New England Data Services Blog

Redundancy in Data Centers: How Redundant Became a Good Thing

When I personally think of something that is redundant, I think of something, anything that has been overused or overdone, to the point where it has become a negative thing.  As there are millions of things that can be deemed redundant I will forego them and simply get into the topic at hand:  What is redundancy in data services and how is it a positive thing?  

Redundancy in the data center industry is regarded as “computer or network system components, such as fans, hard disk drives, servers, operating systems, switches, and telecommunication links that are installed to back up primary resources in case they fail,” according to techtarget.com.  In plainer terms, redundancy within the data services industry is considered being prepared for failure of any aspect of technology, and having the resources to secure that aspect.  Ergo, in a company that specializes in bandwidth/internet connectivity experiences failure, if they have multiple providers to work around that failure, they are considered to be redundant for that aspect of technology.

One can clearly deduce that the more redundant a data center, the better it is for the consumer.  New England Data Services (NEDS), of Waltham, can be considered a very redundant company with redundant bandwidth, air conditioning, power, routers, firewall, network equipment, as well as servers.  For NEDS, if any one of these aspects were to fail, they have the capability to back them up, so the consumer suffers minimal to no outage or downtime.  

As I did for my previous blog on Venture Capitalist vs. Angel Investors, I will add quick question segment for consumers to ask themselves when looking towards data management services:

-    What services am I looking for when dealing with a data center?
-    Are the companies I am looking at redundant in those services?
-    Does the company fit my individual needs and will they provide the customer service I deserve?
-    Which company offers the best service for the money I am paying?
-    How will this company ultimately benefit me?