Selecting A DataCenter
When researching any kind of ASP provider, whether it’s for web hosting, email, VPS, database hosting etc…the datacenter you choose is something you should certainly take into consideration.
All datacenters are ranked from Tier 1 to Tier 4. With Tier 4 being the highest and most secure center. Exchange My Mail houses our infrastructure in a Tier 3 datacenter located on Long Island, NY.
The only real difference between a Tier 3 and a Tier 4 datacenter is the availability of additional external power sources. Because these are not available on Long Island, this issue is addressed by having multiple power back-up systems, including on-site redundant power sources and redundant back-up generators with multiple-day fuel supply on-site. The generators and failover systems are regularly tested to ensure a seamless transition in the event of an emergency.
Other key elements to consider in a datacenter are:
- -Size
- -Physical security
- -Connectivity to outside networks
- -Cooling and environment controls
- -Fire Suppression
- -Support
ExchangeMyMail has done extensive research before choosing its current datacenter including a full tour of the 16,000 square foot facility and several in-depth meetings with high level engineers.
Physical security is addressed by monitoring all entrances with cameras and requiring multi-factor authentication which include biometric scanners.
The datacenter is designed on Cisco multilevel architecture which has data connections coming from five major communication carriers entering the building through separate trenches to avoid any interruptions in communications.
Another factor which might be overlooked by many is the heating and cooling system. Heating and cooling is regulated to maintain a consistent and optimal environment for the servers which are monitored to manage heat and humidity. A waterless fire suppression system is used to minimize the risk in an unlikely event of fire by detecting and suppressing fire within seconds which leaves no residue that might damage equipment or be hazardous to employee’s health.
Our datacenter is staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year and has been in operation for over 10 years.
- Founded in 1995, some of the largest companies are housed in this datacenter, including Canon, Getty Petroleum, Computer Associates, and The United Way of Long Island. They were named the 97th Fastest Growing Technology Company by INC Magazine and were ranked the 223rd fastest growing technology company nationally, by Deloitte & Touche.
- IBM Delivery and Business Development Partner, a Microsoft Managed Gold Certified Partner and a Cisco Premier Partner with specialization in Security. They are also an accredited member of the MSPAlliance.
- In October, 2006, they achieved SAS 70 Type II compliance, assuring customers of our ability to fulfill HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements for their IT infrastructure.
ExchangeMyMail owns all of its own equiptment that is housed in this world class, state of the art datacenter. This includes our EMC SAN, Dell Servers, Cisco Switches and Firewalls. With a 99.99% uptime it has been proven to be a wise choice.
Roger Peru -