If you are looking to sign on with a local data centre, there are a number of crucial questions that you should be asking.
The reason for this is two-fold: any good data centre will be able to provide immediate and in-depth answers, and it also demonstrates that you have a firm understanding of responsible ownership.
These questions provide crucial peace of mind and ensure that your business’s designated data controller is partnering with a centre that will safeguard data and ensure continuity.
You do not need to be technically inclined to be having these discussions, but understanding storage operations at a conceptual level will help you identify a great partner amongst several good ones.
So, when vetting options, here are the 5 key questions you should be asking, as well as the reasons why these questions are important.
What uptime guarantees and redundancy measures are in place?
Uptime commitments are one of the clearest indicators of how seriously a data centre takes operational continuity.
Ask for documented SLAs and understand exactly what is covered if those guarantees are not met. Beyond headline percentages, probe into how redundancy is delivered in practice.
This includes dual power feeds, backup generators, battery systems, and network failover arrangements.
It is also worth clarifying whether redundancy is built into the facility as standard or offered as a paid add-on, as this can materially affect both cost and risk exposure.
Where is your data hosted and how is compliance handled?
Ask which country (or countries) your data is stored in and whether any data is replicated across borders. From a compliance perspective, the data centre should be able to outline how it supports requirements such as UK GDPR, ISO certifications, and sector-specific standards where relevant.
Clear documentation, audit trails, and regular assessments are good indicators of a mature compliance framework.
If the provider struggles to articulate how responsibility is shared between you and them, this may point to gaps in governance that only become apparent when issues arise.
How easily can your infrastructure scale as our needs change?
Your infrastructure requirements are unlikely to remain static with business growth, seasonal demand, or new applications, and so scalability should be built into the service model from day one.
A capable data centre will be able to explain how it plans for growth and how it avoids forcing clients into disruptive migrations when requirements increase.
What server hardware do you use, and how often is it refreshed?
Ask your data centre operators about their rackmount hardware, enquiring specifically about its lifecycle, performance, and reliability.
You want to make sure that they are consistently upgrading their tech stack. For example if they are using modern HPE ProLiant Gen10 Servers, they have capacity to scale for AI workloads.
However if they are still operating off older servers like gen 7 or gen 8 there is a real hardware security risk there.
If you don’t work in the tech side of your operation, familiarise yourself with what the latest generations of servers are for Dell, HPE and Supermicro, and make sure they are within the last few generations or have a good explanation of how they have scaled for modern workloads.
How are incidents, maintenance and support handled day to day?
Even with strong infrastructure, incidents will occur, preface this and ask how they are identified, communicated, and resolved at a prospective data centre.
Clarify monitoring arrangements, escalation paths, and response times, as well as how planned maintenance is scheduled and communicated. You should also understand what visibility you will have during incidents, including access to reports and post-incident reviews.
A well-run operation will be transparent about its processes and clear about where responsibility sits, ensuring there is no ambiguity when rapid decisions are required.
Partner with the right people for more peace of mind
While at the end of the day, you will want to trust your data centre partner’s expertise, asking some vetting questions that demonstrate you understand what makes for a good data centre delivers peace of mind for business owners and data controllers.
