The Three Rs of Data Center Service

More and more we're asked to deploy new solutions and products for both our internal and external customers. Recent examples include Horizon View virtual desktops, Trend Micro Deep Security, and Avamar backup. In our business, this is never going to change.

To maintain our high standards of customer service while increasing our product offerings, I like to keep in mind the three R's: Redundancy, Reliability, and Robustness. What does this technical poetry really mean?

Redundancy is the lack of any single point of failure. This can be ensured by deploying more than one piece of equipment, installing auto-healing software, or even training our coworkers to solve problems efficiently. Implementing redundancy can be expensive and we have to be sure the risk is worth the cost. Our data centers all boast at least N+1 redundant equipment, but it is just as important to be redundant in processes.  The first step and the most important aspect of redundancy is identifying single points of failure in our systems and solutions, and taking steps to eliminate them.

Reliability comes from building systems, adopting training methods, and implementing standard operating procedures that all have low failure rates. Reliability means evaluating the up-time expectations and support expectations of products we buy as well as products we sell. It also means constantly improving our processes and workflow to minimize human errors and other risks.

Robustness is about building solutions that can easily flex and change. In the IT world, nothing ever stays the same and we have to be careful not to lock ourselves into vendor relationships and products that prevent us from growing and changing. We strive to identify products and solutions that can adapt to changes in the market. Even more importantly, robustness is about knowing the business and our products front-to-back so when things do change, we're ready for them with as much advanced notice as possible.

Green House Data staff is mindful of the three R's anytime we evaluate or deploy new solutions or products. These are the technical aspects of our business that we mix together with our unique high-touch customer service to provide solutions that are truly “built right, just for you”.

Posted By: Sean Bales