Natural Disasters

Areas prone to hurricanes and other types of natural disasters may not be an ideal place to have a data center. Most cloud solutions company try to avoid siting data center locations in areas prone to natural disasters. However, as time and effects of climate change impact the environment, more sites are becoming prone to natural disasters like flooding, hurricanes, and others.
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Natural disasters are not suitable for cloud server infrastructure. During a natural disaster, your server may be down for several hours. You don't want to lose clients due to servers’ downtime. Therefore ensure your data center locations are not in areas prone to natural disasters.

3. Risk Assessment

All business requires taking risks. However, risks should be weighed to determine if they are worth it. Siting data centers in politically unstable regions is a huge risk. Sometimes during civil unrest, some people may wreak havoc on infrastructure and cause significant setbacks for cloud servers infrastructure.
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Visit the physical location of the data center if you can. Check for the presence of physical security personnel. Be aware of the crime rate of the area. A good data location would be one sited in a place with the lowest possible crime rate and adequate security personnel for infrastructure safety.

4. Get Assurance of Quality Services

You can also meet with some of your service provider's existing clients for reviews on their experiences with the data center location(s) for your chosen service provider. Ask if there are any lingering concerns about the data center locations. If there are none, this might be a good sign that their data server location is perfect for your business.
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How the data center location is organized sometimes portray the philosophy of the service provider. A neatly organized data center locations with standard protocols regarding procedures should turn out better than one that seems less organized.

5. Availability of workforce

​Data centers sited in areas where IT-workers are easy to find often perform better than those situated where their supply is low. It is faster and more effective to use a workforce close to the location than to move workers over long distances for routine maintenance. Resident workers can better help to protect infrastructure against vandalism and unauthorized access. 

6. Energy Resources

Datacenter locations require enormous amounts of energy to run daily. Be certain of the energy access and availability levels of your chosen data center. Check to ascertain what provision the company has put in place for alternative power supply for emergencies. Having a reliable secondary power source will assure you that when the primary power source fails, cloud services can still work until the primary power source is restored.

​Conclusion

​The importance of having a safe and reliable data center location is not quickly appreciated until challenges arise. It is better to establish the safety of your data center’s site before committing tangible funds to a QuickBooks hosting service provider. This due diligence effort has the potential to save your business lots of money and troubles in the coming days.